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California's Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) Administrative Director George Parisotto has appointed Sara Widener-Brightwell to serve as a member of the Workers’ Compensation Ethics Advisory Committee.

The appointment is effective June 1, 2022.   

Sara Widener-Brightwell will fill the position of a member of the public representing insurers, previously held by Ellen Sims Langille. Widener-Brightwell is General Counsel for the California Workers’ Compensation Institute. She received her undergraduate degree in business administration from Colorado State University and her law degree from San Joaquin College of Law. She began her career in California workers’ compensation as a claims adjuster at the State Compensation Insurance Fund in Fresno and after receiving her law degree in 1994 began her career as a workers’ compensation defense attorney. Prior to joining the Institute she was responsible for California workers’ compensation claims compliance and training at Sentry Insurance.

The Ethics Advisory Committee, established in 1995 by Title 8, California Code of Regulations, section 9722, reviews all ethics complaints from the public against workers' compensation administrative law judges.

The committee reviews all complaints without learning the names of complainants or judges, and then makes recommendations to the DWC Administrative Director and the Chief Judge. The members meet quarterly and serve without compensation.

The committee includes the following members: a member of the public representing organized labor; a member of the public representing insurers; a member of the public representing self-insured employers; an attorney who formerly practiced before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and who usually represented insurers or employers; an attorney who formerly practiced before the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board and who usually represented applicants; a presiding judge; a workers’ compensation administrative law judge (WCALJ) or retired WCALJ; and two members of the public outside the workers' compensation community.

A judicial ethics complaint form and instructions can be found on the forms page of the DWC website.
 
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Lonce Lamonte, editor, adjustercom, and a news release from the DWC Newsline dated March 17, 2022