Court Opinion

ID: 9795345
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:26:42.247877+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:29:36.508270
License: Public Domain

MINZNER, Justice (concurring in part and dissenting in part). {32} I respectfully dissent from the analysis in the majority opinion, although I concur in the result, which is that Worker is barred from pursuing a claim under Delgado v. Phelps Dodge Chino, Inc., 2001-NMSC-034, 131 N.M. 272, 34 P.3d 1148. I agree with Judge Pickard, who concurred in part and dissented in part from the Court of Appeals’ opinion, “that a worker who wishefs] to bring a Delgado claim against the employer should have to forgo the benefits provided by the Workers’ Compensation Act,” at least temporarily. Torres v. Salazar, 2005-NMCA-127, ¶ 36, 138 N.M. 510, 122 P.3d 1279 (Pickard, J., dissenting). I also think she is right that “[i]f the tort claim fails, then there would be the possibility that the worker might be able to pursue workers’ compensation benefits.” Id. I tend to think the worker should be able to do so. See Eldridge v. Circle K Corp., 1997-NMCA-022, ¶ 26, 123 N.M. 145, 934 P.2d 1074. {33} If we remain faithful to the idea that a Delgado claim is an unusual one, based on egregious behavior, the initial choice need not require a long delay. If, however, we think more tort claims are going to be permissible, and the high threshold we established in Delgado will be lowered, then perhaps we are opening up a category of tort claims that is much larger than we anticipated in Delgado, and will require more discovery. I am not persuaded this Court had that outcome in mind in deciding Delgado. {34} For these reasons, I concur only in the result of the majority opinion. I agree with the separate opinion of Judge Pickard. My colleagues being of a different view, I concur in part and dissent in part.