Dog Bite Settlement

Dog Bite Settlement Negotiation

Serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and all other counties in the Commonwealth.

Most dog bite claims are resolved using one of two ways: (i) negotiation between an insurance company and the victim’s attorney, and (ii) a voluntary mediation process known as binding arbitration. Jeffrey H. Penneys, known by his two decades of satisfied clients as “the dog bite lawyer,” successfully resolves 98 percent of his cases out of court.

Although he is not afraid of taking insurance companies to court, it is his track record of success in court that motivates insurance companies to settle a claim once he gets involved in a dog attack case.

PA Dog Bite Lawyer Dangerous black dog

Dog Bite Settlement Offers

Each dog bite case is different in the sense that it involves a unique fact pattern, distinct injuries, and other factors that are critical to evaluating the value of the claim. Some of the most important skills possessed by a successful dog bite lawyer are the ability to ask the right questions and the habit of listening carefully to the client in order to fully understand the exact fact pattern underlying the client’s claim.

In addition to eliciting as much relevant information as he can from you, attorney Jeffrey H. Penneys will thoroughly research every detail of your case by, for example, examining your medical records and collecting lost earnings documentation. The value of a claim can turn on a dime – a claim for scarring that disfigures your face, for example, is likely to be worth far more than a claim for scarring on your neck and arms.

Assessing the real value of a claim takes not only knowledge of Pennsylvania dog bite law as well as the particular facts of your case, but also the kind of intuition that can be developed only through many years of experience. Without a seasoned dog bite attorney on your side, you could be at a serious disadvantage when negotiating with insurance industry professionals for a fair settlement. To speak with Mr. Penneys personally, call (215) 771-0430, or fill out our online contact form.

Insurance companies will delay, underpay, or even deny valid dog bite claims

Insurance companies are businesses that make money by maximizing their income from premiums and minimizing their payout of claims. They rely on four main strategies to deny or minimize valid claims:

Denying your claim outright. An insurance company might rely on a questionable interpretation of the language contained in your policy as a bogus justification for denying your claim, falsely assert that you provoked the dog, or even deny your claim without even offering you a justification.

Undervaluing your claim. The value of a dog bite claim is determined largely with reference to mathematical formulas. If you are not familiar with the components, it is easy for an insurance company to come up with some reasonably sounding hocus-pocus to reduce the asserted value of your claim down to a fraction of its real value.

Stonewalling. In other words, endless delays. The ideal end game of this process, from the insurance company’s point of view, would be to lull you into missing Pennsylvania’s two-year statute of limitations deadline for filing a lawsuit over the claim. If you miss this deadline, your claim will become worthless and even settlement negotiations will become utterly fruitless.

“Dirty tricks.” An old favorite is to induce you to make a recorded statement that can then be distorted or taken out of context to use against you later. Another trick is to take advantage of a temporary financial vulnerability by seducing you into signing a release of liability in exchange for a quick but paltry settlement.

Settlement negotiations with seasoned insurance industry executives are not for amateurs. You will be negotiating your dog bite claim against trained professionals whose full-time job is to deny or minimize the value of your claim. To make it a fair fight, you need the assistance of a fearless, aggressive, and experienced professional of your own – and that is where Jeffrey H. Penneys comes in.

If you don’t win, you don't pay legal fees

Get Compensation For Pain and Suffering

I offer free, confidential consultations to Pennsylvania dog bite injury victims and their families.

It would be a travesty of justice for you to abandon a valid dog bite injury claim simply because you lack the financial means to enforce your rights. Fortunately, Jeffrey H. Penneys applies a “no win, no pay” system – if you don’t receive compensation (a settlement, an arbitration award, or a favorable courtroom verdict), then you owe him nothing in legal fees.