What the panel ordered
The Petition for Reconsideration is granted, the WCJ's Findings and Order are rescinded and substituted with new Findings and Order clarifying that defendant's payment was not unreasonably delayed or refused, and applicant's petition for penalties is denied.
Applicant sought reconsideration of the November 6, 2025 Findings and Orders issued by the WCJ, which denied applicant's petition for penalties, costs, and sanctions.
What was disputed, and how it came out
Each issue the panel decided, with the reasoning it gave. An outcome is what this panel did on this record — not a rule, and not a prediction.
The delay in payment was found not to be unreasonable or intentional, but rather a reasonable human error promptly corrected, with no evidence of institutional neglect or significant impact on applicant, thus no penalties were warranted.
From the decision · page 5In this case, applicant contends defendant unreasonably delayed payment of the settlement proceeds, such that a Labor Code section 5814 penalty is warranted. The WCJ "... found that Defendants are not subject to Labor Code § 5814 penalties as the delay in dispersing the settlement proceeds was not unreasonable and the delay was promptly corrected." (Report, December 1, 2025, p. 4, § 2). We agree but for the reasons discussed below.