After six hours of deliberations, a jury in Mt. Holly, New Jersey today awarded $23,500 in an auto crash case. The plaintiff underwent 4 months of physical therapy with Dr. Gerald Ringold. An MRI showed a small disc protrusion at the C2-3 level effacing the thecal sac. There had been a prior arbitration award of $10,000 that the defendant’s insurance company, New Jersey Manufacturers, refused to pay. Even though the verdict was relatively small, it is the beginning of a turnaround in New Jersey.
Insurance companies, especially Allstate, State Farm and NJM, have been taking "no pay" positions. It is their hope that even valid and meritorious claims will not be brought because of the cost of bringing doctors to court. This verdict is the latest in a string on plaintiff’s verdicts thoughout New Jersey. Hopefully, these verdicts will convince these insurance companies to act in good faith and pay legitimate claims. ATLA-NJ, the New Jersey Trial Lawyers Association, has resources available so you can find out the truth about insurance companies. They do quite well taking in billions in premiums and not paying meritorious claims. A bill pending in Congress to repeal the McCarren-Ferguson Act, has gotten the attention of the insurance companies and they are gearing up a major battle to stop this bill.
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