Have you ever been sued?

[zz4guy]

So we all get these bazillion dollar insurance policies in case somebody slips and falls and decides to sue us... but have you ever personally had to use your insurance protection?

If you have was it enough? What kind of coverage should you get? Also what were the circumstances? Is it easy for some shmuck to just sue you or do they really need undeniable evidence of negligence?

I'm not trying to talk myself out of getting insurance. But if I am going to pay for it I want it to be useful and protect my arse good enough if I ever need it.

[MASTERMOWER]

So we all get these bazillion dollar insurance policies in case somebody slips and falls and decides to sue us... but have you ever personally had to use your insurance protection?

If you have was it enough? What kind of coverage should you get? Also what were the circumstances? Is it easy for some shmuck to just sue you or do they really need undeniable evidence of negligence?

I'm not trying to talk myself out of getting insurance. But if I am going to pay for it I want it to be useful and protect my arse good enough if I ever need it.

Are you a risk taker err something? I'd hound you out for even the consideration of operating without insurance; however, I'll allow THIS WEBSITE to change your mind.

[zz4guy]

I'm not trying to talk myself out of getting insurance. But if I am going to pay for it I want it to be useful and protect my arse good enough if I ever need it.

Read my post! I am not stupid enough to fore go insurance. I'm actually worried about not having enough with a John Edwards trial lawyer every where you look!

Anyway I was just wondering if anybody has actuallly been sued. And any advice they have.

[GrassMaster]

Why? Your company vehicle is your greatest liability!

Anyway I was just wondering if anybody has actuallly been sued. And any advice they have.

I've been sued 4 times since 1995. All 4 times were people driving vehicles that I own & got into wrecks. Once with company vehicle, my tech was driving & 3 times my oldest daughter. All 4 times virtually no vehicle damage, I was just sued because I owned a business. The unknowing think your rich if you own your own business.

I got rid of company vehicle & my daughter is on foot now. Your company vehicles will be your greatest liability. 20 years ago when I cut grass I carried regular commercial insurance & a Million Liability. You about need that now, a lot of commercial business require that if you're going to be working on their properties.

Now at the shop as of today, I carry a Million plus another Million umbrella policy. I also have an extra $500,000 on my personal vehicles & home. LOL, I'm 8UP with it!

It sounds like a lot of money but it isn't nothing after you go through your first law suit wondering if you got enough insurance coverage. I was always contacted & told I was being sued & that was the last I ever heard of it.

2 of those 4 wrecks no vehicle damage at all. People these days don't care about nothing, they are so far in debt that if they see an opportunity to make a few fast bucks they will stoop to an all time low to get it.

I can't remember now, either Monday or Tuesday of last week my daughter bumped into the back of a beat up 13 year old Toyota T-100 while on the way to school. No damage on her 97 Altima front rubber bumper any where, not even a scratch. The guy in the truck claimed she hit his chrome utility bumper & bent 1 foot of it straight down?

It was a lie, the police officer wouldn't even write her a ticket & said he knows the guy was lying. His bumper was almost a foot higher than her bumper. He works out of town, his Father came by the shop about 4 hours later with an estimate from Toyota Dealership.

They didn't even see the truck, he told them to figure a complete new bumper installation. The estimate was $532.50, I let my wife deal with the guy & he finally settled for $400. The money will never be spent on the bumper & the check was cashed in less than 2 hours.

Why did we pay it, because my daughter didn't get a ticket, so the insurance will not go up & the guy wasn't hurt. All you got to do is pay off the thieves & they go about their way. $400 is cheap...

It sure as hell beats getting sued & having your insurance canceled. Because if you get sued, they will cancel your insurance & then your premiums go up. I'm insurance poor & I still worry about being sued. The check said payment in full for wreck & dated. When the check was cashed that was them agreeing to settlement. We got off very cheap compared to other wrecks! :laughing:

[zz4guy]

Certainly sounds like you know your way around this insurance business grassmaster; thanks for the info. Sounds like its pretty easy to get sued.

I can't remember now, either Monday or Tuesday of last week my daughter bumped into the back of a beat up 13 year old Toyota T-100 while on the way to school. No damage on her 97 Altima front rubber bumper any where, not even a scratch. The guy in the truck claimed she hit his chrome utility bumper & bent 1 foot of it straight down?

It was a lie, the police officer wouldn't even write her a ticket & said he knows the guy was lying. His bumper was almost a foot higher than her bumper. He works out of town, his Father came by the shop about 4 hours later with an estimate from Toyota Dealership.

They didn't even see the truck, he told them to figure a complete new bumper installation. The estimate was $532.50, I let my wife deal with the guy & he finally settled for $400. The money will never be spent on the bumper & the check was cashed in less than 2 hours.

Why did we pay it, because my daughter didn't get a ticket, so the insurance will not go up & the guy wasn't hurt. All you got to do is pay off the thieves & they go about their way. $400 is cheap...

It sure as hell beats getting sued & having your insurance canceled. Because if you get sued, they will cancel your insurance & then your premiums go up. I'm insurance poor & I still worry about being sued. The check said payment in full for wreck & dated. When the check was cashed that was them agreeing to settlement. We got off very cheap compared to other wrecks! :laughing:

Damn that guy is a real jagoff. Just curious but if the police where there with a police report why didn't you just let this asswipe take you to court and have the police report shoot him down? $400 isn't chump change!

[Stephen M.]

GM is right to consider $400 as chump change. Some people make a "living" going after business people. Just hiring a lawyer for making a defense that may never see the light of day in court can cost a business upwards to $25K to make it go away.

[GrassMaster]

I try to keep it simple...

GM is right to consider $400 as chump change. Some people make a "living" going after business people. Just hiring a lawyer for making a defense that may never see the light of day in court can cost a business upwards to $25K to make it go away.

Stephen M. knows the deal!

Here's the deal...
No matter what, if you run into the back of somebody around here it's your fault. We just had a case here about 6 months ago where somebody backed out into the front of a police officer going on a call. After all was said & done, it was the police officers fault because he ran into the back of them. The city settled out of court for a lot of money.

Police don't get involved in passing judgments & speculating what happened in a wrecks like they did in the old days, at least around here anyways. That was many years ago & many lawsuits ago. They basically let that be handled as a civil case in court now.

The first thing a Judge is going to say is, Did you or did you not run into the back of this person sitting at the red light. If my daughter says yes, that's a admission of guilt. See we're lucky because the police officer didn't write a ticket...

That alone saved me & my daughter way over $400 in insurance premiums. Not only that, she still has a clean driving record. Have you ever had to buy insurance for a teenager just starting to drive. With honor roll student, driving class, full coverage on a 1997 4 cyl Altima is $1,788 a year. My wife & I have insurance on a Van, Truck & Car & it's only $1,100 a year.

I'm also telling you from past experience, we're very lucky they didn't claim they had a hurt neck or back. It is already known that a insurance company will settle out of court for $25,000 in a heart beat.

If I had to go to civil court, my daughter & I both would have to be present. That alone figuring all time involved would be at least a total of 10 hours minimum. I'm not going to break it down but any civil matter you'll sit in court waiting 2 to 3 hours each for the 2 of us. An hour each to get ready & go there, not including preparing for it.

Again, she ran into the back of him plain & simple, this is the key to the whole case. If the judge is in a bad mood I could be charged the full $532.50 in damages plus court cost & the judge could even then force the officer to write her a ticket for the wreck. She gets ticket, I'm out the $532.50 & at least 5 hours each of mine & my daughters life for nothing.

I'm not trying to be a smart arse here, but I try to use common sense on this stuff. There's no way my daughter & I would have walked off free & clear.

OK, I hate to do this to you... :laughing:

7 years ago my oldest daughter was sitting at a red light in a 2 door 1995 Acura Coupe, waiting to take a right. She looks to the left, it's about 2 blocks & then a curve, line of site not a great distance but the speed limit was 45mph. She didn't see anybody coming, she pulls out & a 1997 Town car clipped her front left fender.

This car barely hit her, then 175 feet of skid marks, then slides another 100 feet down into ditch & hits the embankment or what ever it's called. The guy gets out of the car, he 72 years old, a disabled - handicapped Vet, he's had 3 heart attacks & diabetes. He shouldn't have even been driving the car?

He gets out of car, the air bags had deployed, he's not hurt, not a scratch. He walks up the hill, at the top of the hill. He has a damn heart attack.

By now I'm there on the scene, I see that my daughter is OK. Then I'm cracking off pictures of skid marks & wreck. I go up to the officer in charge, we'll call him Officer Porky. It's hot as hell & his face is redder than any Alcoholic Painter that you've ever seen in your life.

He asked me what I'm doing there, I told him it was my car that my daughter was driving & didn't he think that Town Car was going way to fast considering the 175 feet of skid marks & another 100 feet in the ditch that totaled his car.

He said Mr. Fiveash, I must ask you to step back & keep your mouth shut. You can talk about this to the Judge in court or I can arrest you now for Obstruction of Justice. I walk off Porky evidently needs a drink real bad.

Time goes along & it's time to go to Juvenile Court since she's a minor. Our case is called up after 2.5 hours of waiting. I try to talk to Judge & show him pictures, that didn't go over very well. Porky wasn't there. 99 out 0f a 100 Judges would have thrown the case out of court because the officer didn't show up.

This Judge was very old, he said we would have to continue the case when the Officer is there. THis should have been thrown out of court, it's done all the time when the Officer doesn't show up.

Time goes along we're back in court, we only waited an hour this time. Our case is called, Officer Porky again is not there. So he sends out a search party. Over an hour later Red Faced Officer Porky shows up.

Our case called up, my daughter & I step before the judge. Low & Behold he gets up & walks off. Another Judge steps in & ask her if she pulled out in front of the guy & he hits her. She says yes, but he was traveling so fast I didn't see him coming around the curve.

He said I don't care how fast he was going you pulled out in front of him & almost killed him. I don't care if he was driving 200MPH, you pulled out in front of him & almost killed him.

I asked the judge if I could show him the pictures of the wreck, he said no & another word out of you & I'll have you for contempt of court... Guilty, failure to yield of right of way $75, next case...

Medicare sued my insurance company for over $40,000 because the wreck made him have a heart attack & a Doctor Swore too it. Then his company sued ours for a undetermined amount of money for car replacement, pain, suffering, mental anguish & won the case.

I replaced the $300 head light that was busted & popped dent out of fender on daughters car. A month or so later, all of my insurance was canceled. That was back when I thought I was smart & had 1 company to take care of all my insurance, like one big ball of wax.

I learned a lot from that, Officer Porky lied to me & don't give a crap about anything except himself. The Judicial system is a joke now because it's just too much trouble to get involved in things, even if it's the right thing & most of all don't have your personal insurance & business insurance with the same companies.

I was almost shut down because of all insurance being tied together in one ball of wax. My insurance went way up because of the lawsuit & it getting canceled.

Considering past problems, paying the $400 & only $400 with nothing else on the table was getting off very light. Don't get me wrong but $400 or a $1,000 is chump change when you're in business or personal matters when possibly going to civil court or any kind of legal matters is involved.

When you own & operate a business, have vehicles involved with your company name on them via signs or what ever, work other employees... It's like putting a target on your back for lawsuits.

Hey I was lucky, the 5 plus years I had my lawn service & had up to 6 employees & 3 trucks & trailers on the road daily, I never had 1 problem like this. I move & get a repair shop, 10 years later it like I have a sign on me that says Sue me because I'm an easy target.

LOL, you just got to hit the right person & I honestly think luck has a little to do with it too? I was in business 10 years before I got sued my first time. I know people that's been in it 20 plus years & no problems, I know a guy that was in it less than 30 days & a kid went flying up his trailer ramp on a bicycle, fell & broke his collar bone. The guy had no insurance & had to sell his truck, trailer & equipment to pay for lawsuit.

You never know these days?
Be prepared, be safe & try to stay on top of things, that's all I can say. Oh I can crank off quite a few more post like this that just involve me or mine. I'm Fiddy Two & I ain't seen nothing yet!

[zz4guy]

Stephen M. knows the deal!

The Judicial system is a joke now

You said it man.... you said it.

I've been in a few accidents around here and the cops have always showed up to do a complete report. Guess I should consider myself lucky.