Jürgen O. Skoppek [Mackinac Center]

Jürgen Skoppek is Chairperson of the Michigan Worker's Compensation Appellate Commission. He was appointed in 1991 and became the Chair in 1999. The Commission is a seven-member appeals body appointed by the Governor to hear worker's compensation cases in Michigan.

Skoppek earned his B.A. from Calvin College and J.D. from Harvard Law School. He spent several years in private practice, as an associate with Miller, Johnson, Snell and Cummiskey in Grand Rapids — focusing on litigation and labor law work. He then joined the staff of the Michigan Senate in 1983, first as counsel to the Labor Committee, then counsel to the Commerce Committee, all while serving in the Senate Majority Policy Office. Before leaving, he was the Senate Majority Counsel.

Stress Claims in Michigan: Worker's Compensation Entitlement for Mental Disability

The worker's compensation system was developed as a way for workers who suffer on-the-job physical injuries to be compensated fairly and quickly for medical expenses and loss of income. In recent years, however, it has expanded into a new area fraught with vagueness: mental stress. Though the focus of this report is on Michigan, which has been in the forefront among states in mental stress claims, its searching analysis of the inherent difficulty in evaluating these claims will be useful for anyone interested in this growing area of workplace abuse. 36 pages. … more

Published on Sept. 15, 1995 – Study

Employment-at-Will in Michigan: A Case for Retaining the Doctrine

The last two decades have witnessed an unprecedented assault on one of the last frontiers of free contract: the employment relationship. The ability of individuals to choose freely for whom they will work and who will work for them is being undermined by activist jurists and legislators and cheered on by statist academics. Skoppek traces this development in Michigan law, explains the breadth of harm it has caused, and argues strongly for change. 26 pages. … more

Published on April 1, 1991 – Study

Litigation and the Market: Restoring the Balance Between Individual and Employer Rights

Litigation has become an expensive and prominent component of our economy. There are too many excessive damage awards and too few controls on the length and expense of court proceedings. The author examines product liability and employment contract law and recommends ten specific reforms. 5 pages. … more

Published on July 1, 1989 – Study

Jürgen O. Skoppek

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By Jürgen O. Skoppek

Stress Claims in Michigan: Worker's Compensation Entitlement for Mental Disability

Employment-at-Will in Michigan: A Case for Retaining the Doctrine

Litigation and the Market: Restoring the Balance Between Individual and Employer Rights