Thank You to Our Clients
As the courts in Maryland start slowly opening back up again, I wanted to post this message to say thank you to all of our clients for your understanding and patience through what has been a very difficult year for everyone. When everything shut down, not only was the litigation process taken away from us, but the insurance companies took full advantage as well. The settlement offers took longer and longer and got progressively worse and worse. To the surprise of nobody, they deliberately tried to take advantage of the situation for their own economic benefit.
But the situation created by COVID-19 was always going to be temporary. District Court trials are being re-scheduled on a daily basis and jury trials are scheduled to start again on April 23rd. Each county has established their own process and procedure for how this is going to work and although there will be complications, the hope and expectation is that things are now finally moving in the right direction.
As we move forward with our cases, one of the things to keep a close eye on is how judges and juries evaluate COVID-impacted cases. Normally “gaps” in treatment reflect unfavorably on the plaintiff with the implication being that if you did not treat consistently, you must not have been that badly injured. However, with COVID, people were genuinely nervous and scared about seeking medical treatment. It is my belief that this factor will not have as substantial a negative affect as it usually does.
Also worth noting will be how pain and suffering is calculated. If a plaintiff’s injuries lingered for longer because they were unable to receive consistent treatment, will they receive additional pain and suffering damages for that? Or what about people who had to be treated at a hospital? Will they be awarded additional emotional distress damages for the added stress of being exposed to potential infection by being forced to be in a hospital.
As your attorney, I will be paying close attention to these trends and also being creative and “thinking outside the box” in ensuring that we maximize the value of your cases.
So thank you again for your patience and for choosing Dubo Law to help you navigate the stress and trauma of being injured in a car accident or other personal injury claim.
