You are in a car accident. The at-fault driver has GEICO. What you want to know is how is GEICO to deal with and how does drawing GEICO impact the settlement value of your case?
GEICO adjusters are friendly. I like a lot of them. But of all of the major insurance companies, GEICO is the one you should file a lawsuit in a serious injury car accident claim before you even think about settling a claim with them.
Why? They almost always make low initial settlement offers and don’t move much from those offers until you file a lawsuit. They make low offers when we disagree about the severity of the injuries. But, you know, they also make low offers when we completely agree on the severity of the injuries. They just rarely place anything resembling fair value on a claim.
This makes victims and even many lawyers handling car accident cases very angry. It does not make me angry. Ultimately, GEICO is running a business. Their business plan is quite simple. Take in lots of money in premiums and invest that money. Pay as little as possible out in claims. It is a business. In some ways, it helps lawyers like me. We are willing to throw a punch. So we can get much more money for our clients than lawyers who are not willing to throw a punch. I know that sounds self-serving, right? I get that. But it really is true.
A Lawsuit Changes Things
When you sue them, their lawyers get involved. They generally have more pragmatic views on the settlement value of your case. Not every insurance company does business this way. But I think it is smart like most things Warren Buffett gets his hands on. GEICO is betting that personal injury lawyers would rather settle a case than take it to trial (or even file a lawsuit). So they make a low offer assuming the plaintiff’s lawyer will take it. If they do not, they change adjusters and change their tune and the offer increase substantially. The message? If you want our money, you have to work for it.
More Information on How to Beat GEICO
We provide sample verdicts and settlements and other information about dealing with GEICO in personal injury claims on our website. You can start on this page but we have tons of information online on GEICO.
https://www.millerandzois.com/geico-settlement-verdict-examples.html
Recent Comments