Facts:

My client caused an accident where she rear-ended another driver. My client had Ocean Harbor Insurance and did not carry any coverage for Bodily Injury to others. The driver of the other vehicle suffered injuries to her neck and made a claim on her own uninsured motorist policy with State Farm. State Farm wound up paying her $95,000 to compensate her for the neck injury.

Because my client was responsible for the accident, State Farm decided to “subrogate” against their insured and sue my client for the money that they paid out. They sought reimbursement of the full $95,000. They filed a lawsuit in Pinellas County against my client.

The Case:

I have handled many of these in the past. They can be risky for the people being sued because your driver’s license can be suspended until the money is paid in full. But, I knew that State Farm would accept less than the full $95,000. My client was a single mother and did not have the money to pay much. We put together a financial statement and sent it to State Farm.

In the meantime, my client asked her father if she could borrow enough money to settle the case.

The other lawyer and I have worked many times together on these cases and decided to pause the lawsuit to talk.

The Result:

After a bit of negotiation, State Farm accepted $10,000 to settle the case. My client paid that in a lump sum amount. State Farm then dismissed the lawsuit.