Workers' Compensation Economic Damages Expert in Maryland

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

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

Maryland courts and expert standards

Maryland courts now apply a reliability inquiry to all expert testimony: the trial judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is one the profession has tested and accepted, and whether it was reliably applied to the facts of the case. An economic damages report is written to that standard, with each rate and table traced to its source.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Supreme Court of Maryland. Federal venues: D. Md. Court system: courts.state.md.us.

Compensation forum: Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission. 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

Maryland pairs a wrongful death action for the beneficiaries' pecuniary loss and solatium with a survival action for the estate, and a statutory limit applies to the noneconomic portion of most awards while economic damages are unlimited. Contributory negligence remains a complete bar, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest on unliquidated tort damages is generally not available.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a workers' compensation case venued in Maryland; 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 Maryland

Frequently asked: workers' compensation cases in Maryland

Which Maryland courts hear workers' compensation cases?

Workers' Compensation cases venued in Maryland are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; larger civil cases, felonies, equity, domestic relations). Final appeals run to the Supreme Court of Maryland. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

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

Maryland pairs a wrongful death action for the beneficiaries' pecuniary loss and solatium with a survival action for the estate, and a statutory limit applies to the noneconomic portion of most awards while economic damages are unlimited. Contributory negligence remains a complete bar, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest on unliquidated tort damages is generally not available. Maryland courts now apply a reliability inquiry to all expert testimony: the trial judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is one the profession has tested and accepted, and whether it was reliably applied to the facts of the case. An economic damages report is written to that standard, with each rate and table traced to its source.

More questions about workers' compensation analysis

References

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