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This past Wednesday, a large $1.13 million verdict was reached in a lawsuit for an auto accident in Washington State. Our firm is lucky to be a part of the Washington State Association of Justice (WSAJ) and received the facts surrounding the case. The law firm and the plaintiff will remain anonymous for obvious reasons. That said, this is a really big deal to get a verdict this large — again, we’re talking millions — for injuries that are not easily identifiable. The case: “a pretty simple, straightforward case like most strictly soft tissue cases. Our client was a 40...

What is Subrogation?

Nov 01 2014

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Subrogation is one of those legal terms that gets people’s heads spinning. Here, we try to simplify the term as best as possible. In the context of a lawsuit or claim, subrogation is essentially the means through which an insurance company, or any other party, steps into the shoes of another party in order to assume that person’s rights and remedies. In the context of a car accident case, it refers to your insurance company’s right to seek recovery for expenses it paid due to the negligence of the driver who hit you. If your health insurer or automobile insurer,...

Negligence Laws at a Glance

Sep 02 2014

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Negligence Defined Negligence is the failure to exercise an expected degree of care, leading to another individual’s injuries. For example, a motorist who fails to wear his glasses (as required by his driver’s license) and then causes an injury accident may be found negligent and thus, liable for the other party’s injuries. Most torts — such as medical malpractice and slip-and-fall claims — are based on negligence. Washington State Negligence Laws: Contributory Fault While state negligence laws are generally the same, as they are based on common law, they often differ with respect to fault. In Washington, for instance, contributory fault...

Pain and Suffering Guidelines

Aug 27 2014

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If you have been injured because of someone else’s carelessness, you can usually seek compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company by filing what is called a third-party claim. After establishing that the defendant is the one responsible for your injuries (“liable”), you will also need to present evidence of all your losses associated with the incident (these are referred to as “damages”). The insurance company should compensate you for your medical expenses as well as lost wages, and “pain and suffering.” In this blog post, we address when an insurance company will provide compensation for pain and suffering, and how...

Seattle Housing Continues to Soften

Apr 07 2014

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The housing market continues to soften around Seattle according to recent stats published by the NWMLS. Let’s use the year over year (YOY) measurement since since these are typically better indicators than the monthly fluctuations — although the monthly indicators indicate similar issues. Listings are up 9.6% which creates a large supply of homes. Closed Sales are down 2.9% YOY Months of supply are up 12.9% Median price is up 5.9%, but we would expect that number to decrease as items one through three above will likely create a drag on the market in the coming months. Only time will...