A client reached out to our office this last week and asked if we could help him with his accident case. Another larger firm had recently turned him down. After we thoroughly reviewed his case, we found that he in fact had a pretty good one.
Now how did this happen? How was it that a much larger firm didn’t see that there was a potential case here? This is because not every case gets the attention it deserves. Large firms sometimes don’t even have attorneys reviewing or even handling cases. Their case managers or paralegals do so for them.
An attorney needs take the time to investigate the details of your case, assess all of the factors, develop an effective strategy for the case and fight to get you the best possible settlement.
The smallest issues and facts can often make or break a case… Or in some instances, they can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Check out the Finlan case from just a couple of months ago, where a simple mistake cost the plaintiff a ton of money.
Finlan v. Chase (Cal. Ct. App. – September 2021)
- The plaintiff made a §998 Offer for a $1,000,000 to settle before trial. It didn’t get accepted by the defense, and at trial the plaintiff got a verdict for $3,900,000 instead.
- So, the court granted plaintiff (on top of their $3,900,000 verdict) the following: (1) all costs and expert fees & (2) pre-judgement interest which amounted to 10%/year on $2,900,000 (difference between the verdict and original §998 offer).
- However, the California Court of Appeals REVERSED! Why? It found that the plaintiff’s initial §998 offer was ineffective because it didn’t have a place where the defendant could sign or accept the offer. Costing Plaintiff more than half a million dollars. Ouch.
Lesson for the day: Always cross your T’s and dot your I’s.
Have you been injured in a car accident? Let our office get you the maximum compensation you deserve.