Cross-claims and Third Party Complaints in a Chicago Personal Injury Claim

After your Chicago personal injury complaint is filed and the summons is sent to the defendant, they may choose to submit a cross-claim when there are multiple parties involved in your case.

For example, you (Driver A) are in a car accident involving 2 other drivers (Driver B and C) and you and Driver B both file separate personal injury lawsuits against Driver C for causing the accident and your injuries. However, Driver C may feel that something Driver B did also contributed to the accident. Driver C may then file a cross-claim against Driver B to include them in the claim. Driver B must now submit an answer to the cross-claim to accept or deny it, just as with a regular answer.

A third-party complaint is where the defendant has legal reason to pass the liability for your personal injury claim to another party. In the event of a contract where a third party promises to be liable for injuries at a venue, the defendant may file a third-party complaint to include that third party in the claim. In the case of a third-party complaint, the third party is the one who must file an answer to the new complaint.

There are many follow-up claims and complaints that can be filed following your initial Chicago personal injury claim. For a more in-depth look at the filing of a Chicago personal injury case, visit our article library. 

The Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. have been helping clients like you with every stage of their Chicago personal injury case for more than 15 years. You Contact us today for a free case evaluation - (312) 263-1080