What to Do If Your Lawyer Is Delaying Your Personal Injury Case?

Posted By The Law Offices of Eugene G. Bruno, P.C. Posted in: Car Accident.

If it’s been a while since you heard back from your attorney about your personal injury claim, you may be wondering why your case is being delayed by your lawyer.

First and foremost, are you sure that it’s your lawyer who is responsible for the delay rather than insurance companies? After all, auto accident attorneys are less likely to be responsible for delays in a personal injury case, as insurance adjusters may have a wide variety of motivations and reasons for stalling your claim.

Is your lawyer delaying your personal injury case?

Our San Diego auto accident attorney here at The Law Offices of Eugene G. Bruno, P.C., has recently received the following question from one of our regular readers.

“Hello Mr. Bruno. In September 2018, I was injured in a car accident on a freeway in San Diego. I decided to hire a car accident lawyer to handle my claim and help me seek compensation from the at-fault motorist, who rear-ended my vehicle. However, for a reason unknown to me, my lawyer has been delaying filing a personal injury claim because (a) he claims to be busy with other cases and (b) he claims that the hospital is responsible for the delay. When I went to the hospital to collect medical records, I found out that my lawyer had received all necessary documentation and records a month ago. What’s going on and how do I approach this situation? Thanks. Kind regards, Anthony.”

What to do if your attorney delays filing a claim

Thank you for your question, Anthony. It sure seems as if you cannot get your lawyer to work on your case. Also, it seems to me that your lawyer has forgotten that he is working for you, not the other way around. This may be a sign of legal malpractice, which is why you may want to consider firing your attorney and hiring a new one.

But before you do so, it is crucial to determine whether or not it’s your lawyer who’s responsible for the delay in your personal injury case. If your car accident attorney is truly responsible for the delay, and if he misses the deadline for filing a claim or lawsuit, you may be able to sue him for legal malpractice.

“But I get it, you have no time for dealing with your attorney; you want to get the compensation you deserve and focus on getting back on your feet,” says our experienced auto accident attorney in San Diego.

Why your insurance company may be stalling your claim

Luckily for you, our auto accident lawyers at The Law Offices of Eugene G. Bruno, P.C., offer a free consultation, which is why you can find out whether or not your lawyer is truly responsible for delaying your personal injury case and whether it makes sense to fire him and find a new one.

Here’s something you need to understand: insurance companies have more reasons for delaying personal injury cases. What are these reasons? Well, some of them are legal, while others are illegal:

• There’s a special insurance company policy for stalling claims;
• The insurance company is trying to stall for time in order to make you tired of waiting and agree to settle for a low-ball amount;
• The insurance company is delaying your claim in the hopes that you will lose evidence; or
• The company is stalling your case in order for you to miss the deadline imposed by the statute of limitations.

There are many other tactics employed by insurance companies to stall and delay claims filed by car accident victims. Still, if you are confident that it is your lawyer who is responsible for the delay, consider firing him. After all, your lawyer must be working for you, not the other way around. Get a free consultation from our attorneys at The Law Offices of Eugene G. Bruno, P.C. Call at 619-577-4077 today.