Workers' Compensation Economic Damages Expert in New York

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

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

New York courts and expert standards

New York courts ask whether the methodology behind an expert opinion is generally accepted in the relevant professional community and, separately, whether the economist applied it reliably to the facts of the case; qualification rests on training and experience. Forensic economic methods for lost earnings, household services, and present value are published and long used, so the examination of a damages report usually turns on its inputs and their support in the record.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Court of Appeals. Federal venues: S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., N.D.N.Y., W.D.N.Y. Court system: iapps.courts.state.ny.us.

Compensation forum: New York State Workers' Compensation Board. 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

New York's wrongful death recovery has long been measured by the pecuniary injuries to the distributees, which puts lost earnings, lost household services, and the value of parental guidance at the center of the case, while the decedent's conscious pain and suffering is recovered in a survival claim by the estate. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, awards are reduced after trial by collateral-source payments that replace a cost or expense the jury awarded, larger future damage awards are converted to structured payments by the court, and prejudgment interest in a wrongful death action runs from the date of death.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a workers' compensation case venued in New York; 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.

Experts serving New York

Attorney guides for workers' compensation cases

Other case types in New York

Frequently asked: workers' compensation cases in New York

Which New York courts hear workers' compensation cases?

Workers' Compensation cases venued in New York are heard in the Supreme Court (General jurisdiction trial court for major civil cases and felonies; one in each county), the County Court (Outside New York City; felonies and mid-sized civil cases), and the Court of Claims (Claims against New York State). Final appeals run to the Court of Appeals. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, and Western District of New York.

How does New York's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

New York's wrongful death recovery has long been measured by the pecuniary injuries to the distributees, which puts lost earnings, lost household services, and the value of parental guidance at the center of the case, while the decedent's conscious pain and suffering is recovered in a survival claim by the estate. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, awards are reduced after trial by collateral-source payments that replace a cost or expense the jury awarded, larger future damage awards are converted to structured payments by the court, and prejudgment interest in a wrongful death action runs from the date of death. New York courts ask whether the methodology behind an expert opinion is generally accepted in the relevant professional community and, separately, whether the economist applied it reliably to the facts of the case; qualification rests on training and experience. Forensic economic methods for lost earnings, household services, and present value are published and long used, so the examination of a damages report usually turns on its inputs and their support in the record.

More questions about workers' compensation analysis

References

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