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Category: Weekly Podcast News

June 29, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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June 22, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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June 15, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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June 8, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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June 1, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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May 25, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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May 18, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

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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May 11, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Railcar Repairman Not Under FAA Transportation Worker Exemption. Staffing Company Arbitration Agmt. Not Applicable to Employer. O.C. PET Scan Provider to Pay 8.3M to Resolve Kickback Case. Clinic Pays $750K to Resolve Illegal Use of Misbranded Implants. California DOI Takes Enforcement Action Against State Farm. WCRI Compares 36 States Hospital Outpatient Surgery Payments. WCRI Reports Comp Claim Costs Grew 6 Percent Annually 2022-2025. Last Holdout Regeneron Signs On to Most Favored Nation Pricing.

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May 4, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Court of Appeal May Rely on WCAB Unread Certified Record. Court of Appeal Rejects Opinions of Leading Law Treatises. Going and Coming Rule Not Negated by Hybrid Working From Home. California Uber Drivers Allege Uber Violated Prop 22 Provisions. $2M Fraud Proceeds Seized From Pasadena Wound Care Clinic. DOL Proposes Changes to Joint Employer Status Rule Under FLSA. Cal/OSHA Releases Updated Draft Workplace Violence Rule. First Overhaul of Brain Injury Classification in 50 Years.

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April 27, 2026 – News Podcast

WorkCompAcademy

Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: WCAB Panel Says Applicant Credibility Issue Justifies Take Nothing. Exclusive Remedy Bars Fraud Case Against TPA and Claim Adjuster. Zurich Claims $1.1M in Unpaid Staffing Company Comp Premiums. FEHA Standing Applies to Nursing Student on Clinical Rotations. Trial Court Denial of Workers’ Class Action Certification Reversed. Former Teacher Pleads Guilty in $51 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme. DOI Seeks Limits on Insurance Ratemaking Intervenor’s Fees. First New Fibromyalgia Drug in 15 Years Hits the Market.

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