Opinion ID: 1476757
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: McDougall's Civil Action Timely

Text: It is undisputed in this case that McDougall made a written demand for payment of the additional benefits that the IAB awarded to him in 1998 and 1999 payments that National Union refused to honor for much more than thirty days, thus bringing the facts within section 2357. Instead of seeking the limited relief that was available to him from the IAB, McDougall decided to proceed in the manner by which wages are collectible under Del.Code Ann. tit. 19, §§ 1101-15. As already discussed, those statutes provide for the filing of a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction and the imposition of liquidated damages, attorney's fees and costs, i.e., a Huffman claim. [18] National Union argues that although section 2357 afforded McDougall the additional remedy of filing a civil action in the same manner that wages are collected, that statute also subjected McDougall's civil action to the one-year statute of limitation found at section 8111 of Title 10. We disagree. National Union's argument runs contrary to the statutory scheme of the Delaware Workers' Compensation laws and, in particular, to section 2305 which provides: No agreement, rule, regulation or other device shall in any manner operate to relieve any employer or employee in whole or in part from any liability created by this chapter, except as specified in this chapter. [19] This statutory statement of policy in section 2305 requires us to examine the Delaware Workers' Compensation laws to determine which statute of limitations that applies to the statutory cause of action created by section 2357. National Union acknowledges that: [i]n November 1991, William S. McDougall, Sr. began to receive worker's compensation disability benefits for a work-related injury. Payments were made pursuant to an agreement between [McDougall] and his employer, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., and continued thereafter. Because McDougall was seeking to collect benefits that had been awarded in addition to those he had been receiving since 1991, the Superior Court concluded that the five-year statute of limitations found at Del. Code Ann. tit. 19, § 2361(b) was controlling: Where payments of compensation have been made in any case under an agreement approved by the Board or by an award of the Board, no statute of limitation shall take effect until the expiration of five years from the time of the making of the last payment for which a proper receipt has been filed with the Board. Section 2361(b) unambiguously provides that no statute of limitation shall take effect until five years from the last payment of benefits. At the time McDougall filed his civil action for additional benefits, he was continuing to receive payments from National Union under the original 1991 award of compensation. Therefore, we hold that the Superior Court correctly concluded that McDougall's complaint was timely filed because section 2361(b) applied to McDougall's civil action to enforce the payment of the additional benefits that he was awarded in 1998 and 1999.