By now it is almost cliché to talk about the "Bermuda Triangle" of employment law - difficult issues involving the ADA, FMLA and Worker's Compensation and the consternation they cause employers. Recently, however, Wessels Sherman attorney Alan Seneczko, who manages the firm's Wisconsin office, won a big victory for a client seemingly caught in that quagmire.
Temporary Employees May Sue Host Employers for Injuries
In a stunning recent decision, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals held that temporary employees who are injured/killed while performing services for their host employer have the right to choose between the receipt of workers' compensation benefits under the Wisconsin Worker's Compensation Act or the pursuit of a personal injury claim against the host employer. Under the Wisconsin Worker's Compensation Act, temporary employees who are injured while performing services for their host employer and "make a claim" for worker's compensation benefits are precluded from maintaining an action in tort against the employer that compensates the temporary agency for their services (i.e., the "host" employer). Thus, if the employee makes a claim for worker's compensation benefits against the temporary agency, he/she may not pursue a personal injury claim against the employer for which it was performing services when injured. But what if the employee never "makes a claim for compensation" against the temporary employer, and chooses instead to sue the host employer?
Legislative Update: Illinois Employers Using an Employee Leasing Company Can Now Get Workers' Compensation Insurance For The Leased Employees
Today, a number of small Illinois businesses use employee leasing companies to handle payroll, human resource matters, and workers' compensation insurance on their workers for the convenience and cost savings.
