Opinion ID: 1659386
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: public policy argument

Text: [14] ¶ 50. Lastly, VanCleve raises a public policy argument that a ruling in favor of the City would stifle settlement of personal injury claims. VanCleve maintains that the application of Wis. Stat. § 81.17 does not promote settlement, and is contrary to Wisconsin's abrogation of governmental immunity pursuant to the decision in Holytz. However, it is a well-settled rule that if the language of a statute is clear and unambiguous, the court must not look beyond the statutory language to ascertain the statute's meaning. Only when statutory language is ambiguous may we examine other construction aids such as legislative history, context, and subject matter. State v. Waalen, 130 Wis. 2d 18, 24, 386 N.W.2d 47 (1986). As previously noted, the statutory language of § 81.17 is unambiguous. Therefore, we agree with the court of appeals that [c]onsiderations of public policy cannot trump an unambiguous statute. VanCleve v. City of Marinette, 2002 WI App 10, 250 Wis. 2d 121, 639 N.W.2d 792 (citing Kelly Co. v. Marquardt, 172 Wis. 2d 234, 247, 493 N.W.2d 68 (1992)). ¶ 51. The application of Wis. Stat. § 81.17 should not stifle future settlement agreements, because parties have adequate notice of the risks involved in entering into such settlements. Given the clear statutory language of § 81.17 and our previous decisions, it is incumbent upon the party entering into a Pierringer release to be aware of the risks associated with such an agreement and make settlement decisions accordingly. ¶ 52. Hence, VanCleve's public policy arguments are not persuasive in the context of an unambiguous statute.