John Graham v. Olson Wood Associates, Inc.

Summary

The court held that the dismissal of the Connecticut Insurance Guaranty Association from a complex asbestos workers’ compensation proceeding was provisional rather than final. Because compensability and the date of last exposure had not yet been determined, the commissioner could reinstate the association under the broad case-management authority granted by General Statutes § 31-298, and the dismissal did not have res judicata effect. The court affirmed the Workers’ Compensation Review Board and did not reach whether reinstatement independently satisfied the standards for opening an award.