On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Business Insurance reported that a significant disagreement has emerged between the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) and the Workers’ Compensation Ethics Advisory Committee regarding findings of judicial misconduct from investigations conducted in 2024.
According to a report released by the DWC, the committee identified three instances of judicial misconduct during its investigations. However, a spokesperson for the DWC contradicted this assertion, stating that the committee’s investigations did not reveal any actual misconduct.
In 2024, the committee received a total of 28 new complaints, with approximately 75% originating from unrepresented injured workers. Complaints were also submitted by claimants with legal representation, defense attorneys, hearing representatives, and lien claimants. Notably, three complaints were lodged after the committee’s last meeting of the year.
The committee addressed 25 complaints from the previous year and successfully resolved 22 of them, alongside three complaints that had been pending since 2023. Of the 25 resolved complaints, three were substantiated as instances of judicial misconduct.
The nature of the complaints varied, with 10 alleging bias or the appearance of bias among judges. Six complaints pointed to judges failing to maintain appropriate decorum, while four accused judges of improperly delaying decisions or submitting false salary affidavits. Additional complaints included allegations of on-bench abuse of authority, failure to uphold rights, and improper ex parte communications. Lastly, one complaint involved claims of judicial abuse of the contempt process or sanctions.
Source: Business Insurance
