Workers' Compensation Economic Damages Expert in Arizona

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for workers' compensation cases venued in Arizona: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Arizona's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A workers' compensation economic analysis values the future indemnity and medical benefits at issue in a settlement, measures the wage loss that determines a benefit, or quantifies the loss in a third-party action, each structured to the question the compensation system asks. Read the full workers' compensation analysis guide.

Arizona courts and expert standards

Arizona courts screen expert opinion for reliability before it reaches the jury: the judge asks whether the witness is qualified, whether the method rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles, and whether those principles were applied reliably to the case. An economic damages report is written to that inquiry, with each input tied to the record and each data series identified by source.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Arizona Supreme Court. Federal venues: D. Ariz. Court system: azcourts.gov.

Compensation forum: Industrial Commission of Arizona. Third-party actions arising from the same injury proceed in the civil courts listed above, and the report separates what the compensation system pays from what the civil claim adds.

Damages framework

Arizona's wrongful death action belongs to the surviving spouse, children, parents, or estate and is measured by their own losses, while the decedent's pre-death claims survive to the estate without damages for the decedent's pain and suffering. The state constitution bars legislative limits on the amount recovered for death or injury, pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, evidence of collateral-source payments is admissible in medical malpractice cases but not in ordinary injury claims, and prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a workers' compensation case venued in Arizona; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Assemble the pre-injury wage base from the employer's records and tax documents.
  2. Establish the post-injury earnings path from actual earnings or the work-capacity opinions, and measure the loss over the applicable worklife with wage growth.
  3. Value future indemnity streams with stated mortality and discount assumptions, and grow and discount future medical by category when a treatment projection exists.
  4. Separate the amounts the compensation system pays from the components a third-party claim adds, and reconcile the two so the same facts support both.

Attorney guides for workers' compensation cases

Other case types in Arizona

Frequently asked: workers' compensation cases in Arizona

Which Arizona courts hear workers' compensation cases?

Workers' Compensation cases venued in Arizona are heard in the Superior Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies, family law, probate). Final appeals run to the Arizona Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

How does Arizona's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Arizona's wrongful death action belongs to the surviving spouse, children, parents, or estate and is measured by their own losses, while the decedent's pre-death claims survive to the estate without damages for the decedent's pain and suffering. The state constitution bars legislative limits on the amount recovered for death or injury, pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, evidence of collateral-source payments is admissible in medical malpractice cases but not in ordinary injury claims, and prejudgment interest is generally limited to liquidated sums. Arizona courts screen expert opinion for reliability before it reaches the jury: the judge asks whether the witness is qualified, whether the method rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles, and whether those principles were applied reliably to the case. An economic damages report is written to that inquiry, with each input tied to the record and each data series identified by source.

More questions about workers' compensation analysis

References

Request a consultation on workers' compensation cases in Arizona or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.