Many plaintiffs who struggle to pay the bills are in their financial situation because of lost wages. This can mean that they are out of work because of an injury or because they are seeking damages for a workplace related incident such as discrimination, sexual harassment, or wrongful termination. Struggling with lost wages can send a plaintiff’s finances downhill quickly, which can even effect their case.
Plaintiffs typically suffer from lost wages at the same time that they have more expenses than usual. They have the usual responsibilities of a mortgage or rent, a car payment, and other daily expenses on top of medical bills, repairs, or other payments relating to their incident.
These stresses don’t go away once the plaintiff enters the courtroom. These financial issues can even effect the plaintiff’s legal battle in the following ways:
––The stress of making ends meet can take a plaintiff’s focus away from the lawsuit. Many plaintiffs underestimate the time and effort involved in a court case, which can last weeks, months, or years. If a plaintiff is distracted by their financial situation and then receives a lower settlement, their financial struggles will only get worse.
––If a plaintiff has pressing bills and debt collectors on their back, then their need for the case to settle grows and the plaintiff is more likely to accept a lower settlement than what they originally thought was fair. The defendant will often use stall tactics, especially if the defendant is an organization with a big legal budget rather than an individual.
There are many solutions that plaintiffs look to for their financial struggles, but most of them don’t fit the specific need of a plaintiff. These solutions include:
––Credit cards. Most plaintiffs look to credit cards first because it seems like a fast, easy fix to just pull a card from their wallet to take care of a payment. The problem with credit cards is that they are a short term fix, and although the lawsuit may reach a conclusion quickly, if it lasts any longer, the plaintiff may find their whole settlement going to repaying the interest accumulated from the high interest rates.
––Personal loans. Plaintiffs will typically look to the bank next. But even if the plaintiff gets approved—the application will include a credit and employment check—plaintiffs run the risk of having to make repayments before their lawsuit has reached a settlement. Without a salary or a settlement, the plaintiff needs to think about whether they can handle monthly payments to the lender.
A better option, one tailored specifically for the needs of a plaintiff, is a lawsuit loan.
Lawsuit loan companies understand the financial situation that a plaintiff is in, and so repayment is expected when the lawsuit concludes. After an easy and fast application process, plaintiffs can use money from their settlement to pay the expenses they struggle with during the lawsuit. They are able to focus on the lawsuit and can afford to wait for a fair settlement.
About the Author: Steven Medvin is the Executive Director of SMP Advance Funding, LLC, which provides lawsuit funding to individuals who need a lawsuit loan for pending lawsuits. For more information please visit www.smpadvance.com.
