Opinion ID: 2399119
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: order of certification

Text: TERRY, Associate Judge: Appellant Joao Rodrigues-Novo was injured in a construction accident while working at the Branch Avenue Metro Station in Prince George's County, Maryland. [1] At the time of the accident, Rodrigues-Novo was employed by Pessoa Construction, Inc. (Pessoa). Pessoa was a subcontractor of appellee Recchi America, Inc. (Recchi). Recchi, in turn, was a contractor working for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA), which owned the site. Appellant Rodrigues-Novo and his wife filed suit in the District of Columbia Superior Court against Recchi, WMATA, and supervisor Leroy Barnes [2] alleging negligence in the supervision, maintenance, and inspection of the loader and construction site, which negligence they claimed caused their damages. The trial court granted summary judgment to both defendants, on the ground that under the Maryland law of workers' compensation they were statutory employers and hence immune from suit. An appeal has been taken to this court challenging that conclusion. The answer to this question of law will be determinative of this appeal [3] and it appears to this court that as to WMATA, there is no controlling appellate decision, constitutional provision or statute of Maryland. [4] Furthermore, the issue is one of general importance, given the extensive ongoing activities of WMATA in Maryland. Accordingly, pursuant to D.C.Code § 11-723(h) (2001), the Maryland Uniform Certification of Questions of Law Act, Md. Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 12-601 et seq. (2002 Repl.), and Rule 8-305 of the Maryland Court of Appeals, we hereby respectfully certify to the Maryland Court of Appeals the following question of law: Whether, in the circumstances of this case, [5] WMATA [6] was a statutory employer under the Maryland Workers' Compensation Act and hence immune from suit alleging negligence.