Teddy Snyder

Author: Teddy Snyder

  • Why An Injured Worker Is Like Aaron Burr

    Hamilton, the ground-breaking musical about colonial forefathers, is finally coming to Los Angeles in August. But maybe you’ve been experiencing a version of that story. Like Aaron Burr, injured workers want to be in the room where it happens [sorry if you encounter an ad at this link]. Instead, they are frequently shut out of discussions and proceedings about their claim.
     
    Ignorance breeds resentment
    Go to any WCAB location and you will see a waiting room full of injured workers. Many more injured workers with claims on the calendar are not in attendance. Settlement discussions may occur in courtrooms, cafeterias and even hallways. Injured workers are usually not included in these discussions.

    No injured worker should waste time traveling to a Board when nothing will happen. On the other hand, injured workers want to sit in on their attorney’s negotiations. If the injured worker is already at the Board, shutting out that person can foster mistrust.

    The Best Place for Settlement Discussions
    Mediation provides a forum for the injured worker to listen and participate. Including the injured worker conveys respect and can avoid a problem later.

    Likewise, the presence of a representative from the employer’s side shows a seriousness of purpose. That representative will get a better picture of the negotiation by being in the room where it happens.

    Regardless of which side an attorney represents, counsel will want to prepare the client for mediation. That includes a preview of how mediation works. Counsel may want to coach clients to be temperate in their comments. In joint session or when the mediator is present, client or counsel can ask for time for a private discussion with each other at any point.
    Multiple Rooms
    Typically there are at least two rooms where it happens, because each side is in its own caucus. As mediator, I shuttle between the rooms to speak with lawyers and their clients. Sometimes I speak only with the attorneys (often in the hall), and attorneys can request to speak privately with the mediator or with the mediator and opposing counsel. When counsel returns to caucus, the client can provide immediate feedback—assuming the client is in the room where it happens.

  • Mediator Proposals

    I see cases– sometimes years later– where the parties were oh-so-close to settling when negotiations broke down. Nobody would compromise their bargaining position to give that last inch, and they didn’t have a mediator to help them bridge the gap.
    A Secret Response To An Offer Nobody Made
    A “mediator’s proposal” works like this. I come up with a figure, sometimes with conditions such as CMS approval, which I believe will settle the case. Neither party has made this settlement offer, but, based on the negotiations which have occurred so far, it is a figure I believe all parties can accept.The mediator’s proposal depends on confidentiality. Parties are in separate rooms at this point. These separate sessions are called “caucuses.” I have always communicated my mediator’s proposals aloud in the caucus room, but some mediators write the proposal on two pieces of paper (one for each side) and sometimes put them in envelopes to be opened once the mediator has left the caucus.

    If both parties accept the proposal, we have a settlement. (Hurray!) If one party accepts, but the other does not, there is no settlement, and the refusing party never learns that the other side accepted. I only tell parties there is no settlement. If both sides refuse, I tell them there is no settlement, but, again, parties do not know if the other side accepted the mediator’s proposal.

    There are many benefits of the mediator’s proposal. Principally, no one has forsaken their last offer to settle. If a mediator’s proposal does not succeed, the parties can continue negotiating from their last position.

    Blame it on the mediator
    The mediator’s proposal allows mediation participants to save face. “It wasn’t our idea; it was that darn mediator’s.” Sometimes attorneys hesitate to be completely forthright in their recommendations to their clients, particularly if they are the second or third attorney on the file.  The mediator’s proposal opens the door for a frank discussion while allowing the attorney to shift responsibility to the mediator for an idea the client may find distasteful.

    Mediators don’t stick their necks out to come up with a proposal unless they are pretty sure it is going to be accepted.  These things don’t happen early in the mediation.  More likely, you will see a mediator’s proposal when it looks like parties are heading to an impasse. Because my mediator’s proposal is a reflection of the parties own negotiation to this point, it is generally accepted.

  • Stop Hiding The Ball: What You Need To Tell The Other Side

    Your best friend in negotiation can be your opponent—provided you put your report where your mouth is. Too often parties withhold evidence which would support their position. Sure, your opponent’s initial reaction may be to denigrate your evidence. But they may not have anything to refute it. It might even be too late for them to try to work up something.
    Help Your Opponent Convince Their Client
    So why did it take so long to get to this point? Because you have been hiding the ball. If you expect large sums for a life pension or for treatment the carrier had denied plus penalties plus fees, be prepared to show why the employer was wrong. You can’t expect opposing counsel to advise their client to change their case evaluation if you’ve been keeping secret the reports that crush their position. Of course, timing is important. There are many reasons why you might not want to show your hand too early. But by the time you are at the mediation table, you must be prepared to put your cards on the table.

    How Mediation Confidentiality Helps
    Perhaps you have a sub rosa video or some other smoking gun the other side doesn’t know about. Your mediation brief can be confidential– for the mediator’s eyes only. When you are in caucus (a private meeting with the mediator,) you can discuss secret information with the mediator. If you don’t want it disclosed to the other side, it goes no further. But putting the mediator in the picture allows her to frame the issues in the case to maximize the potential for settlement.

    Negotiations succeed when parties are in the same ballpark. If you don’t communicate what your ballpark is, your opponent will assume that their evaluation is the correct one. It’s hard to play in the same game when one of you is at Dodger Stadium in L.A. and the other is at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. To bring everyone to the same field, you have to communicate.

    America Runs On . . .

    You’ve probably seen the ad:

    Courtrooms– even WCAB courtrooms– run on evidence. It’s your job to make sure you have evidence to support your view of the case.

    The advice to communicate your evidence so your opponent can help you “sell” your position assumes you’ve done everything necessary to gather that evidence.  That could mean obtaining a narrative medical or vocational report or ordering a Medicare Set-Aside allocation report.

    Mediations are efficient and successful when everyone comes prepared with information to support their demand or offer.

  • The Elephant in the Mediation Conference Room

    Sometimes the issues the lawyers and adjusters are discussing are not what is most important to the Applicant.

    Recently, in a pretty small case, the professionals told me the disagreements were about what had been paid and what was still due. The injured worker told me his biggest concern was that, although he had returned to modified duty, the employer had told him there was no more work for someone with his disability. The injured worker was terrified that he would be out of a job with no ability to get another one, but that is not what the lawyers were discussing.

    Many times, the injured worker’s biggest issue is not one that is dispositive of any issue in the case, but, in fact, is the driver for the injured worker’s decisions– the proverbial elephant in the room the negotiators are trying to ignore.

    Because these are often personal matters, the injured worker may not share these concerns with the employer’s side– or even the injured worker’s own lawyer.

    • The woman with a sick teen-aged son who desperately wanted to control her own industrial medical care, but was afraid that if she C&R’d her case, the lump sum payment would result in the family’s loss of Medi-Cal which provided care for the son.
    • The man suffering from non-industrial cancer whose biggest concern was leaving an estate to support his wife.
    • The injured worker who wanted to return to his home country, but feared that expressing that desire would diminish the value of the claim.

    These issues can often be discovered and resolved through mediation. Parties can express their concerns to the mediator confidentially. Once the mediator knows the real issue, the mediator can often re-frame the issues to allow the parties to reach resolution– all without breaching confidentiality.

  • Death and Taxes

    Workers Compensation is one more area where death and taxes must be considered.

    DEATH

    Death of an injured worker who has not previously entered into a Compromise & Release for the indemnity part of the claim stops all benefits. Per California Labor Code 4700, “Neither temporary nor permanent disability payments shall be made for any period of time subsequent to the death of the employee.” Life expectancy is uncertain. An injured worker who is concerned about the injured worker’s family’s future welfare may want to get the value of those benefits now. The way to do this is by entering a Compromise and Release settlement.

    An injured worker can create a potential estate for the injured worker’s family by cashing out the value of future indemnity benefits. The question then becomes how to value those benefits. Rather than a dollar-for-dollar payment, it may be appropriate to apply a discount for present value. In other words, a dollar in hand today is worth more than the promise of one to be paid years in the future. The reason is that today’s dollar can grow with proper investment. Parties may differ on the proper discount rate to use for this purpose. In cases where payments are due for the lifetime of the injured worker, disagreements can arise about the injured worker’s life expectancy.

    TAXES

    All payments made pursuant to a Workers Compensation claim, both medical and indemnity, are being paid due to a physical injury. Therefore, these payments are excluded from gross income for income tax purposes under Internal Revenue code section 104. Settling the claim for a lump sum does not change the tax-free character of the payment. Beware, however, that once that money is invested, the income generated from that principal is treated like any other income without regard to the source. The injured worker can choose to invest some of the settlement in a structured settlement which pays return of principal and tax-free investment income according to a schedule the injured worker chooses at time of settlement.

  • How to Win With Throwaway Issues

    Some issues aren’t worth fighting over. Yet, parties and counsel frequently do take a stand when they might do better by taking a step back and just throwing that issue away.

    It’s the Principle of the Thing

    OK, you’re completely right on this issue—but what is the big picture? A fight over a $300 interpreter bill is counterproductive when you are trying to resolve a claim with a value of $600,000.

    When mediation participants staunchly maintain, “It’s the principle,” they almost always mean, “It’s the money.” Particularly for the employer side, this is a business negotiation. Savvy negotiators know how to bargain away the little issues to get the optimum result.

    Location, Location, Location

    Perhaps the most common throwaway is where to convene the mediation. Southern California is a big place, and drives of several hours to get to a Board or mediation are not uncommon. Sometimes parties argue over where to hold the mediation. You can’t resolve the case if you can’t even agree where to get together to talk about it.

    Usually, California workers compensation mediations are held in one of the attorney’s offices. Sometimes only the defense attorney’s office is large enough to accommodate the participants. But negotiations may be most fruitful at a location which does not intimidate the injured worker. Using the AA’s personal office and the reception area for caucuses (mediator sessions with only one side) may seem cramped, but if the injured worker is most comfortable there, that may be the best choice. If you are arguing over this issue, just give it up.

    I Owe You One, Man

    Negotiation is a give-and take process. Once someone has acquiesced on an issue, the other party usually feels somewhat beholden to give way on the next one. Minimally, your “generosity” with issues which are of little consequence to you can show how reasonable you are. These concessions help advance the mediation toward a successful conclusion.

    Some negotiators invent issues to fight over just so they can have them in their back pocket to throw away. Throwing away your position on an issue can be the smartest way to negotiate to the best final resolution.

  • Mediation or Arbitration

    Confusion continues about mediation compared to arbitration. The processes are very different.

    Mediation
    Parties come to mediation to achieve settlement. A mediator helps people negotiate to that end. I spend most of a mediation with parties in separate confidential sessions. I help them define issues, understand alternatives, and compose offers and demands. I convey information between parties in a way that will promote settlement. A mediator has no power to order anyone to do anything. With the mediator’s help, parties come to an agreement. Sometimes a mediated settlement includes promises outside the scope of the dispute originally submitted for mediation and it is compromise on one of these outside issues that settles the case. A mediation can end without settlement, and the case goes on.

    Arbitration
    Parties come to arbitration for an adversarial proceeding where a professional neutral will decide who is right. An arbitrator is a private judge. Arbitration is subject to many rules. Proceedings are similar to a trial with witness testimony and submission of evidence limited to the defined dispute. It would be improper for an arbitrator to meet privately with a party or to suggest ideas. At the conclusion of an arbitration, the arbitrator declares a winner; the ruling is called an “award.” If the parties, individually or through a group such as a union, have submitted the dispute to binding arbitration, the arbitrator’s award is the end of the case.

    Different skills for different processes
    Mediation and arbitration require different sets of skills. Mediators encourage collaboration. An arbitration is an adversary proceeding—no collaboration. Mediators may suggest a creative solution. Arbitrators do not suggest anything; it is up to each party to present their case and for the arbitrator to judge it. By definition, arbitrators are judgmental; mediators are not.

    Some professional neutrals can successfully switch hats, conducting both mediations and arbitrations. But participants often report that some mediators, particularly those with judicial experience, are, well, judgmental. When choosing a mediator or arbitrator parties should be cognizant of the differences in the processes and choose the neutral best suited for the task.

  • 3 Signals It’s Time to Close the Claim

    Some Workers Compensation Claims seem to have a life of their own. Before you know it, years have passed since the Date of Injury. Here are 3 signals telling you to take a hard look at settling now.
    The Injured Workers is 61 years old.
    Once an injured worker reaches age 62½, any buy-out of future medical care must include a Medicare Set-Aside. (Buy-out of medical benefits for an injured worker already on Medicare also requires a Medicare Set-Aside.) This adds extra work and delay. Sometimes the MSA evaluation changes the parties’ view of the case. Stories abound about how the MSA process has torpedoed a settlement.

    Check your case inventory. If the injured worker is 61 years old, take steps now to close the claim before Medicare becomes a party to the proceedings.

    Litigation has become a way of life
    You’re in court every month. The number of claimed body parts keeps increasing; every treatment request is denied. Everyone mistrusts everyone else, including their own lawyers. Take a deep breath. Step back. This claim has a settlement value. The parties just need help figuring out what it is.

    Trial is Imminent
    Nothing makes people think about settlement more than an upcoming trial date. You’ve lived with these facts for a long time; how can you be sure the judge will see things your way in the limited time available to put on the case?  Often, a judge’s order is just the gateway to even more litigation.

    Going to trial is a risk.  Most people are uncomfortable with the lack of control. They are happier with a negotiated settlement reached through compromise. You won’t get everything your way, but you won’t lose on every issue either. Most importantly, litigation can end.

    Take the First Step
    Approach the other side about scheduling a mediation.  If communication has broken down, contact the mediator first, and let her work on bringing the parties together.

  • ‘Twas the Night before Mediation

    (c) Teddy Snyder SnyderMediations.com

    ‘Twas the night before mediation
    And all through the firm
    Not a creature was stirring,
    Not even a worm

    But then one lawyer
    Asleep on a couch
    Shot up, hit his head
    And said with an “Ouch”

    Oh my, I’ve got
    That mediation tomorrow
    I didn’t do a brief
    Much, much to my sorrow

    Then what to his exhausted eyes should appear
    But Mediator Snyder with news of good cheer

    You don’t need it fancy
    You don’t need it long
    Just give me some clues
    So the time’s not spent wrong

    Just send me an “e”
    It’s all confidential
    Tell me the issues
    What’s the dollar potential?

    With that she was gone
    The lawyer banged out a brief
    He’d be ready tomorrow
    Oh what a relief.

    This holiday season
    When your time seems too short
    Turn to mediation
    And stay out of court.

    Happy Holidays!