EVEN WHERE AN INJURED WORKER SETTLES WITH A THIRD-PARTY BEFORE THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SCHEDULE LOSS OF USE IS DETERMINED, THE EMPLOYER’S CARRIER MUST SHARE IN THE LITIGATION COSTS (CT APP).
The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, reversing the appellate division, determined the employer’s workers’ compensation carrier must share in the litigation costs incurred by an injured worker, even where the worker’s settlement with a third-party precedes the workers’ compensation schedule loss of use is determined:
Joseph Terranova, a foreman employed by the Lehr Construction Company, injured his right knee on a raised floor tile at a job site. He sought both workers’ compensation benefits from Lehr’s carrier, the New Hampshire Insurance Company (NHIC), and damages from the third-party contractor responsible for the defective tile. At the time of Mr. Terranova’s settlement with the third party — to which NHIC consented in a letter — he had received $21,495.99 in workers’ compensation payments and was litigating the extent of his schedule loss of use before a workers’ compensation law judge. Proceedings before that judge continued after the third-party settlement and ultimately resulted in a finding that Mr. Terranova suffered a ten percent schedule loss of use of the right leg that entitled him to 28.8 weeks of benefits, or an additional $9,960. Despite Mr. Terranova’s arguments to the contrary, the judge — as well as the Board and the Appellate Division — concluded that because his ultimate award was of a type we had indicated had an ascertainable present value, he was not entitled to the post-settlement apportionment of the litigation expenses contemplated for other types of awards in Burns v Varriale (9 NY3d 207 [2007]). * * *
Neither Kelly [60 NY2d 131] nor Burns contemplated the sequence involved here, in which a third-party settlement was consummated before an award was determined. Here, although the Board ultimately recognized the inequity of its initial determination, it first misinterpreted Kelly and Burns as requiring that litigation costs apportioned against all schedule loss of use awards be either assigned at the time of the third-party settlement or not at all. …
When, as here, the present value of the loss of use or other benefits is not finalized at the time of the claimant’s recovery in the third-party matter, the carrier must pay its fair share once the present value is determined. Matter of Terranova v Lehr Constr. Co., 2017 NY Slip Op 08799, CtApp 12-19-17
WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW (EVEN WHERE AN INJURED WORKER SETTLES WITH A THIRD-PARTY BEFORE THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SCHEDULE LOSS OF USE IS DETERMINED, THE EMPLOYER’S CARRIER MUST SHARE IN THE LITIGATION COSTS (CT APP))/LITIGATION COSTS (WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW, EVEN WHERE AN INJURED WORKER SETTLES WITH A THIRD-PARTY BEFORE THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SCHEDULE LOSS OF USE IS DETERMINED, THE EMPLOYER’S CARRIER MUST SHARE IN THE LITIGATION COSTS (CT APP))