Pre-trial Settlements in Illinois Personal Injury Cases

There are two major events that can happen between the Discovery and Trial stage of your Illinois personal injury claim: Motion to Dismiss and Settlement. Both events will end your case without the need to go to trial for a resolution. As with all stages of an Illinois personal injury case, having a trusted Chicago personal injury attorney at your side will make the whole process much easier.

A Motion to Dismiss occurs when the defendant believes the court doesn't have the power to resolve the case. Your case may need to be tried in a special court due to lack of jurisdiction (either the court isn't involved in the subject matter of your case or one of the parties involved is not a resident of the state). The case may also be dismissed due to technical mishaps such as improper summons or if the defendant fails to respond to the complaint in a timely manner.

A Settlement can come at nearly any stage of your personal injury lawsuit once the case has been filed. Often, a settlement is offered pre-trial to avoid lengthy court proceedings and further argument. Out-of-court settlements are especially common with larger companies who want to avoid media attention in high-profile cases. In smaller cases, the defense may decide that they don't have enough chance to win at trial and choose to settle to avoid more attorney fees.

Understanding all the stages of a personal injury claim is important, even when you have the help of a personal injury attorney. To read a brief overview of the basic stages of a 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 Illinois personal injury claim for more than 15 years. You have nothing to lose from our free case evaluation, contact us today - (312) 263-1080