Oklahoma Court of Appeals

Oklahoma Court of Appeals Rules That Workers’ Compensation Carrier Can Subrogate Death Benefits

Amy Alexander, et al. v. Nam Duong and Sentinel Insurance Company, Case No. 120,320 (Okla. App. December 2, 2022) Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws have endured a long and tortured constitutional tug-of-war between trial lawyers and business advocates/subrogation professionals. In 2011, Oklahoma completely overhauled its workers’ compensation laws, entitling the new legislation the “Workers’ Compensation Code.”[1]…

Welcome Aboard

Shareholder Announcement

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. is pleased to announce the election of Richard A. Schuster, Esq. and Ashton T. Kirsch, Esq., to shareholder status in the firm. The firm is excited to welcome these two extremely talented attorneys as shareholders of our firm. They have demonstrated that they have the legal skills, dedication, and work…

Darin G. Tabor

MWL Welcomes Darin G. Tabor To The Firm

Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. is pleased to welcome Attorney Darin G. Tabor to our California branch office. Darin began his career in the insurance industry, working with Corvel Corporation handling workers’ compensation claims. He then transitioned to the courts, fulfilling two separate clerkships for Tarrant County District Judge Melody Wilkinson in Texas and Oakland…

Injured Worker

Virginia Guts Ability Of Workers’ Compensation Carrier To Subrogate Via Special Arbitration

Hartford Underwriters Ins. Co. v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2022 WL 17491301 (Va. 2022) When two insurance companies or an insurance company and an employer (self-insured for workers’ compensation) enter into Arbitration Forum’s “Special Arbitration Agreement”, the workers’ compensation carrier may proceed in binding arbitration under Arbitration Forum’s Special Arbitration Forum to seek reimbursement and subrogation…

Money Pie

First Come, First Served: Subrogating Multiple Claims In Excess Of Policy Limits In All 50 States

Insurance subrogation professionals are routinely faced with minimum limits scenarios which complicate otherwise straightforward subrogation cases. When a third-party liability carrier’s insurance limits are insufficient to pay the claims of multiple claimants, the carrier must begin to assess the hierarchy of the claimants – how to slice the insured’s pie. In order to do this,…

Subrogating Cybersecurity Claims

Huge Increase In Insurance Litigation Creates Demands For Qualified And Secure Insurance Litigation Counsel

A new 2022 report reveals a massive spike in litigation involving insurance coverage and claims and advises insurance companies to “be prepared by increasing resources both in-house and outside counsel.” The report, entitled “Insurance Litigation Report” was issued Lex Machina, Silicon Valley-based SAAS company that helps lawyers pinpoint litigation trends. It includes an analysis of…