3rd District Court of Appeal Clarifies Credibility Standards and Discovery Closure Rules
The procedural rules governing discovery in workers' compensation cases serve critical purposes in ensuring fair and efficient adjudication. In particular, Labor Code 5502(d)(3) establishes that discovery closes on the date of the mandatory settlement conference (MSC), with strict limitations on the admission of evidence not disclosed in pretrial conference statements. Those rules are fundamental to the workers' compensation system's goal of expeditious resolution while maintaining due process protections.