SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 2145

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 26, 2018

      The Senate Judiciary Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 2145.

      This bill would require, in cases in which a workers’ compensation petitioner has received compensation from an insurance company or self-insured employer prior to any judgment or award, that the reasonable attorney fee be based upon the amount of the compensation received after the establishment of an attorney-client relationship (as memorialized in a written agreement), plus any amount of the judgment or award which is in excess of the previously received compensation.  Under current law, in such cases involving insurance or self-insurance compensation, the attorney fee is based solely on any amount of a judgment or award that is in excess of the amount of previously received compensation.