Opinion ID: 2769864
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: M&M’s Employer Immunity

Text: [¶13] The district court found undisputed evidence that M&M employed Decedent and paid workers’ compensation premiums on his behalf. Based on those findings, the court concluded that M&M’s employer immunity under the Wyoming Worker’s Compensation 4 Act barred Plaintiff’s action against M&M as a matter of law. Plaintiff contends that a question of fact exists as to whether Decedent was properly included on M&M’s payroll at the time of the accident and that the court therefore erred in ruling M&M’s employer immunity barred Plaintiff’s wrongful death claim. We find no error in the court’s ruling on M&M’s immunity. [¶14] The Wyoming Constitution makes workers’ compensation benefits an employee’s sole and exclusive remedy against his or her employer: The right of each employee to compensation from the [worker’s compensation] fund shall be in lieu of and shall take the place of any and all rights of action against any employer contributing as required by law to the fund in favor of any person or persons by reason of the injuries or death. Wyo. Const. art. 10, § 4; see also Clark v. Industrial Co. of Steamboat Springs, Inc., 818 P.2d 626, 628-29 (Wyo. 1991). [¶15] The Wyoming Worker’s Compensation Act codifies an employer’s immunity as follows: (a) The rights and remedies provided in this act for an employee including any joint employee, and his dependents for injuries incurred in extrahazardous employments are in lieu of all other rights and remedies against any employer and any joint employer making contributions required by this act, or their employees acting within the scope of their employment unless the employees intentionally act to cause physical harm or injury to the injured employee, but do not supersede any rights and remedies available to an employee and his dependents against any other person.