Background to the 6% Cap on Disbursements The Disbursements and Expert Evidence Regulation caps disbursements in personal injury cases at 6% of the plaintiff’s total damages post-trial or settlement. It only applies to vehicle injury proceedings, essentially car accident cases. It requires injury claimants to apply to exclude disbursements from this cap before the disbursement…
Facts of this Personal Injury Case This personal injury trial involved four car accidents. The trial lasted 17 days. The state run auto monopoly ICBC admitted liability in three of the four accidents, disputing liability in one. The Supreme Court awarded $66,000 for pain and suffering, $40,685.92 for vehicle damage and treatment expenses, and $92,607…
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…
In this case review the injury claimant was rear-ended in a car accident and claimed a loss of $500,000 due to her injury. The defendants admitted liability and called for a jury trial. About two months before the jury trial the defendants made an offer to settle the case for $50,000 plus taxable costs and disbursements. Two weeks before…
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…
In awarding this personal injury claimant double costs for beating the pre-trial offer of settlement, the Supreme Court has articulated 5 key principles to consider if you beat an offer to settle. The defendant insurer State Farm cancelled a mediation because their view was that mediation to settle the car accident claim had little chance of…
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…