Court Opinion

ID: 9727918
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 13:52:52.622125+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:44.339483
License: Public Domain

DEL SOLE, Judge,
concurring:
While I concur in the result reached by my colleague, Judge Popovich, in remanding this matter to the trial court for the completion of the record, I am not prepared to join that portion of the analysis expressed in both the majority and dissenting opinions which seem to limit the employer’s right of recovery to a claim against a third-party tortfeasor.
First, had the employee recovered sums in a settlement which represented subrogatable compensation payments, the employer would not be barred from filing a claim against the employee to recoup its subrogation.
In addition, while the employer in this case has made averments that it “justifiably believed” that its subrogation interests would be honored by the third party, we have no record to substantiate the averment. It could very well be that the third party, through its actions, may have waived the defense of statute of limitations. Therefore, it is not clear to me on this record whether the denial of the employer’s petition to intervene is in fact a final order which would bar ultimate recovery or whether the employer may be free *588to attempt to recover its subrogated interests either from the employee or from the third party.
In my view, the problems presented in this case have been occasioned by the amendments to the Worker’s Compensation Act which still allow an employer a subrogated right against third party recovery but prevents the employer from being joined in the litigation in order to have the employer’s percentage of negligence determined.