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WorkCompAcademy Weekly News


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB En Banc Ruled Orders Suspending Action Requires Due Process. Ethics Slip Voids Lawyers’ Retainer in $374M Global Settlement. Manageability No Basis to Breakup Joinder of 440 Tesla Workers Cases. Unlicensed Contractor Rules for Homeowner Negligence Case Clarified. Court Backs Insurance Commissioner on FAIR Plan Surcharges. California AG Targets Illegal Corporate Practice of Medicine. NCCI Report Examines Relationship Between Payroll and Losses. No Surprises Act “Outrageous” Arbitration Awards Cost Carriers Billions.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Appellate Court Rules Cal/OSHA May Investigate Like a Grand Jury. Class Certification Denied in Carrier “Hidden Premium” Case. Court Rules 500 S.F. Municipal Attorneys Remain At-Will Employees. UPS Mechanic Sentenced for Workers Compensation Fraud. Healthcare Fraud Takedown Results in 10 SoCal Defendants Charged. Incarcerated Prisoner Charged in $9.5M Medicare Fraud Scheme. ACOEM Releases New Workplace Lifestyle Medicine Guide. AI Beats Physicians in Diagnoses of Joint Replacement Infections.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Plaintiff Need Not Prove Anyone “Actually Viewed” Stolen Medical Data. Tesla Freemont Yard Hostlers Engage in Interstate Commerce. Courts Have Broad Discretion to Reduce PAGA Penalties and Fees. Judge Said Use of AI Was “Worst Example of Misconduct by a Lawyer”. Rising SoCal CT Claims Are Shifting Costs and Claim Patterns. Cal/OSHA National Trench Safety Stand Down Week. Harvard Poll Shows Dramatic Decline in Trust in Federal Health Agencies. Comp Medical Inflation Driven by Growing Use of Unlisted Codes.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Exclusive Remedy Applies During Unpaid Lunch Break. 1st & 5th DCA Disagree on FCRA Class Action Standing Requirement. Court Must Decide if Federal or State Arbitration Law Applies. CVS Resolves Insulin Pen Overbilling Medi-Cal Case for $36.5M. S.F. Telehealth Company Resolves False Claims Case for $3.325M. CWCI Reports Private Self-Insured Claims Fall But Losses Rise. DOJ Declares EEOC’s Disparate-Impact Guidelines Unconstitutional. Study Shows High Attrition Rate for Surgeons Nationwide.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: New Trial for Historical 19 Year Long Employment Law Class Action. FAA’s Arbitration Exemption Extended to “Last-Mile” Delivery Drivers. Arizona AG Sues Eight Major Health Insurers For Price Fixing. Massachusetts AG Sues UnitedHealthcare For Alleged $100M Fraud. Burbank Lab Owner Sentenced to 51 Months for Health Care Fraud. 9th Circuit Sanctioned Orange County Attorneys After AI Use. Governor’s Executive Order Aims to Soften AI’s Impact. IAIABC NextGen Awards Recognize 7 WorkComp Leaders.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Supreme Court Sets Oral Argument in WCAB Grant for Study Controversy. No Duty for Employer to Accommodate Undisclosed Mental Disability. Employer’s Sexual Harassment Investigation May Not Be Privileged. 3 SoCal Residents Convicted for $2B International Prescription Fraud. Four Drivers Arraigned in Alleged Staged Crash Scheme. Stericycle Resolves DEA Criminal and Civil Allegations for $56M. DWC Posts RAND Report on Medical-Legal Process. Digital Twin Virtual Knee Replica Used to Test Surgical Approaches

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories:Stepchild Entitled to Conclusive Presumption of Total Dependency. Employer’s $257K Attorney Fee Award Against Employee Affirmed. Major Drug Maker to Pay $13.6M to Resolve Kickback Case. Owner of Health Care Software Company Convicted for $1B Fraud. When Can Treating Physician Use Narrative Report for RFA Forms? DWC Releases Independent Medical Review Report for 2025. WCIRB Publishes it Quarterly Experience Report Q4 2025. Eleven Insurance Commissioner Candidates on June 2 Primary Ballot.

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Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Arbitrator Held to Same Procedural Standards as WCJ. SCIF Prevails in 20 Year Long Employer Premium Audit Litigation. Employers File More RICO Actions Against Plaintiff Lawyers. Court Finds County Liable for Losing Personnel & CalPERS Records. Sutter Health Resolves ERISA Class Action for $4.3M. Jury Convicts Bay Area Man of Insurance Fraud After 7 Day Trial. Huntington Park Doctor Resolves False Claim Act Case for $6.7M. Stanford Breakthrough Could Make Knee Replacement Obsolete.

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