Court Opinion

ID: 9570484
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:23:42.426984+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:05:07.727563
License: Public Domain

PANELLI, J.
I concur.
The narrow question presented is whether an employee’s court action is barred by Labor Code section 3600 et seq. (workers’ compensation), as they read prior to 1982, where his injury is otherwise compensable under those statutes. Here the specific tort alleged by the employee-plaintiff is intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, the facts underlying the action stem from, and arise out of, the course of an employer-employee relationship; that is, the employer’s conduct cannot be analyzed outside of the employment context. This allegedly tortious conduct resulted in physical injury, for which the employee-plaintiff can recover under Labor Code section 3600 et seq.
Under these circumstances, to allow the employee-plaintiff to bring an independent court action would be to allow him to circumvent the carefully crafted legislative framework for employment-related injuries. Therefore, the action is preempted. Moreover, the spouse-plaintiff’s action is barred because her injury stems from an injury to her husband that is compensable under Labor Code section 3600 et seq.
Based on the foregoing understanding of the majority’s opinion, I concur.