In Re Estate of Dierkes

Under section 5(b) of the Workers’ Compensation Act, an injured employee who has received workers’ compensation benefits must reimburse the employer for those benefits from any recovery the employee receives from a liable third party. The provision grants the employer a lien on the recovery equal to the amount of workers’ compensation benefits paid or owed. See Ramsey v. Morrison, 175 Ill. 2d 218, 237 (1997). The employer must pay the employee’s attorney “25% of the gross amount of such reimbursement.” 820 ILCS 305/5(b) (West 1996).

In this case, the circuit court of St. Clair County reduced…