Myths Debunked

The Truth About Insurance Companies

 
  David vs. Goliath

When you're injured, insurance companies will make you a very small offer to settle your case and tell you to "take it or leave it." They will try to convince you that there's no sense hiring a lawyer because they won't give you any more money and that you'll be wasting your money on attorneys' fees. Their offer seems unfair, but there's not much you can do about it without any help. They are Goliath and you are not.

If you try to fight the insurance companies alone, you'll likely lose. The rich and powerful always have the advantage in economic matters. Multi-billion dollar insurance companies and huge mega-dollar corporations have enormous resources to gain the upper hand in the courtroom.

Often the only way to receive fair compensation and treatment is to hire a good lawyer. Trial lawyers like me are the Davids against the corporate Goliaths. We go to bat for the average American and try to get a fair result for the injured party even against the biggest and baddest corporate giant. We level the playing field for the average citizen.

The Goliaths don't like it when the playing field gets leveled against them. To fight back, big corporation and insurance companies have banned together to spread lies about trial lawyers and the court system itself. Here are some of the TRUTHS about these MYTHS you hear spread around so often:

Six Common Myths:

MYTH 1: There is a litigation explosion that is clogging the courts. Everybody is sue happy.
TRUTH: The number of civil trials dropped by 47% between 1992 and 2001. Personal injury cases have decreased by 31.8% over the same period. The Administrative Office of the U.S.Courts reported that between 2002 and 2003 tort actions in U.S. courts dropped by 28%! In fact, government statistics show that criminal cases and underfunding are the two major causes for court overcrowding. Civil fillings and trials are in decline and civil trials are usually resolved quickly – within 24 months.
MYTH 2: Doctors are being forced to quit practicing medicine due to high malpractice insurance rates.
TRUTH: According to a USA Today investigation this myth is all hype and is not backed up by any statistical evidence.
MYTH 3: Too many lawsuits are causing insurance rates to skyrocket.
TRUTH: Insurance rates are going up because the insurance companies usually make their money by taking in billions of dollars in premiums and then investing that money in the stock market. Even if they must pay out the same amount they collect in premiums they still have the profit from the stock market. But, as everyone knows, stock market investments haven't been too profitable over the last 5 years.

So the big insurance companies have to make money somehow, so they just jack up the premiums to their customers and then blame it on those "greedy lawyers" (always a convenience scapegoat)
MYTH 4: Runaway juries are giving away tons of money to everyone.
TRUTH: Damage awards are decreasing. According to the U.S. Department of Justice the average personal injury award dropped 56.3% between 1992 and 2001.
MYTH 5: Our legal system is in "crisis" and must be "reformed."
TRUTH: Big Business wants to avoid their responsibility to those injured and killed by corporate carelessness and their defective products. "Reform" just means they change the rules so they can make more money while shirking their responsibility to the injured person. Simple as that. Don't be fooled.
MYTH 6: People that make personal injury claims are a bunch of fakers.
TRUTH: In my many years of experience, I find the vast majority of people that come to my office have genuine injuries and deserve to be fairly compensated. If you are not really hurt, I will not help you. But if you are hurt, I can help you be treated fairly.