A new Georgia Supreme Court decision has made it easier to defend third-party tort actions involving injured employees by reducing the recoveries when employer negligence contributes the work-related injury. Walker v. Tensor Mach., Ltd., 2015 WL 7135149 (Ga. 2015). Jock L. Walker was injured at work in August 2010 while he operated a machine that…
During the brutal winter of 1620-21, Miles Standish, the English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony and one of the Mayflower passengers, played a leading role in the administration and defense of the colony. His wife, Rose, suffered from sickness and fever throughout most of the winter, and when…
The owner of the vintage 1968 57-foot Chris Craft Constellation Yacht could barely recognize the custom mahogany plank craftsmanship of his boat through the blackened ash and the tears. Yet it was the owner’s insurance company who should have been crying. After being put in dry storage for the winter at a local marina, a…
In the normal course of American jurisprudence, legislation is passed and courts decide cases according to the laws that have been passed. It seems that in Massachusetts, they have it backwards. Section 15 of the Massachusetts’ Workers’ Compensation Act provides unequivocally that in third-party tort cases, “the sum recovered shall be for the benefit of…
The Delaware Department of Insurance (“DOI”) is threatening to take action against those who do not abide by state mandatory arbitration law. On September 1, 2015, the Delaware DOI released a bulletin to remind all insurers writing the coverages required under 21 Del. C. § 2118 that they are required to submit to mandatory arbitration…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. (“MWL”) is pleased to announce that Ashton Kirsch has joined the firm as an insurance litigation associate. Ashton’s practice areas include insurance litigation, subrogation, workers’ compensation, health insurance and ERISA. Ashton obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History in 2011 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison,…
We receive many questions from clients regarding Minnesota subrogation claims, including relevant statutes of limitations. One of the most frequent questions I receive has to do with the Minnesota statute of limitations for personal injury actions. For subrogation professionals outside Minnesota, its statutory statutes of limitations may not be clear. A quick, surface reading of…
Statute of Limitations Could Run Before Accident Occurs. It doesn’t seem possible that a statute of limitations could expire even before a loss is suffered and damages are incurred. However, that is the case in Georgia due to some questionable case law being used by defendants to escape liability. Subrogation professionals everywhere should make a…
James T. Busenlener, the managing partner of our Louisiana branch office, will be presenting a live webinar on Louisiana Automobile Subrogation: The Nuts and Bolts on November 17, 2015 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. (CST). This webinar is free to attend and will cover topics such as PIP, Med Pay, UM/UIM, property claims, deductible reimbursement, no-fault subrogation,…
When The Tortfeasor Dies, Your Subrogation Claim Doesn’t Need To Die Too! The author, Franz Kafka, known for his dark situations which many people relate to, once wrote a very short story about omnipotent power floating just beyond our reach. You go to the city to see the law. Upon arrival outside the law building,…