Wisconsin Worker Prevented from Relitigating Exposure Issues Raised in Workers’ Comp Action

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Court of Appeals has affirmed dismissal of a retirement home worker’s negligence suit against a plumbing contractor he blamed for his alleged exposure to sewer gas because the claims were previously litigated in a workers’ comp action.

The District IV Court of Appeals said April 25 the prior rulings by a workers’ compensation judge and a circuit court, which rejected Reginald Chamberlain’s injury claims against his employer, served to bar his claims against the plumbing contractor under the doctrine of issue preclusion.

Complicating the court’s analysis was the $5,000 compromise settlement agreement Chamberlain reached with …