In the Matter of Bernard L. Collins

In the Matter of Bernard L. Collins, No. 49, September Term, 2019. Opinion by Biran, J. MARYLAND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ACT – SETTLEMENT AND RELEASE – DEPENDENT’S CLAIM FOR DEATH BENEFITS - The Court of Appeals held that, under the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Act (the “Act”), Md. Code Ann., Lab. & Empl. (“LE”) § 9-722(a) (LexisNexis 1991, 2016 Repl. Vol.), a dependent of a covered employee may settle the dependent’s future claim for death benefits under the Act while the employee is still living. An employee does not have the power to release his or her dependents’ independent claims for…