Court Opinion

ID: 9885151
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 03:33:25.242868+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:44.734625
License: Public Domain

SCOTLAND, P. J., Concurring.
The result in this case does not seem fair. Police Officer Lance Baur filed a lawsuit against a suspect who injured him while Baur was acting in the line of duty. The suspect was insured by a company that had become insolvent. The California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA), standing in the shoes so to speak of the insolvent insurance company, agreed to settle the lawsuit. By statute, CIGA is not permitted to pay for any claims covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Thus, the $50,000 settlement paid by CIGA necessarily was for general damages only. Nevertheless, a decision upheld by the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and now by this court, allows Baur’s employer to tap into the settlement to cover future expenses for medical services that may be provided to Baur as workers’ compensation benefits. In other words, the $50,000 received by Baur as general damages can be used by Baur’s employer to pay for special damages resulting from the tortfeasor’s conduct. This means, having agreed to the settlement to compensate him for his general damages, Baur could end up with no such compensation.
The result is compelled by Labor Code section 3861. The fact that the result may be unfair is a matter for the Legislature, not this court, to address. As I have often said, if there is a flaw in a statutory scheme, it is up to the Legislature, not the courts, to correct it. (V.C. v. Superior Court (2009) 173 Cal.App.4th 1455, 1472-1473 [93 Cal.Rptr.3d 851] (cone. opn. of Scotland, R J.); In re Brent F. (2005) 130 Cal.App.4th 1124, 1130 [30 Cal.Rptr.3d 833]; Knight v. Superior Court (2005) 128 Cal.App.4th 14, 19 [26 Cal.Rptr.3d 687]; People v. Hunt (1999) 74 Cal.App.4th 939, 948 [88 Cal.Rptr.2d 524]; Souza v. Lauppe (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 865, 874 [69 Cal.Rptr.2d 494]; In re Marriage of Fisk (1992) 2 Cal.App.4th 1698, 1702 [4 Cal.Rptr.2d 95]; Squaw Valley Ski Corp. v. Superior Court (1992) 2 Cal.App.4th 1499, 1515 [3 Cal.Rptr.2d 897]; City of Victorville v. County of San Bernardino (1991) 233 Cal.App.3d 1312, 1322 *1269[233 Cal.Rptr. 1312, 285 CalJRptr. 206]; Williams v. County of San Joaquin (1990) 225 Cal.App.3d 1326, 1334 [275 Cal.Rptr. 302]; Neighbours v. Buzz Oates Enterprises (1990) 217 Cal.App.3d 325, 334 [265 Cal.Rptr. 788].)