Udvari v. WCAB (USAir, Inc.)

In Udvari v. Workmen's Compensation Appeal Board (USAir, Inc.), 550 Pa. 319, 705 A.2d 1290 (1997), the employer's medical expert testified that the claimant suffered symptom magnification syndrome, a term used to describe the exaggeration of symptoms by a patient, not a discrete illness. The expert stated that "she might believe that she has this pain. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt in that regard." Id. at 330, 705 A.2d at 1295. The Supreme Court determined that this statement did not establish that the claimant continued to experience pain, particularly where the employer's expert testified repeatedly that there was no objective basis for her claims. Accordingly, the claimant's benefits were terminated.