Personal Injury Cases: Good news for Connecticut workers. If you are injured at work and your injury is the fault of a third party, you have a right to sue the third party for damages and losses caused by the injury. This is independent of and in addition to your rights under the Connecticut Worker’s Compensation Act.
- When you settle your claim against the at fault third party, Connecticut law, prior to July 1, 2011, allowed the employer to recover 100% of any worker’s compensation benefits it had paid you.
- This session of the legislature changed the law to cap the employer’s recovery at 1/3 of the amount you recover from the third party.
- Here is an example. Jim was driving a company car as part of a work assignment. He is injured in an automobile accident when a truck goes through a red light. As a result of his injuries he missed several months from work, spent time in the emergency room, and had other medical expenses. His employer paid Jim $30,000.00 in worker’s compensation benefits.
- Jim settles his case against the truck driver’s insurance company for $60,000.00.
- As a result of the new law, Jim’s employer receives $20,000.00 from the settlement, not $30,000.00; the extra $10,000.00 goes to Jim.
We have years of experience helping people who have been injured by others. We make it a point of staying abreast of changes in the law that may affect our clients. Feel free to contact us if you have been injured and have questions about your rights.