Many times, you will read or hear a news article about a lawsuit that has been filed, and the article will say one party is suing the other party for “millions” of dollars. These types of articles often lead to questions from our clients about how much our attorneys are suing for when filing a Florida car accident lawsuit.
In Florida, a party does not have to ask for the exact amount of money the party is looking to recover. For instance, if you want to recover a million dollars from your car accident claim, you do not have to specifically list that amount in your complaint. The only pleading requirement for your car accident lawsuit is the minimum amount needed to file a car accident lawsuit in either county court or circuit court.
The Minimum Amount of Damages Needed for a Florida Auto Accident Lawsuit
On January 1, 2020, the minimum jurisdictional amounts were increased. To file a car accident lawsuit in a Florida county court, a person must allege that their damages are between $8,000 and $30,000. To file a car accident lawsuit in a Florida circuit court, the higher court, a person must allege that their damages are in excess of $30,000. A person could also file a “small claims court” action if their damages are less than $8,000. Most car accident lawsuits in Florida are filed in circuit court, meaning the person suing believes they have damages in excess of $30,000. These jurisdictional amounts are simply a belief by the attorney filing the lawsuit that the person injured in the car accident has damages within, or in excess of the jurisdictional amounts.
However, this doesn’t mean all car accident lawsuit settlements or jury verdicts are obtained in those amounts. For instance, if you file a lawsuit in circuit court alleging damages in excess of $30,000, you could receive a settlement or verdict for millions of dollars depending on your injuries, or you could receive a settlement or verdict for less than $30,000. The amount of money you receive from a car accident depends on many factors. The most important factors in determining the value of your car accident lawsuit are:
- the type and severity of injury you suffered in the car accident
- the amount of medical bills you have incurred, including any future procedures or medical bills related to the car accident
- the amount of wages you have lost from the car accident, and any loss of your ability to earn money in the future because of your car accident injury
- the amount of pain and suffering your car accident injury has caused, and will cause in the future
Because of all these factors, it is difficult to say how much a person can sue for in a
The Goal of Our Florida Car Accident Attorneys is to Fight for Your Compensation
Florida car accident lawsuit. Different types of injuries will affect people differently. A person that has worked their entire career in a manual labor type job may be affected more severely by an injury that restricts that person’s ability to lift and bend over than it may affect a person that sits at a desk for their job. A person with young children has different daily responsibilities than a retiree, so the same type of injury may affect those persons differently.
Another important consideration in determining how much to sue for in a Florida car accident lawsuit is allowing a person to complete their medical care before evaluating the value of the settlement or verdict. Many times, a person could be injured in a car accident, yet the pain and discomfort disappear or becomes minimal over time. For other people, the initial pain and discomfort that occurs following a car accident worsens over time requiring physical therapy, injections, and surgery.
To fully evaluate the value of your car accident lawsuit, consult with an experience attorney at the Maus Law Firm. Our attorneys have more than 60 years combined experience in evaluating and litigating insurance claims for our clients. For a free consultation about your Florida car accident lawsuit, call (954) 784-6310.