Mandatory Arbitration ... More $ for Plaintiffs/Lawyers
Tuesday, December 14th, 1999 LitigationIncreasing the monetary level at which Washington court cases move to mandatory arbitration will worsen a system that is already skewed toward plaintiffs and their attorneys, according to the National Association of Independent Insurers (NAII). At a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing, NAII Assistant Vice President and Northwest Regional Manager Melvin Sorensen warned against the move to increase the level at which cases go into mandatory arbitration, from a claimed loss amount of $35,000 to $50,000. Because most auto claim cases fall well below this level, such a change could mean that virtually every auto claim case could end up in arbitration, Sorensen said. "Between 1988 and 1997, the cost of settling bodily injury claims rose 20 percent, and the cost of settling property damage claims like auto collisions jumped almost 42 percent," Sorensen said.
