Court Opinion

ID: 9763051
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:36:00.470965+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:39.142392
License: Public Domain

*21FLAHERTY, Justice,
dissenting.
I dissent. The exclusivity provision of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 77 P.S. § 481(a) states: “The liability of an employer under this act shall be exclusive and in place of any and all other liability to such employes----” (Emphasis added). This language could not be more clear and unambiguous in its limitation of employer liability. We have, until the present, consistently applied this provision in accordance with its plain meaning, thus limiting an employer’s liability in accordance with the legislature’s express mandate. Poyser v. Newman & Co., 514 Pa. 32, 522 A.2d 548 (1987) (even intentional wrongdoing by employers falls within the exclusivity provision of the Workmen’s Compensation Act). See also Barber v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp., 521 Pa. 29, 555 A.2d 766 (1989). The present case likewise falls clearly within the scope of immunity granted employers under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. The decision of the Superior Court, holding that the present action against the employer can proceed, should be reversed.
NIX, C.J., joins this dissenting opinion.