Attorneys fight to overturn workers’ comp law

Associated Industries of Missouri and Attorney General Jay Nixon will defend the reforms at 1 p.m. against plaintiff attorneys who filed a lawsuit to overturn Senate Bill 1, which went into effect Aug. 28.

The bill limits attorney fees in cases where an offer of settlement has been made. The old law allowed an attorney representing an injured employee to collect 25 percent of the total compensation as attorney fees.

AIM, the largest business trade association in the state, argues that reducing the amount an attorney can collect leaves more money for the injured employee and allows claims to be resolved faster.

“The old workers’ compensation was broken, and the result was that everyone suffered – workers, employers and the state’s economy,” said AIM President Gary Marble. “Everyone, that is, but the plaintiff attorneys.”