Alfredo Ledezma, et al.

In this en banc decision, the WCAB imposed sanctions under Labor Code section 5813 against attorney Susan Garrett and non-attorney Lance Garrett for filing eight frivolous petitions for reconsideration across multiple consolidated cases. In each instance, after their last-minute continuance requests were denied, the Garretts filed petitions for reconsideration on or near the day of trial and failed to appear, thereby halting trial proceedings and effectively obtaining de facto continuances through improper means. The Board found that petitions for reconsideration are not proper from orders setting matters for trial (which are interlocutory and reviewable only by petition for removal), and that the Garretts had previously been put on notice of this in a prior decision. The Board imposed the maximum sanction of $2,500.00 in each of eight cases against each Garrett ($20,000 each, $40,000 total), plus reasonable expenses including attorney's fees and costs, with the amount of those expenses deferred to the trial level before PJ Robert Rassp.