Personal Injury Lawsuits - How To Advance Claims and Settlements

Tort Reform is the battle cry of insurance companies. They complain frivolous suits filed by plaintiffs clog the court system. In reality, frivolous defenses are much more common, and require litigation and trial verdicts in cases of clear liability. According to a recent study conducted by state court administrators, litigation is comprised of:

• 80% - companies filing lawsuits against individuals for collection
• 10% - government agencies filing lawsuits against individuals for criminal violations
• 5% - individuals filing lawsuits against each other for divorce
• 2.5% - all personal injury lawsuits filed by companies, government agencies and individuals
• 2.5% - all other types of litigation.

Clearly, people and personal injury lawyers account for an almost insignificant portion of all cases filed. Further, the personal injury lawsuits that are filed are most often the result of a defendant's refusal to act reasonably, accept liability, or extend fair settlement offers. In all situations, the limited presence of actual fraud in the litigation process is equally divided between plaintiffs and defendants.

The Future Of Personal Injury Lawsuits

So far, the voice of insurance companies blaming plaintiffs has been highly successful in reducing verdicts, and remains unanswered by the general public. The insurance industry spends billions of dollars advertising tort reform. Each ad condemns plaintiffs for a wide assortment of abuses. The opposing view - that of policy holders - is not represented because the general public and individual personal injury lawyers have not matched the colossal budget of a national industry.