Our client, Jakub Nowak*, came to us after a serious multi-car collision that happened while he was working. He called us because his good friend, one of our past clients, told him about how we had successfully fought for his rights in his own personal injury and workers’ compensation case.
Jakub suffered numerous painful and disabling conditions. Because his accident involved more than just his employer or co-worker, we were able to file both a workers’ compensation and also a personal injury case for him.
Ultimately, we settled his personal injury case for a little under two million dollars. However, we were able to effectuate a “global” settlement with the workers’ compensation insurance company. That means that the workers’ compensation insurance company gave up its right to take almost $90,000.00 from Jakub’s personal injury recovery—this brings his full settlement to more than two million dollars!
Read more about our successes in workers’ compensation and personal injury claims.
How do global settlements work?
Workplace injuries are typically resolved by New York’s workers’ compensation system. In cases like Jakub’s, however, the injured party may also bring a personal injury claim against a third party. These claims are separate, but the law connects them in important ways.
If you accept a personal injury settlement for your third-party claim, you may be required to pay back the workers’ compensation insurer 2/3 of what it has paid you in workers’ comp benefits, which can be a significant sum. However, it is often possible to negotiate that amount.
At The Klein Law Group, P.C., we frequently work with New York’s top personal injury attorneys to coordinate settlements that put more money back in the pockets of our clients. These agreements are called “global settlements” because they resolve both the workers’ compensation and aspects of personal injury claims at once.
*We are happy to provide informational articles about workers’ rights in New York, but urge you to treat them as attorney advertising and not to use them as legal advice in any case you might have. It is very important that you consult with a lawyer to ask questions about your specific accident or case, and not use this article as legal advice. Past case results do not guarantee a specific outcome in any future case.