How long is this case going to take?
Almost every injury client that I interview will ask the question, “How long is this going to take?”
Most of the time my answer is another question, “How long is it going to take you to get better?” That’s a little cheeky, admittedly, but it gets a point across. That point is that injury claims are difficult to value until the injured party reaches maximum medical improvement. Everyone can understand that there is a difference in values of cases where one person makes a full recovery while another only makes a 50% recovery. So until I know where the victim is going to land in their recovery, I can’t accurately value the claim. And if I can’t value it, it probably doesn’t make sense to try to settle it.
And even when we can get a good idea as to what the case should be worth, that doesn’t mean we are going to be able to get that through negotiation. That means we may have to litigate the claim. Generally speaking, claims that are litigated take about one year from filing to resolve, give or take a few months.
Yes, I know! This seems like a long time to get anything done. But remember the old quip, “Do you want it done quickly or do you want it done right?” While I’m not sure about the grammar, the substance of that holds true here. Rushing claims doesn’t make any sense. Preparing a sturdy case with all of our “I”s dotted and “T”s crossed increases our likelihood of success. The more patient you are, the more likely you are to get a favorable outcome.
If you’re feeling like your case is going too slowly, consider this little nugget: In the town of Poona in what we now call India in the year 1205 a man named Maloji Thorat filed a lawsuit in an effort to protect his rights regarding presiding over certain religious functions. It wasn’t until 1966 that the courts made a decision on that, and awarded his descendant Balasaheb Patloji Thorat a favorable decision.
My cases might take a while, but they don’t take 751 years. So look on the bright side! And if you are interested in talking to an attorney about an injury claim, call me at 919-929-2992.
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