Randy Ready, Sr. — ADJ13858864

Applicant Randy Ready, Sr., a former professional baseball player employed by Angels Baseball LP from 1996-1997, claimed cumulative injury to multiple body parts. A WCJ found his date of injury under section 5412 was 2004 (based on a claim form filed on his behalf that year) and barred compensation under section 5405's one-year statute of limitations, also finding laches. The Appeals Board granted applicant's reconsideration and determined the date of injury was actually May 4, 2021—the date of Dr. Einbund's orthopedic reporting—finding the 2004 filing did not impart the requisite knowledge of industrial causation, particularly because applicant never authorized, signed, or consented to that filing. Defendant sought reconsideration of the Board's decision, arguing the date of injury cannot be later than the date an application is filed. The Board denied reconsideration, holding that general knowledge of a right to file a claim is distinct from knowledge of work-relatedness of disability under section 5412, and admonished defense counsel for intemperate language impugning the Board's integrity.