There were substantial financial discrepancies in insurance company offers, and trial jury verdicts in 2009. The news is optimistic however, in terms of opening the door for personal injury victims to finally receive the amounts their cases are worth for damages, especially relating to soft-tissue injuries.
Although RI Family Law Attorney Rui Alves had no involvement in any of these cases, he feels that they have valuable information, and are important enough to report here. Some of the most notable examples from these cases are summarized below.
In 2009, a Massachusetts attorney represented a client who was injured in an accident. Allstate insurance company initially offered the client $10,000.00 to settle the matter before trial. The client incurred $2,700.00 in medical bills, and missed two days of work. The jury in this case awarded $97,000.00 to this client.
We may naturally ask, why such a large discrepancy between what the insurance company would offer pre-trial, and what the jury awarded. One could assume that if the insurance company knew that these cases would turn into such huge financial awards, perhaps they would offer more at the onset to eliminate both the time and money involved in pursuit of a trial.
In another instance, the Providence County Superior Court awarded a Providence auto body establishment, represented by a local attorney in a claim for property damage, a judgment against Allstate citing that the company must pay the Plaintiff the proper book value amount for the vehicle loss of $13,343.00, and not the original $3,700.00 initially offered.
In part, it is inferred, this disparity exists because the insurance company does not view 'soft tissue' injuries as particularly debilitating or lingering; a speculation that trial lawyers and champions of these injured parties are vehemently challenging on a national scope.
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If you have questions about this posting or are interested in Divorce, Immigration, or Estate Law in RI or MA contact Massachusetts and Rhode Island Divorce Lawyer Rui P. Alves at 401-942-3100 or CONTACT him via email.
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