In Libercent v. Aldrich, 149 Vt. 76, 539 A.2d 981 (1987) the Court decided that 624(a) allowed a third-party claim by a state employee against a coworker where the state would defend and indemnify the coworker, the Court looked at the source of the state's obligation to defend its employees in the workplace negligence suit and determined that it arose independently of its obligations under the Workers' Compensation Act. 149 Vt. at 82-83, 539 A.2d at 985. The Court explained that the state "does not assume direct liability for the acts of an employee; rather its status is analogous to that of an insurer." Id. at 82, 539 A.2d at 985.