This case was a big triumph for our client after Allstate tried to play hardball tactics that backfired in court.
Our client, a 58-year-old self-employed mother, was a passenger in a car going straight through a green light when it was hit by vehicle making a left turn in front of them. She suffered a fractured wrist that required surgery. Her injury and discomfort was exacerbated by a recent diagnosis of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (now called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), a rare disorder that is characterized by chronic, severe pain.
Allstate refused to offer any money on the case until three months before trial, at which time a low five figure offer was made. We felt this offer was unreasonably low. We believed the circumstances had a minimum six figure value.
It was not until the middle of the trial that the attorneys representing the other vehicle and on the directions of Allstate raised the offer to a mid-five-figure number. The accident victim, in an effort to stop the trauma of the trial, lowered her demand to a high five figure settlement. At this time Allstate shockingly withdrew its offer completely. The case therefore went to the jury and after several hours of deliberation returned a verdict for the plaintiff. Allstate settled the case immediately for a six figure settlement. Our client was thrilled.
Goldstein and Bashner
