Court Opinion

ID: 9681117
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:44:12.593311+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:32.340178
License: Public Domain

LEIBSON, Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the reasoning and conclusion reached by the Majority Opinion but would extend the Opinion one step further. I agree that employer/employee lump sum settlements are not statutorily precluded and that this settlement immediately obligates the Special Fund “to commence its payments to the employee.” But I would add the following:
The Special Fund’s statutory liability for weekly payments cannot be increased. Therefore, it’s obligation is limited in duration of future payments to the appropriate number of weeks as specified under the life expectancy table. The Special Fund is not obligated to an open-ended award payable from the accelerated inception date until death. Since, under the latest statute the employer’s liability on a percentage of total permanent disability as split with Special Fund is now fixed to a number of weeks by the actuarial table, it follows that the Special Fund’s liability should be similarly limited when the Special Fund’s payment date is moved up or accelerated by an employer/employee lump sum settlement of the employer’s share.
LAMBERT, J., joins this concurring opinion.