In re Compensation of Villagomez-Lopez, 011720 ORWC, 18-01395

• Case Date: January 17, 2020
• Court: Oregon

72 Van Natta 66 (2020) In the Matter of the Compensation of GUMARO L. VILLAGOMEZ-LOPEZ, Claimant WCB No. 18-01395 Oregon Worker Compensation January 17, 2020           Dodge And Associates, Claimant Attorneys           SAIF Legal Salem, Defense Attorneys           Reviewing Panel: Members Woodford and Lanning.          ORDER ON REVIEW          Claimant requests review of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Ian Brown’s order that: (1) denied claimant’s motion to continue the hearing for the admission of rebuttal reports; and (2) upheld the SAIF Corporation’s denials of claimant’s new/omitted medical condition claims for a right knee medial collateral ligament sprain and a somatic related disorder. On review, the issues are the ALJ’s evidentiary ruling and compensability.          We adopt and affirm the ALJ’s order with the following supplementation to address the evidentiary issue.          Claimant contends that it was an abuse of discretion for the ALJ to deny his request for rebuttal reports following the depositions of Drs. Gonzalez and Vetter. Based on the following reasoning, we disagree.          An ALJ is not bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence or by technical or formal rules of procedure and may conduct a hearing in any manner that will achieve substantial justice. See ORS 656.283(6). We review the ALJ’s...