Palm Medical Group, Inc. v. State Compensation Insurance Fund

Opinion

POLLAK, J.

Palm Medical Group, Inc. (Palm), an occupational medical clinic located in Fresno, was denied admission into the preferred provider network (PPN) operated by State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), a California public enterprise fund operating throughout the state as a nonprofit workers’ compensation insurer. After a four-week trial, a jury found that SCIF had excluded Palm in violation of the common law fair procedure doctrine and awarded Palm damages of $1,131,000. The trial court subsequently granted SCIF’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict on the ground…