Lowball Settlement Offers

An offer is unreasonably low when it ignores documented damages, discounts clear liability, or reflects no genuine attempt to evaluate the claim fairly. If your medical bills are $50,000 and they offer $5,000, that's not negotiation—it's an attempt to pressure you into accepting far less than you deserve.

Not automatically. Insurers are allowed to negotiate. But an offer so low that no honest assessment could support it—especially combined with refusal to explain the valuation or negotiate meaningfully—can constitute bad faith. Context matters: the strength of your claim, the documentation you've provided, and the insurer's conduct.

It's a calculated business strategy. They know injured people face financial pressure from medical bills, lost wages, and mounting debts. Many claimants accept low offers out of desperation. Every dollar they don't pay is profit. It's designed to take advantage of your vulnerable position.

Almost never. First offers are typically starting points, not final valuations. Taking the first offer often means leaving significant money on the table. Once you accept and sign a release, you generally can't come back for more—even if you discover your injuries are worse than you thought.

Full claim value includes: all medical expenses (past and future), lost wages and earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and any permanent impairment. An experienced attorney can evaluate all components and prevent you from accepting less than full value.

Adjusters often say offers are final when they're not. This is a pressure tactic. You can reject the offer, provide additional documentation, escalate within the company, or proceed with litigation. Their 'final' offer often changes when they realize you won't be pressured.

Yes, and you should. Submit a detailed demand letter with documentation supporting your full damages. Explain exactly why their offer is inadequate. Don't just counter with a number—make them justify their valuation and prove yours.

When insurers make offers that ignore documented damages, refuse to explain their valuation, or use the offer as a pressure tactic rather than a genuine negotiation, that conduct can support a bad faith claim. We subpoena their internal claim evaluations to show what they really valued your claim at.

Bad faith opens additional recovery: consequential damages caused by their conduct (debts you incurred waiting for fair payment), emotional distress from dealing with their tactics, and potentially punitive damages to punish their behavior and deter others.

Ideally, before you accept any offer. Insurance companies make substantially higher offers to represented claimants because they know attorneys understand claim values and will litigate if necessary. Even if settlement is likely, attorney involvement typically yields better results.