My dog bit a relations contributor and she have approved to sue our insurance company. what is the approximate amount?
of money she can collect and can she sue me personally in enhancement to suing the insurance? Any info would be of grea help. Thank you
She can get you to pay for the medical bills, since I'm assuming she have no insurance. But really that's about it. I've seen it time and time again when I'm at court. She will ask for more but don't take freaked out. Unless she was very fundamentally hurt and or had to miss days of work then you will be fine. But she can not double dip. If she sues your insurance and win which she will, then she can't go and sue you again. Chances are this will be a baggage you against her. Tell her to call Judge Judy. You actually bring back paid for going on there its similar to 300 bucks each person. And if you loos after that money goes to the other party idiomatically. My friend go on there.
Good Luck
This is why we have insurance
it really depends on the seriousness of the wound, whether she have lost her ability to function (go to work...etc.), and how much mental duress she is going to claim she suffered...if she couldn't go to work you may be looking at lost wages need repaid to her...psychological damages can be claimed to, which can be turned into a dollar amount, and you can guarantee she'll want All her medical expenses covered
How much is your cut? 50% is the going rate these days.
She can't "sue your insurance company" - it isn't their dog. She will have to sue YOU.
She cannot sue the insurance company at this time, the insurance company has done nil for which to be sued. She can only sue you.
If you don't think the dog bit her don't grant her your insurance information and don't put a claim in yourself. She will then enjoy to sue you and at that time you let the insurance company know. The insurance company will get any police and medical reports and do an investigation. If they find probable end in that the dog did bite her they may settle out of court, but only up to your policy liability limits. Most homeowners' policy edges are $300,000.
Since she's on Medicaid the insurance company will only pay for her medical bills directly to Medicaid if Medicaid is name in the lawsuit or if Medicaid requests. Since she doesn't have a errand she cannot claim any loss wages. She may get pain and suffering but one and only if the judge can be swayed to award it to her. If the judgement is over your policy limits you will next be responsible.
If the dog did bite her the insurance company will cancel your policy unless you get rid of the dog. If the dog is of a constant breed, such as a pit bull or doberman, the insurance company probably has an exclusion in the policy and they won't foot anything and will cancel on the spot. They can, and probably will, raise your rates.
she won;t collect anything in need going to court and proving it
It could be thousands of dollars if you consider doctor bills & pain & suffering. And then there's the issue of any scar.
Can you enunciate "vexatious litigant"? Anyway, she would need to sue you. You would then refer the concern over to your insurance company. They will defend you by referring the matter over to their defense counsel.
She does not enjoy to sue at this point either. She can simply file a claim. May I recommend that you report this incident to your insurance company. They will complete a full liability investigation and opt on whether or not they will accept liability on your behalf. They will not just appendage over money to this low-life(sorry) just because she claims she was bitten/injured.
In some states, dog bite claims are considered strict liability. Others, they are not. She requests to prove you were negligent.
Also, she wants to have sustained some kind of damages. She claims she be bitten by a dog 15 times, but she has not even gone to the ER to be checked out? Do you know if the dog actually broke skin? Sutures required? Any possibility of scarring?
Since you do hold insurance, don't worry about losing your home or anything else. It sounds as if this relative will craft for a very poor and unsympathetic witness on her own behalf.
OK, first of adjectives, if she sues your insurance company, she'll lose. She has to sue you.
If she sues YOU, she'll win. Period. Absolutely. Cut and dried - it's your dog, the dog bit her. End of story. There ARE no extenuating circumstances here. Your insurance will get cancelled, if they settle out, and YOU will have a hard time finding investigational insurance, if you don't get rid of the dog.
So. How much she gets, will depend on the extent of the injuries, and any lasting scarring. She WILL get cost of medical bills - even if someone else paid them - and lost wages. Pain and suffering, in good health, that's the wildcard.
If she did NOT see a doctor, or the bite didn't break the skin, maybe she'll get $100. If she's get a facial scar, maybe $10,000, conceivably more, depending on how many stitches she needed.
Sueing you personally, is where on earth your insurance comes in - they will defend you, and remuneration the judgement - assuming you didn't lie about the dog on your application, and assuming you don't hold a dog bite exclusion on your policy.
I expect you won't invite her over to your house any more.
Answers: Tell the insurance adjuster every thing you hold told us.
Are there other family member that can support what you say? Do you know of any documentation regarding her meth use (arrests?). Let the adjuster know that the wounds don't give up. If this biting claim is not your dog's nature..let them know.
In short.spill your guts almost everything and provide any documentation you can to support what you say.
Did you get photos of the wounds? That can assist support your claim that those wounds do not fit with your dogs.
Were there any witnesses?
Did the neighbors see anything?
The insurance company may transport the claim over the their fraud unit for further investigation.
However, I would not wait until a regulation suit is filed to report the claim. The more quickly after the incident... you seize it to the fraud department the better.
However, after defending your claim.the insurance company may invite you to get insurance somewhere else. Companies are funny about dog bite claims.