Maria Sandoval v. Dollar Cleaners

Discovery—Depositions—Removal to WCAB—WCAB denied defendant's request for removal from WCJ's ruling issued during deposition of doctor/owner of lien claimant surgery center involved in consolidated lien proceedings, in which WCJ, acting as a "special master," sustained doctor's objections to divulging names of other surgery centers he owned after beginning of 2004 based on lack of any reasonable possibility that answers could lead to admissible evidence, and WCAB found that defendant's line of inquiry about additional surgery centers owned by doctor under new rate structure in effect after 2003 was not relevant with respect  reasonableness of charges incurred before 2004 associated with treatment of applicant with admitted cumulative injuries to neck, wrists, and psyche during period ending 6/22/2001, and that WCJ's ruling did not result in significant prejudice or irreparable harm to defendant so as to justify removal under 8 Cal. Code Reg. § 10843(a). © Copyright 2009 LexisNexis.

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