Lopez, Thomas

Applicant Thomas Lopez, through attorney Juan Armenta, sought reconsideration of an admonishment contained within the Appeals Board's February 28, 2024 Opinion and Decision After Reconsideration. The admonishment warned counsel, as an officer of the court, against including material misstatements of fact in verified petitions, potentially subjecting him to sanctions. The Board held that an admonishment is not a final order, decision, or award subject to reconsideration, and that the underlying decision (which rescinded the Joint Findings, Award and Orders of July 8, 2020 and returned the matter to trial) was itself a non-final order. The Board dismissed the Petition for Reconsideration, finding that no final order existed and that good cause was not presented to issue an amended opinion. The Board additionally reviewed the admonishment as a courtesy and determined it had appropriately issued.