Vaughn v. City of Carbondale

This case presents question as to whether trial court properly denied plaintiff’s request for issuance of permanent injunction to prevent defendant-City from terminating plaintiff’s employer-provided health insurance benefits that he had previously acquired as part of his pension benefits under Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (Act), after defendant had terminated said health benefits after it had received report from medical examiner indicating that plaintiff was able to return as police officer. Appellate Court, in reversing trial court, found that: (1) issue regarding defendant’s termination of plaintiff’s pension benefits was still pending, and that plaintiff was currently receiving line-of-duty pension disability benefits as result of his injury; (2) plaintiff’s injury was therefore “catastrophic” for purposes of section 10(a) of Act; and (3) plaintiff’s injury was work-related as result of his response to what he believed was emergency so as to qualify him for instant life-time health benefits.