Supreme Court Clarifies Authority of Commission to Refuse Approval for Commutation Agreements

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission can deny approval for an agreement between an employer and employee to commute the employee’s future award of benefits if the proposed lump sum is not equal to the commutable value of the future weekly payments the worker is giving up. Case: Dickemann v. Costco Wholesale Corp., No. SC96513, 05/22/2018, published. Facts and procedural history: Andrew Dickemann had worked for the Costco Wholesale Corp. until he suffered an on-the-job injury in July 2010. An administrative law judge determined that Dickem...