After settlement negotiations break down, your medical malpractice case will go to trial. Usually, the doctor or hospital you are suing is protected by some sort of insurance, and you might want to know if the insurance company representatives or supervisor will come to court, and listen to what is going on in the trial.
After settlement negotiations break down, your medical malpractice case will go to trial. Usually, the doctor or hospital you are suing is protected by some sort of insurance, and you might want to know if the insurance company representatives or supervisor will come to court, and listen to what is going on in the trial.
Representatives of the Insurance Companies Attend Trials
The answer is maybe. Some insurance company representative and supervisors actually attend court sessions. They come to court because they do not want to rely always on the defense attorney who at the end of the day will call them up and tell them what happened in the case. They want to find out for themselves what exactly took place during the course of the trial. However, they cannot do this for every single case, since they have other work to complete at the office and out in the field.
Nevertheless, there are some instances, especially in big cases, where the adjuster or supervisor will come, sit in the back of the courtroom, and simply observe the proceedings. The adjuster will want to see exactly what is going on, how the testimonies are given by the different witnesses, what the judge is doing, and more importantly what the jury is interested and involved in what is happening. By coming to court, the supervisor or adjuster gets tremendous amounts of firsthand impressions and firsthand observations about what is really going on in the case.
Peaks and Valleys of a Case
During a trial, there will be peaks and valleys in what is going on about the case. There will be different instances where the plaintiff will be doing wonderful and be at the peak, and at other times it will not look so sunny and the plaintiff will be going down the valley. When the insurance adjuster or supervisor attends the proceedings, it does matter whether the plaintiff is at their peak or performing miserably.
Why does Insurance Company Supervisor or Adjuster Attend the Trial?
Hence, in some cases, especially big trials where there is a lot money at risk, you may find an insurance adjuster or supervisor who comes to sit in and observe the case for a significant period. The insurance company will want to be in the loop when a significant sum is involved. Paying off claims is a loss for insurance companies and they will do everything in their power to reduce the claim amount and cut their losses.
When the adjuster or supervisor is attending the court proceedings, he will be keeping track of how the case is progressing, and the way the jury is reacting to different witness testimonies. One should keep in mind that a settlement is possible until the jury passes a verdict it is read out in court. If the case looks like it is progressing well for the plaintiff, and the doctor or hospital might be held guilty for negligence, the supervisor will report this and the insurance company might make a new offer. Hence, supervisors and adjusters attend trials to attain a first-hand impression about case proceedings.
