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Re: Got Sued for about 330K ... shockin amount ... Need advice
Time for some advice from your friendly neighbourhood insurance adjuster (who specializes in bodily injury claims nonetheless)
| quote: | Originally posted by extacy_bomb
- the sum of 750K for general damages
- the sum of 250K for special damages
- prejudgment intrest on all sums awarded from sep28,1999 to the date of payment or judgment pursuant to the provision of section 138 of the courts of justice act, 1984;
- their costs of this action; and
- post-judgment intrest on all sums awarded from the date of judgment herein to date of payment pursuant to the provision of section 139 of the courts of Justice Act, 1984;
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The above is a "boiler plate" prayer for relief. Do not be worried about the figures, they are not reflective of the persons actual injuries/damages or their right to recovery. These numbers are chosen by lawyers because they add up to $1,000,000 plus costs and interest (which is the policy limits that most people carry). They claim these numbers in the statement of claim because whatever they put in the statement of claim is the maximum that the judge or jury will be able to consider should the matter actually proceed to trial (very rare).
FYI, the maximum amount payable for non-pecuniary (general) damages under tort law in Canada is approximately $319,000. Note: this is the absolute maximum.... the plaintiff would need to be a severely disabled to receive this award, ie. quadraplagia or extreme brain injury.
| quote: |
I have 20 days to defend this claim and I should react soon.
And I really am horrified at the moment and absolutely hate myself for what happened, however I wanna deal with this myself and I need some help and advice.
Basically any input would be appreciated. |
CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY ASAP. Your liability insurance will cover all costs to defend you and will pay all awards made against you; however, you need to hand over control of the case to them. In truth, your involvement in this entire process will be minimal... you'll probably need to give a statement and maybe attend Examinations for Discovery (a fancy way of saying the plaintiff's lawyer will ask you some questions), but otherwise you will really not be involved.
I DO CAUTION YOU - If you do not get in touch with your insurance company ASAP you may void your coverage, if you attempt to resolve this on your own you may void your coverage. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DEAL WITH THIS YOURSELF (EVEN WITH A LAWYER). This is why you pay insurance premiums, to protect you from things like this, take advantage of it.
If you have further questions I urge you to contact me via PM, I will help as much as I can.
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