LD 1648
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LD 1648 Title Page An Act Restoring the Right to Sue to Workers Injured Due to Gross Negligence ... Page 2 of 2
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LR 2345
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 39-A MRSA §104, first ¶, as amended by PL 1995, c. 297, §1, is
further amended to read:

 
An employer who has secured the payment of compensation in
conformity with sections 401 to 407 is exempt from civil actions,
either at common law or under sections 901 to 908; Title 14,
sections 8101 to 8118; and Title 18-A, section 2-804, involving
personal injuries sustained by an employee arising out of and in
the course of employment, or for death resulting from those
injuries. An employer that uses a private employment agency for
temporary help services is entitled to the same immunity from
civil actions by employees of the temporary help service as is
granted with respect to the employer's own employees as long as
the temporary help service has secured the payment of
compensation in conformity with sections 401 to 407. "Temporary
help services" means a service where an agency assigns its own
employees to a 3rd party to work under the direction and control
of the 3rd party to support or supplement the 3rd party's work
force in work situations such as employee absences, temporary
skill shortages, seasonal work load conditions and special
assignments and projects. These exemptions from liability apply
to all employees, supervisors, officers and directors of the
employer for any personal injuries arising out of and in the
course of employment, or for death resulting from those injuries.
These exemptions also apply to occupational diseases sustained by
an employee or for death resulting from those diseases. These
exemptions do not apply to an illegally employed minor as
described in section 408, subsection 2 or in cases when the
employee's injury is due to the gross negligence or illegal acts
of an employer as described in section 408, subsection 3.

 
Sec. 2. 39-A MRSA §408, first ¶, as enacted by PL 1991, c. 885, Pt. A,
§8 and affected by §§9 to 11, is amended to read:

 
Except as provided in subsection subsections 2 and 3, an
employee of an employer who has secured the payment of
compensation as provided in sections 401 to 407 is deemed to have
waived the employee's right of action at common law and under
section 104 to recover damages for the injuries sustained by the
employee.

 
Sec. 3. 39-A MRSA §408, sub-§3 is enacted to read:

 
3.__Injuries due to gross negligence or illegal acts of
employer.__A worker injured due to the gross negligence or
illegal act of the worker's employer is not deemed to have waived
the employee's right of action at common law and under section


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