Do I need personal injury lawyer?:
Hi,
I was involved in accident on 04/20 with other party at fault.other party insurance company accepted liability and they offered me check for minor injury on my son leg and my wife who is pregnant. My question is that should I accept what they offer me or what are the other options available to me?
Ricky’s answer: You should consult a personal injury attorney for the following reasons: 1. you have a plenty of time to make a decision on whether to hire an attorney or not, most states have at least a two year statute of limitations. 2. your injuries may get worse, your accident was not long ago and sometimes injuries progressively get worse over time. 3. an attorney can quickly analyze case value and determine whether they will be able to get you more in your pocket than what insurance is offering now. many factors go into determining value and should be done by an experienced and local attorney.
Is there a reason why someone should ever receive 2 settlement release forms that are very different?: I received a copy of the settlement release form from my attorney that was clearly faxed to him by the defendant's insurance company. Ten days later he sent me another one from the same insurance company that was very differently worded, but the settlement amount was the same on both. When I even tried to ask him about it he brushed it off and basically said he hadn't really paid attention!!! I know this is not normal, any thoughts??
Ricky’s answer: Interesting, why would your attorney send a second release, did you not agree to sign the first one? Is there any language changes the effect of the release? The only thing I can think of is a third party claim for policy limits and a UIM claim for the same amount, two different policies, but with the same insurance company. Verify the releases have the same claim number.
Bought a house in 2010 listed sewer then found out to be on septic after having some plumbing problem.: My plumbing issues started on Dec. 2012. Plumber thought it was broken pipe and suspected a septic tank. Unfortunately, we ran out of funds so we started digging to find the "broken pipe." We did see it however, it tends to ran on septic and we found out that most of our pipes were connected to septic. I spent almost 5,000 now and still not fixed. I woundn't buy the house should I have known it's still on septic. City approved the site- sewer. Can I get compensation on all the expenses and also, again, I would not buy the house if it's still on septic. can I sue the previous owner or the city and have them take over the house now?
Ricky’s answer: You can sue the previous owner under theories like material misrepresentation, breach of express and implied warranty, and breach of contract, but only for money damages. You will have to get an attorney to look into the exact facts and law to determine if you can rescind the deal, my gut tells me it's unlikely. Several considerations will go into filing suit against the previous owner. Even if you get a money judgment against him/her, if they are unable to pay or are insolvent, you may not want to spend several thousands of dollars to get a judgment worth very little. Consult a real estate attorney.