Clinical Negligence: To Settle or Not to Settle
Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by admin in General
In many clinical negligence case, the hospital or clinic being challenged would offer a settlement somewhere along the way, especially when they know that they cannot win in court. This is a good opportunity for you; with a good lawyer beside you, making the decision whether or not you would settle can be as easy as 1-2-3.
Start with reviewing the amount of settlement offered. If you are getting anything from 80% to 100% of your claim, settlement is definitely a viable option. You would still be getting the financial compensation you need yet you don’t have to pay for court expenses usually charged by your lawyer at the end of the case.
Situation where you might not want to settle is when you are not happy with the amount of settlement offered. Keep in mind that you will have to sign a statement saying that you will never press charges against the hospital or clinic again, and when the amount is not enough to cover for all your losses then signing the statement wouldn’t be worth it at all.
Your lawyer will also advise you on whether or not you should settle, so be sure to listen and compare options objectively.