How Long will my case take to settle?

“How Long will my case take to settle?”  This common question has a complicated answers.  It depends based on the specific facts of your case.  We inform all of our clients that a personal injury case can take anywhere from several months to a few years; with the larger cases taking the longest.  The length of a case is largely determined by the parties involved: the client, the insurance company & the insurance company’s attorneys, etc.

The most important variable in a personal injury case is you, the client.  One of the first factors is determining the length of medical treatment the injured client requires?  Settling a case prior to the patient receiving all necessary post accident treatment and having a doctor provide a long term diagnosis for the injury will hurt the value of your case.  For this reason you must be careful with settling too soon.  Doing so could risk sacrificing money you’re entitled to in the future. Keep in mind, a settlement is permanent. Once your case is settled, it cannot be opened again.

Although Insurance companies give the illusion they are "on your side", they aren’t the most reasonable and often times refuse a fair settlement thereby delaying your case.  Attorneys then must follow procedures to protect the clients right to seek compensation by putting the case to suit, file motions, make court appearances, preparing the case for trial, etc, which inevitably delay recovery.   Unfortunately, this process can end up taking anywhere from two to five years, with the larger cases taking the longest.

Insurance companies aren’t always willing to just hand over millions of dollars to injured victims, fortunately the attorneys here at Buttafuoco & Associates are experienced in getting the carrier to hand over a fair settlement.  For example, we were recently able to obtain a $43 Million lifetime payout for one of our clients (serious injury left him a paraplegic).

The final variable that determines the length of a case is the insurance carrier’s defense firm.  Usually, their tactics are to intentionally delay settlement.  For this reason it is important to be represented by an experienced, reputable attorney so that these defense firms think twice before they attempt to try any of these tricks.


If you find yourself asking "how much longer will it take to settle my case" keep the above information in mind.  For any additional questions about your current case or accident call the experienced attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates 1-800-669-4878