Personal Injury Law The Basics At any moment in America millions of people are driving walking shopping traveling and working so it is no wonder that accidents and injuries have become an inevitable part of life But the fact that mishaps are fairly commonplace does not detract from the pain and confusion that can result when an accident or injury happens to you or a loved one This is especially true when any harm could have been avoided if others had not acted carelessly If you decide to take steps toward protecting your legal rights after an accident or injury you may have a number of general questions about personal injury cases What is a Personal Injury Case Personal injury cases are legal disputes that arise when one person suffers harm from an accident or injury and someone else might be legally responsible for that harm A personal injury case can become formalized through civil court proceedings that seek to find others legally at fault through a court judgment or as is much more common such disputes may be resolved through informal settlement before any lawsuit is filed Formal Lawsuit Unlike criminal cases which are initiated by the government a formal personal injury case typically starts when a private individual the plaintiff files a civil complaint against another person business corporation or government agency the defendant alleging that they acted carelessly or irresponsibly in connection with an accident or injury that caused harm This action is known as filing a lawsuit Informal Settlement In reality most disputes over fault for an accident or injury are resolved through informal early settlement usually among those personally involved in the dispute their insurers and attorneys representing both sides A settlement commonly takes the form of negotiation followed by a written agreement in which both sides forgo any further action such as a lawsuit choosing instead to resolve the matter through payment of an agreeable amount of money Note the middle ground between a lawsuit and an informal settlement is alternative dispute resolution procedures like mediation and arbitration Where Are Personal Injury Lawsuits Filed Personal injury lawsuits usually fall under the authority or jurisdiction of state courts in the county where the injury occurred or where those involved the parties in the incident are located So if a resident of Los Angeles County is involved in a car accident in Los Angeles he or she will ordinarily file a personal injury lawsuit in the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles Injury cases in which a relatively low amount of damages is sought typically a maximum of 2000 to 5000 usually must be filed in a court s small claims division An exception to the rule of state court jurisdiction arises when parties in a personal injury case live in different states and the case involves an amount in controversy over 75 000 Such a personal injury case may be filed under federal jurisdiction in the federal trial courts called U S District Courts or the case may be moved there if it was originally filed in a state court Issues of jurisdiction can be tricky for those unfamiliar with the legal process but an experienced attorney can sort through any problems that may arise in deciding where to file a lawsuit Where Are the Laws that Govern Personal Injury Cases Unlike other areas of the law that find their rules in statutes such as penal codes in criminal cases the development of personal injury law has taken place mostly through court decisions and in treatises written by legal scholars Many states have taken steps to summarize the development of personal injury law in written statutes but for practical purposes court decisions remain the main source of the law in any legal case arising from an accident or injury Note in some types of injury cases most notably those arising from car accidents in which a state vehicle code section was violated statutes can be used to help establish fault for an accident or injury To understand how pre existing case law or legal precedent might be used to strengthen an injury case suppose that you are involved in an accident or are injured and decide to hire an attorney to protect your legal rights During settlement negotiations with insurers or opposing counsel and especially in any legal filings with the court your attorney will make reference to or cite prior cases in which the courts in your state decided on issues like fault or damages in ways that are favorable to your position For example suppose you have been injured in a slip and fall on an uneven sidewalk outside your apartment building In seeking to prove that the owner of your building is at fault your attorney might cite a case in which your state s supreme court held that owners of residential buildings have a legal duty to ensure that the premises surrounding the building are properly maintained Above information excerpted by Pamela S Evers Assoc Prof of Business Law University of North Carolina Wilmington from materials available on www findlaw com for educational purposes only
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