What takes place at a pretrial conference in a civil suit?

October 8th, 2009 | by admin |

The insurance company has not yet made any offers to settle other than say that they want to go to mediation then stall. Will they make an offer at the pre-trial conference? It’s a personal injury case by the way. I was hit over the head with a moet bottle by a bouncer at a club in NYC. I suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. I had surgery on my nose and now have a permanent seizure disorder.

Pretrial conferences are considered settlement negotiations, so anything said under the context of "settlement" cannot later be revealed were this case to go to court.

Strategically, the attorneys are just trying to size you up. They wanna see what this "douchebag’s" (that’s what they’re calling you) all about and determine firsthand the legitimacy of your claims.

Here’s what they’re looking for: They’ve assessed your claims, and they want to determine what your are your strong and weak suits; where can lowball you, and where should they stay away.

Here’s the thing: They need to make this thing go away. Insurers are notoriously cheap, so the insurance company having to bill at about $250 an hour is killing them - but that does NOT mean they’re about to give you the world.

Stand your ground. Listen CAREFULLY to EVERYTHING your attorney tells you. DO NOT SCREW AROUND.

  1. 2 Responses to “What takes place at a pretrial conference in a civil suit?”

  2. By NOT an attorney;NOT legal advice on Oct 9, 2009 | Reply

    Pretrial conferences are considered settlement negotiations, so anything said under the context of "settlement" cannot later be revealed were this case to go to court.

    Strategically, the attorneys are just trying to size you up. They wanna see what this "douchebag’s" (that’s what they’re calling you) all about and determine firsthand the legitimacy of your claims.

    Here’s what they’re looking for: They’ve assessed your claims, and they want to determine what your are your strong and weak suits; where can lowball you, and where should they stay away.

    Here’s the thing: They need to make this thing go away. Insurers are notoriously cheap, so the insurance company having to bill at about $250 an hour is killing them - but that does NOT mean they’re about to give you the world.

    Stand your ground. Listen CAREFULLY to EVERYTHING your attorney tells you. DO NOT SCREW AROUND.
    References :

  3. By j.m.glass on Oct 9, 2009 | Reply

    Hopefully you have an attorney. Mediation could be considered a pre trial conference. I have been through 2 cases with a mediator. One was on a car accident my son had. My insurance company wanted to settle but after I told my side and the lady that hit him told her side the mediator said the lady suing us didn’t have a leg to stand on and recommended that he would send a written statement to the court recommending her license be revoked. The second one was with the school district over not providing adequate special ed for another one of my kids. The mediator looked at the documentation we both provided and told the school district they might want to go ahead and let me transfer him to the school I wanted because I had everything I needed to sue them and make them pay for the next 6 years in private school.

    Make sure you have all your documentation in order. Some mediators will take witness testimony, or even just statements. Think of it as a Judge Judy case without the cameras. It’s just a meeting of all parties with a unbiased third party to bring a little common sense to the situation.
    References :

Post a Comment

What takes place at a pretrial conference in a civil suit?

October 8th, 2009 | by admin |

The insurance company has not yet made any offers to settle other than say that they want to go to mediation then stall. Will they make an offer at the pre-trial conference? It’s a personal injury case by the way. I was hit over the head with a moet bottle by a bouncer at a club in NYC. I suffered a fractured skull and broken nose. I had surgery on my nose and now have a permanent seizure disorder.

Pretrial conferences are considered settlement negotiations, so anything said under the context of "settlement" cannot later be revealed were this case to go to court.

Strategically, the attorneys are just trying to size you up. They wanna see what this "douchebag’s" (that’s what they’re calling you) all about and determine firsthand the legitimacy of your claims.

Here’s what they’re looking for: They’ve assessed your claims, and they want to determine what your are your strong and weak suits; where can lowball you, and where should they stay away.

Here’s the thing: They need to make this thing go away. Insurers are notoriously cheap, so the insurance company having to bill at about $250 an hour is killing them - but that does NOT mean they’re about to give you the world.

Stand your ground. Listen CAREFULLY to EVERYTHING your attorney tells you. DO NOT SCREW AROUND.

  1. 2 Responses to “What takes place at a pretrial conference in a civil suit?”

  2. By NOT an attorney;NOT legal advice on Oct 9, 2009 | Reply

    Pretrial conferences are considered settlement negotiations, so anything said under the context of "settlement" cannot later be revealed were this case to go to court.

    Strategically, the attorneys are just trying to size you up. They wanna see what this "douchebag’s" (that’s what they’re calling you) all about and determine firsthand the legitimacy of your claims.

    Here’s what they’re looking for: They’ve assessed your claims, and they want to determine what your are your strong and weak suits; where can lowball you, and where should they stay away.

    Here’s the thing: They need to make this thing go away. Insurers are notoriously cheap, so the insurance company having to bill at about $250 an hour is killing them - but that does NOT mean they’re about to give you the world.

    Stand your ground. Listen CAREFULLY to EVERYTHING your attorney tells you. DO NOT SCREW AROUND.
    References :

  3. By j.m.glass on Oct 9, 2009 | Reply

    Hopefully you have an attorney. Mediation could be considered a pre trial conference. I have been through 2 cases with a mediator. One was on a car accident my son had. My insurance company wanted to settle but after I told my side and the lady that hit him told her side the mediator said the lady suing us didn’t have a leg to stand on and recommended that he would send a written statement to the court recommending her license be revoked. The second one was with the school district over not providing adequate special ed for another one of my kids. The mediator looked at the documentation we both provided and told the school district they might want to go ahead and let me transfer him to the school I wanted because I had everything I needed to sue them and make them pay for the next 6 years in private school.

    Make sure you have all your documentation in order. Some mediators will take witness testimony, or even just statements. Think of it as a Judge Judy case without the cameras. It’s just a meeting of all parties with a unbiased third party to bring a little common sense to the situation.
    References :

Post a Comment