State says it wants more money from Wellstone settlement

[Deja Q]

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_167143423.html


An attorney for the state pressed an appeals court Tuesday to award the state a greater share of a $25 million insurance settlement paid to the heirs of campaign workers killed in the crash of Sen. Paul Wellstone's plane two years ago.

St. Louis County District Judge James Florey limited the state's share to $200,000 in December, citing the rights of the victims' families for as full a recovery as possible from the state.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the state's Department of Labor and Industry asked for a larger portion, arguing that the state is only receiving a very small percentage of the insurance settlement.

Attorney Bruce Larson said Minnesota will eventually pay some $1.5 million to the heirs.

An attorney for the families, Mike Ciresi, argued that Florey applied the law correctly when he calculated the state's share.

"There can be no argument in any of these cases that there was unjust enrichment," Ciresi said. "It didn't happen."

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