Opinion ID: 1897168
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: is there double recovery if an employee keeps 100% of his award for pain and suffering?

Text: Once it is understood that an employee is not compensated at all for pain and suffering by worker's compensation benefits, then this question is answered. [9] What was never paid cannot be reimbursed. La.R.S. 23:1103 requires that tort damages be apportioned to reimburse the employer for compensation benefits, but the only overlap between tort damages paid by a third party tortfeasor and weekly compensation benefits is loss of wages and loss of wage earning capacity. Thus, only the awards for these elements of tort damages can be apportioned toward the weekly benefits already paid. Accordingly, reimbursement to the compensation insurer in this case must necessarily be limited only to the damage awards for loss of earnings and medical expenses. An injured worker, as any other tort victim, is entitled to his full recovery for non-economic losses. There should be no reduction in his award for the pain and suffering element simply to give a compensation insurer full reimbursement. As we stressed in Fontenot, the Louisiana Worker's Compensation Law only requires reimbursement to the extent that damages for lost wages and medical expenses are recovered from a third party tortfeasor. No preference is granted to the compensation intervenor over the employee's award for pain and suffering. In this way, the true purpose of the compensation law will be fulfilled. As we have frequently stated, the law must be given a liberal interpretation to effect its beneficient purpose of relieving workers of the economic burden of work-connected injuries by diffusing the cost in the channels of commerce. Lester v. Southern Cas. Ins. Co., 466 So.2d 25 (La.1985). The above interpretative analysis of La.R.S. 23:1103 fulfills this methodology and purpose and is reflective of what we construe to be the legislative intent.