United States v. Lorenzetti (467 U.S. 167)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 29, 1984 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 467 U.S. 167 · 104 S. Ct. 2284
- Decided
- May 29, 1984
- Term
- October Term 1983
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Blackmun
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court. The Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U. S. C. §8101 et seq., provides a comprehensive system of compensation for federal employees who sustain work-related injuries. As part of that system, an employee who receives FECA payments is required to reimburse the United States for those payments, to a specified extent, when he obtains a damages award or settlement from a third party who is liable to the employee for his injuries. § 8132. The question presented by this case is whether the United States may recover FECA payments for medical expenses and lost wages from an employee whose third-party tort recovery compensates him solely for noneconomic losses like pain and suffering. t — 1 The facts are clear. Respondent Paul B. Lorenzetti is a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On November 21, 1977, he was injured in an automobile accident in Philadelphia while on official business. Federal employees who are injured while engaged in the performance of their official duties are entitled under FECA to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and vocational rehabilitation. See §§8102-8107. Respondent’s injuries were not serious enough to require vocational rehabilitation, but he eventually received, from the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund, the sum of $1,970.81 for his medical expenses and…
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