Iowa Workers' Compensation

In Sager v. Innovative Lighting, dba Hawkeye Molding, Inc.,  No. 15-0783 (Iowa App. May 25, 2016), plaintiff had filed a common law negligence action against Innovative Lighting.  Plaintiff had been hired for work at Hawkeye by Jacobson Staffing, which was apparently how all parties work for Hawkeye.  Jacobson provides workers' compensation coverage for its employees.  Plaintiff was injured at Hawkeye and filed a workers' compensation claim against Jacobson, for which he received a settlement. Plaintiff's attorneys had communications with Hawkeye concerning the filing of a third party action, and filed suit claiming negligence against Hawkeye for an injury to his hand from a burn resulting from hot liquid.  Hawkeye filed a motion for summary judgment claimant that it was immune from liability under the exclusivity provisions of the Iowa Code, section 85.20.  The district court concluded, in ruling in favor of Hawkeye, that the only reasonable inference to...

The passage of HF 2581 in 2004 eliminated the provision that overlapping streams of benefits were impermissible under section 85.36(9)(c) of the Code.   In Drake University v. Davis , 769 N.W.2d 176 (Iowa 2009), the Supreme Court held that in a situation where a claimant had a PPD award followed by a subsequent award of PTD benefits, both benefits could be received simultaneously, because the language of section 85.34(7) of the Code, which addressed issues of apportionment, did not reference awards under section 85.34(3) of the Code, only awards under section 85.34(2). In JBS Swift v. Ochoa, No. 15-0840 (Iowa App. May 25, 2016), the Court of Appeals followed Davis  and affirmed the commissioner's award of an overlapping 70% industrial disability and a subsequent PTD award.  The court noted that the awards were both supported by substantial evidence and indicated, in discussing Davis , that "we are not at liberty to overrule controlling supreme court precedent." ...

In McComas-Lacina Construction v. Drake , No. 15-0922 (Iowa App. May 11, 2016), the Court of Appeals affirms the decision of the commissioner on substantial evidence grounds.  Although this is a fairly typical finding for both the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, the decision adds a humorous twist, stating the following: We begin and end our analysis with the following observation: “The administrative process presupposes judgment calls are to be left to the agency. Nearly all disputes are won or lost there.” Sellers v. Emp’t Appeal Bd., 531 N.W.2d 645, 646 (Iowa Ct. App. 1995) (citations omitted). A case reversing final agency action on the ground the agency’s action is unsupported by substantial evidence or is irrational, illogical, or wholly unjustifiable is the Bigfoot of the legal community—an urban legend, rumored to exist but never confirmed. Here, the employer had a full and fair opportunity to present its evidence and argument to the deputy commissioner and the commiss...