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Tag: 2024 Podcasts

September 9, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Court of Appeal Again Limits WCAB Jurisdiction on Reconsideration to 60 Days. Applicant Attorneys Battle Out Law Practice Sale Fee Split in En Banc Case. No Pay for Uninsured Contractor Even After Retroactive Reinstatement. After 9 Years, 3 Jury Trials, 2 Appeals – Attorney Fees are Far More Than Award. Special Shout-Out for Floyd Skeren Partner for Defense of $75M Civil Claim. Cal/OSHA Cites 9 Employers $168K For Silica Health and Safety Violations. VA Hospitals’ Quality Ratings Continue to Outperform Private Sector. American Academy of Physician Associates Calls Out AMA Turf War.

September 2, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Supreme Ct. Increases Scope of Discovery Sanctions in $2.5M Example. Jury Finds Infamous Plaintiff Lawyer Tom Girardi Guilty of Defrauding Clients. Appellate Case Shows Web of Entities in Biggest Comp Fraud Schemes. SoCal Federal Whistleblower Pilot Program to Flesh Out High-Level Crimes. Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Defrauding Buyers of Medical-Grade Gloves. Fresno Acupuncturist Agrees to $850,000 Healthcare Fraud Settlement. 2,325 People Died From Heat Last Year, Mostly In The Desert Southwest. Cal/OSHA Bolsters Staff to Investigate the Most Egregious Violations.

August 26, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Court Ends New FTC Rule Banning Employer Non-Compete Agreements. 9th Circuit Decision Continues “Judicial Hostility” to Employer Arbitration. Workers File Class Actions Against Employers for Excessive PBM Drug Costs. Separate Public Entities Exempt From Wage Order and PAGA Claims. Former CHP Officer Arrested for Workers’ Compensation Fraud. SJDB School Owner and Counselors Face $1M Fraud & Kickback Charges. Huntington Beach Company Succeeds With First Artificial Heart Transplant. MIT Researchers Study Why Laws are Written in an Incomprehensible Style.

August 19, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Carrier Prevails in Cal. Supreme Ct. on Pandemic Related Property Coverage. WCAB Rejects Earnings Calculated With Hotel and Meal Reimbursement. Conspiracy and Fraud Charges Added Against Bio-Lab Operator. Proposed Law Strengthens Review of Private Equity Healthcare Buyouts. New CIGA Board and WCIRB Governing Committee Members Announced. WCRI Study Identifies Key Factors Associated with High-Cost Claims. JOEM Study Show the Value and Cost-Savings of MSK Digital Care Program. NIH-Backed Research Finds Lab Tests Cannot Diagnose Long COVID.

August 12, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Cal Supreme Ct. Limits Overlapping PAGA Claims Against Same Employer. WCAB Imposes an Additional $25 K in Sanctions Against the Garrett Team. Injured Worker’s Failure to Cite Evidence in Record Forfeits Claim on Appeal. Ex Fugitive Ringleader of Massive $6M Insurance Fraud Pleads Guilty. Owner of 10 DME Companies Guilty of Defrauding Anthem Blue Cross of $1.7M. Travelers Publishes 2024 Injury Impact Report. RAND Report Paints Dismal Financial Picture for SIBTF Benefits. Non Comp Benefits Expanded for Disabled Persons in Need of Voc. Rehab.

August 5, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Cal Supreme Court Rules Uber-Lyft Proposition 22 is Not Unconstitutional. WCAB Affirms Take-Nothing in Rare Tick Bite – Lyme Disease Case. Supreme Ct. Rules Single Racial Epithet in 14 Years Sufficient for DFEH Claim. California and Other States Restaurant Wage Mandates Cause Job Losses. Proposed Law to Fine Insurers for “Ghost” Provider Networks. California DOI Announces Changes to State’s Insurer of Last Resort. WCIRB Issues 2024 State of the Workers’ Compensation System Report. 2 SoCal Hospitals Among 8 Nationwide Leading In Antimicrobial Stewardship.

July 29, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Court of Appeal Affirms Worker’s Fraud Conviction Based on Sub Rosa. Guidelines Specified for Severability of Unconscionable Arbitration Provisions. Biopharmaceutical Company Resolves Kickback Case for $5.5 Million. Santa Paula Doctor Pleads Guilty to $3 Million Fraud. DaVita Dialysis to Pay $34M to Resolve Allegations of Illegal Kickbacks. Riverside Chiropractor Agrees to Pay $180K to Resolve Fraud Allegations. DOI Calls for WCIRB Study of Workers’ Compensation Silicosis Claims. Ransomware Takes LA Superior Court 36 Office Internal Systems Down.

July 22, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: SIBTF Has Burden of Proof For L.C. 4753 Benefit Reductions. SCOTUS Rules Insurers May Participate in Insured Bankruptcy Proceedings. $500 Million Severance Pay Lawsuit Against Elon Musk Dismissed. S.F. Zen Center Worker Meets ADA Discrimination Ministerial Exception. Privette Doctrine Applies to Injury Working Inside Jet Tank. Guardant Health, Inc. Agrees to Pay $914K to Resolve FCA Charges. Federal Judiciary Has Systemic Sexual Harassment Protection Failures.
Doctors Face Another Medicare Pay Cut – 2.8% in 2025.

July 15, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Small Claims Case Bars Injured Worker’s Later Claims Against Employer. Microsoft Resolves California Leave Discrimination Claim for $14.4M. Proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rule to Face Legal Challenges. CWCI Reports Private Self-Insureds Have Fewer Claims But Higher Losses. FTC Releases Interim Staff Report Criticizing Prescription Drug Middlemen. DWC Schedules Next QME Exams for October 4 and 10, 2024. NCCI Labor Market Insights Report Shows Solid Employment Growth.

July 8, 2024 – News Podcast


Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D. is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories: Sub-Rosa Justifies City of Downey’s Termination of Injured Police Officer. DLSE Imposition of Labor Code Penalties on Contractor Affirmed on Appeal. 193 Defendants Charged for Over $2.75 Billion in Fraudulent Health Care Claims. American Labor Alliance Executives Convicted of $2.4M Worker’s Comp Fraud. Pharmacist Charged with Submitting Over $300M in Fraudulent Claims. Former Camarillo Insurance Agent Sentenced to 16 Years for $1.2M Scam. Newsom’s Budget Woes Delay Start of Healthcare Minimum Wage Hike. Cal/OSHA Adopts Indoor Heat Protection Standard With Prison Exemptions. Per-Page Fees Under New Fee Schedule Drive Med-Legal Costs Up Sharply. Workers’ Comp is in a “Total System Breakdown” – For California Firefighters.