Probably not.
First, we need to talk about words. A trial is when you have a jury – or maybe just a judge – in a courtroom, and witnesses testifying, and lawyers making speeches, and the jury or judge making a decision after they have heard all the witnesses testify.
Nobody really knows how many lawsuits get this far, but it’s not very many. For years, lawyers said that nine out of every ten lawsuits settled before trial.
A survey done a couple years ago showed that actually, over 98 out of 100 lawsuits filed in federal courts settled before trial.
And if you include lawsuits in state courts- where the victims are usually asking for less money than in federal courts – the truth is probably that as many as 99% of all lawsuits settle.
A lawsuit means filing papers with the court, and asking the court to assign you a trial date. In the process, the lawyer for the insurance company gets to ask you questions about how the accident happened, and maybe ask the court to throw out your lawsuit.
My goal is to settle your case before I have to file a lawsuit in the court. And if I have to file suit, I still try to settle suit before trial.
Usually, even after filing the lawsuit, the case settles. Sometimes the lawsuit is necessary to force the insurance company to settle – because they don’t want to go to trial.
In 2014, I filed 7 lawsuits. I have already settled three of those without getting close to trial. Of the lawsuits that I have filed but not settled, three of the clients came to me within three months before the statute of limitations – which means I had to file the suit, or there would have been no chance of settling the lawsuit because the judge would have thrown it out.
My best guess is that all of them will settle.
If you’re reading this, you obviously are interested in what you see. So why don’t you give me, a Cincinnati personal injury lawyer, a call.
I can probably tell you more about your chances of settling your claim or lawsuit than anything you can read on a website or a blog.
If it makes you feel better, other lawyers refer their clients to me. And if you decide you‘d rather hire someone else, that’s OK. My phone is 513-621-4775.
Because all situations are different, and because there may be other facts pertaining to your case that I don’t know about, you should not rely on this answer for legal advice. I am not your attorney, and no lawyer client relationship has been formed. All discussions are limited to Ohio law unless otherwise indicated. And past performance cannot be used to predict future results.
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