To settle with ICBC, the corporation must negotiate in good faith. ICBC’s recent withdrawal of settlement offers has therefore drawn criticism from many groups and now the Supreme Court. The Car Accident Our featured car accident case was a short personal injury trial in January, 2019. The claimant was driving through the intersection of Sperling…
As an advocate for the injured for over 23 years I have never experienced the level of discrimination now faced by auto injury victims in British Columbia. The Attorney General, our chief advisor of law to the government, distains injury victims access to legal advice and the court system, recently blaming lawyers for pushing back against the monopoly…
The Supreme Court has presented a new interpretation to offers to settle when it comes to ICBC settlement offers(Kobetitch v. Belski,2018 BCSC 2247). This personal injury lawsuit involved two motor vehicle accidents, the jury awarding the claimant $760,000. ICBC sought costs of the trial based on offers to settle delivered before the trial began. The first ICBC offer…
The Court of Appeal has upheld a $200,000.00 award to a 25-year old student for loss of future earning capacity despite having no settled pattern of employment, and no causal link between her injuries and her inability to keep positions in her desired field of employment. (Layes v. Stevens,2018 BCCA 415). An ICBC offer to…
For ICBC, money must really grow on trees. In this car accident injury case the claimant delivered a formal offer to settle for $398,000 less what had already been paid by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC. The defendants countered with a settlement offer of $238,000 less what had already been paid by ICBC. The Court…
This ICBC offer to settle case review focuses on the definition of the term “new money” when contained in a written settlement offer. ICBC offered to settle this personal injury claim for $105,000 new money plus costs but the claimant rejected the offer making a counter-offer of $450,000.00. The judge ultimately awarded $87,250, comprised of $80,000 for…
This ICBC offer to settle case raises two important issues: (1) What ICBC accident benefits should be deducted from the award against the driver; and (2) Should a claimant be denied costs for not accepting an ICBC offer which is the same as the court award. This ICBC personal injury case involved two car accidents. First…
This married couple went to court with no lawyer for personal injuries arising from three car accidents. Liability for the car accidents were admitted and both claimants contended they were incapacitated and permanently affected by their injuries. Following a 13 day trial the claimants were awarded very little, under $30,000 each after deductions ( Ma. v. Haniak, 2017 BCSC 549 ). ICBC…
An offer to settle in any personal injury case should be clear and unambiguous. The claimant and ICBC should use plain language when settling car accident cases. The offer of settlement should avoid colloquialisms or idioms that are understood by a limited audience. In today’s case review an ICBC insured sought to deny an injury…
The first tip, the ICBC adjuster works for ICBC not the injured claimant. ICBC does not assign claimants their own advocates after a car accident. No one at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, will look out for the claimants best interests when it comes to settling an injury case. Second tip for ICBC injury…