Piper v. Pettibone Corp.

This is a products liability action arising from a workplace accident. The injured plaintiff received worker’s compensation benefits, giving his employer a statutory lien against the amount recovered in this suit. After the plaintiff settled with the alleged tortfeasor for an amount far less than the lien, the circuit court directed that the employer be given only a small portion of the settlement amount. The Court of Appeals affirmed.

Because the Legislature has enacted clear statutory language compelling a different result, we vacate the judgments of the circuit court and the Court of…