Pierce

FACTS

I. Auto Collision Incident and Trial Context

In September 2014, Pierce’s vehicle was rear-ended by Lana Thi Gray’s vehicle at a red light stop (the 2014 accident). Pierce’s vehicle registered a three and one-half miles per hour collision. The following day, Pierce went to Hoag Urgent Care for medical attention. She had a preexisting medical condition in her neck that began two decades earlier. At the time of the accident, Pierce had been receiving periodic medical treatments from pain management specialist Dr. Standiford Helm and had been receiving workers’ compensation insurance and disability benefits for an existing condition. Eight days after the accident, Pierce began receiving medical care from Dr. Gerald Alexander, a spine surgeon who treated Pierce on a lien basis. In May 2015, Alexander and his medical corporation were named as defendants in a third amended complaint, styled “State Compensation Insurance Fund v. Michael D. Drobot, Sr., . . . Michael R. Drobot, Jr., . . . Pacific Inc. d/b/a Pacific Hospital of Long Beach . . . Southwestern Orthopaedic Medical Corp . . .” (the Drobot lawsuit), alleging improper medical care billing by healthcare providers. Alexander…