1. If a member receives an injury for which benefits are payable under section 411.6, subsection 5, or section 411.15 and if the injury is caused under circumstances creating a legal liability for damages against a third party other than the retirement system, the member or the member's legal representative may maintain an action for damages against the third party. If a member or a member's legal representative commences such an action, the plaintiff member or representative shall serve a copy of the original notice upon the retirement system not less than ten days before the trial of the action, but a failure to serve the notice does not prejudice the rights of the retirement system, and the following rights and duties ensue:
a. The retirement system shall be indemnified out of the recovery of damages to the extent of benefit payments made by the retirement system, with legal interest, except that the plaintiff member's attorney fees may be first allowed by the district court.
b. The retirement system has a lien on the damage claim against the third party and on any judgment on the damage claim for benefits for which the retirement system is liable. In order to continue and preserve the lien, the retirement system shall file a notice of the lien within thirty days after receiving a copy of the original notice in the office of the clerk of the district court in which the action is filed.
2. If a member fails to bring an action for damages against a third party within thirty days after the retirement system requests the member in writing to do so, the retirement system is subrogated to the rights of the member and may maintain the action against the third party, and may recover damages for the injury to the same extent that the member may recover damages for the injury. If the retirement system recovers damages in the action, the court shall enter judgment for distribution of the recovery as follows:
a. A sum sufficient to repay the retirement system for the amount of such benefits actually paid by the retirement system up to the time of the entering of the judgment.
b. A sum sufficient to pay the retirement system the present worth, computed at the interest rate provided in section 535.3 for court judgments and decrees, of the future payments of such benefits, for which the retirement system is liable, but the sum is not a final adjudication of the future payments which the member is entitled to receive.
c. Any balance shall be paid to the member.
3. Before a settlement is effective between a retirement system and a third party who is liable for an injury, the member must consent in writing to the settlement; and if the settlement is between the member and a third party, the retirement system must consent in writing to the settlement; or on refusal to consent, in either case, the district court in the county in which the city and the retirement system are located must consent in writing to the settlement.
4. For purposes of subrogation under this section, a payment made to an injured member or the member's legal representative, by or on behalf of a third party or the third party's principal or agent, who is liable for, connected with, or involved in causing the injury to the member, shall be considered paid as damages because the injury was caused under circumstances creating a legal liability against the third party, whether the payment is made under a covenant not to sue, compromise settlement, denial of liability, or is otherwise made.
86 Acts, ch 1203, § 5; 88 Acts, ch 1158, §71
Iowa General Assembly
Search: Iowa Code 1997
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