Workplace settlements
in Arkansas.
Arkansas applies modified-50 comparative fault and gives a relatively long three-year limitation window for general personal injury claims. For workplace claims specifically, the band is built from the state-by-state tort law · jury verdict reporters · statutory caps framework and then adjusted for Arkansas's modified comparative — 50% bar and any applicable statutory cap.
Arkansas applies modified comparative negligence with a 50% bar. For workplace claims, this means a claimant who is 49% at fault recovers 51% of the award, but a claimant assigned 50% or more recovers nothing. The bright-line rule materially affects workplace settlement negotiations: insurers routinely argue claimant conduct toward the 50% threshold, and the perceived risk of stepping over the line drives many claimants to settle below the band.
Workplace injuries in Arkansas run on a parallel track to general tort recovery: workers' compensation is the primary remedy against the employer, with third-party tort claims (against a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or non-employer driver) layered on top. Arkansas's caps (punitive damages cap) apply to the third-party tort track only, and the workers' compensation insurer typically holds a subrogation right against any tort recovery.