Insurer Tenders $1m Policy Limits with the Help of Settlement Intelligence
Snapshot: Gannon v. Burney, Jerry E. Freeman LLC, State Court of Gwinnett County, GA, Civil Action #21-C-02120-S1
Insurer: Rental Ins. Services (Empire Fire and Marine Ins. Co.)’s offer: $100,000.00 (3.17.2021)
Resolution: $1,000,000.00 (3.21.2023) policy limits settlement
Attorney Notes: aggravation of prior infirm condition (lumbar and PTSD); combat veteran.
Georgia lawyer Blade Thompson of Blade Thompson Injury Law knew his client’s case was worth policy limits of $1,000,000, but in 2021 the insurer made a low-ball offer of $100,000. The client, a combat veteran with prior lumbar injuries and PTSD, was rear ended by a crew van at highway speeds, forcing his Honda Civic into a retaining wall. The bad driver, who was working at the time, was issued a citation.
Liability was clear and admitted. The client sustained post-concussion syndrome / mTBI, Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Vestibular Dysfunction, and an aggravation of his lumbar disc bulges and PTSD. After receiving the low-ball offer, Blade decided to use Settlement Intelligence to maximize settlement value. The Settlement Intelligence Demand Letter outlined his client’s case in a format that was easy to follow, with references to scientific journal articles regarding post-concussion Syndrome / mTBI, as well as a section regarding the aggravation of his prior infirm conditions. The Demand Letter provided a comprehensive summary of value drivers which helped Blade and his team better prepare the claim for litigation. The Settlement Intelligence Demand Letter also followed a format known to trigger claims evaluation software–used in over 90% of auto claims to generate settlement offers pre and post litigation.
Thompson used Settlement Intelligence to create a policy limits demand letter. Using consulting from Settlement Intelligence co-founder Charlette Sinclair, he implemented visual aids that showed how the client’s herniations worsened after the crash, and referred the client for permanent impairment rating. After sending the Settlement Intelligence demand letter at the end of 2022, the insurer tendered policy limits of $1m in March of 2023.
Blade’s team now uses Settlement Intelligence on all pre-litigation cases, which frees up time for him and his support staff to gather evidence and better prepare their client’s cases. The Settlement Intelligence workflow helps his team work smarter, not harder. It also helps train the users what is needed in order to capture all of the value drivers, and truly maximize settlement value regardless of what phase the case is in.