Do you have an upcoming personal injury lawsuit in the state of Massachusetts?
Lengthy legal battles in Massachusetts can cause many financial problems that leave plaintiffs struggling to make mortgage or rent payments, or cover costly medical bills. However, Nova Legal Funding is here to provide personal injury plaintiffs with the immediate financial support required with pre-settlement funding.
Personal injury lawsuits in Massachusetts are often very complex, and the nature of these lawsuits often means plaintiffs are waiting months or even years before receiving a payout for their injuries. Insurance companies are also known to exploit these circumstances by using stalling tactics to delay the process even further. In doing so, they hope that your financial predicament will force you to accept a lower settlement than you deserve.
As a result, many personal injury plaintiffs will arrange a lawsuit loan in order to help them cover expenses throughout the case. However, with Nova Legal Funding, Massachusetts residents are entitled to a superior alternative.
We offer non-recourse cash advances, which our clients will not need to repay if they lose their personal injury case. Fortunately, this means there is no risk in applying for lawsuit funding in Massachusetts.
Our customers can apply for a pre-settlement loan with Nova Legal Funding during any stage of their lawsuit, and we pledge to provide financial support in the first 24 hours.
Laws and Regulations of Pre-settlement Funding in Massachusetts
Important Massachusetts Legal Information
| Avg. Funding per case from Nova Legal Funding | $22,516 |
| Fault Laws | Modified Comparative Fault – 51% Bar Plaintiff cannot recover if more at fault than defendants; otherwise, plaintiff’s negligence will reduce defendant’s liability. M.G.L.A. 231 § 85. |
| Statute of Limitations | 3 years Title 5, Ch. 260, Secs. 2A and 4 |
| Minimum policy limits for bodily injury & property damage | $20,000 bodily injury liability per person $40,000 bodily injury liability per accident $5,000 property damage liability per accident $8,000 personal injury protection |
| Minimum UIM auto insurance limits | Liability: 20/40/5 UM/UIM BI: 20/40 PIP: $8,000 |
| Workers compensation eligibility | Not Eligible |
Massachusetts is a state hospitable to lawsuit funding arrangements, though case law insists that pre-settlement agreements do not call for excessive fees to the funder. In Saladini v. Righellis, the court ruled that “if an agreement to finance a lawsuit is challenged, we will consider whether the fees charged are excessive or whether any recovery by a prevailing party is vitiated because of some impermissible overreaching by the financier.”
Nova Legal Funding is a completely licensed organization qualified to provide pre-settlement loans in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Personal Injury Law: How Does it Affect Legal Funding?
Injured parties must file a lawsuit against the person or entity responsible within a specific time period in order to obtain potential compensation. In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident in question. Though if you discovered an injury following the date it was sustained, the time may start from the date you were first aware of the injury instead. If you have suffered an injury due to a city, county, or state government agency, you have two years to file a formal claim and three years to file a lawsuit.
Massachusetts is a ‘no-fault’ state regarding car accidents, meaning that injured parties must seek compensation through the relevant insurance companies as opposed to the courts. Legal action can only be taken in very specific circumstances. Either the injured party has more than $2,000 in reasonable medical expenses, or they have suffered permanent and serious disfigurement, a broken bone, and/or loss of hearing or sight.
The state of Massachusetts also has a specific statute regarding dog bites. Regardless of the animal’s previous behavior, dog owners are ‘strictly liable’ for any injuries caused by their pet.
Massachusetts courts follow the comparative fault doctrine and will accordingly prevent injured parties from receiving any damages if they are over 50% responsible for their own injury. If they are less than 50% at fault, they are eligible to receive compensation but it will be reduced proportionally. Under this jurisdiction, courts will assign a percentage of responsibility to each individual involved in the accident in question. A party found to be 60% at fault will be required to pay 60% of the overall compensation, but if the injured party is responsible for the remaining 40%, that percentage will be removed from their final damages.
The majority of personal injury lawsuits will not be bound by any damages caps, however, Massachusetts residents can only receive a maximum of $500,000 on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. This refers to damages for things like pain, suffering, and inconvenience, as opposed to economic damages such as medical bills. However, this limit will be lifted if the plaintiff has suffered:
- A substantial or permanent loss/impairment of a bodily function
- Substantial disfigurement
- Any significant circumstances that indicate applying the cap would prevent a just result
Notable Personal Injury Lawyers in Massachusetts
There are many experienced personal injury lawyers in Massachusetts waiting to take on your case:
J. Tucker Merrigan
268 Summer Street, LL, Boston, MA 02210
David Altman
689 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
Mark E. Salomone
545 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
Jennifer L. Cava-Foreman
2 Mattoon Street, Springfield, MA 01105
Robert E. Mazow
10 Derby Square, Salem, MA 01970
Venessa Masterson
385 Gorham Street, Suite 2, Lowell, MA 01852
F. Steven Triffletti
124 Long Pond Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360
Car Accident and Fatality Statistics in Massachusetts
As per the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 336 fatal crashes that took the lives of 350 people in 2017. Massachusetts also experienced the third-highest percentage of deaths in single-vehicle crashes (66%), following the District of Columbia and Rhode Island.
A huge 94% of fatal crashes occurred in urban areas of Massachusetts rather than rural, the highest percentage of all US states. And of the drivers killed with known blood alcohol concentration results, 38% had BACs over 0.08%. The state imposes penalties for driving with a BAC of 0.08% or greater.
Typical pre-settlement funding for Massachusetts drivers involved in traffic cases includes:
- Pedestrian accident
- Auto accident settlement funding
- Tractor trailer accident (truck accident)
- Bus accident
- Bicycle accident
- Motorcycle accident
For more information on pre-settlement funding in Massachusetts, get in touch with a member of the Nova Legal Funding team today for a free case evaluation.
Massachusetts Lawsuit Funding FAQs
What do I need to qualify for legal funding in Massachusetts?
As a general rule, all personal injury plaintiffs living in Massachusetts automatically qualify for a free and speedy pre-settlement funding application.
Do you provide a lawsuit loan or cash advance?
Though commonly referred to as a lawsuit loan, Nova Legal Funding offers customers a non-recourse cash advance again their eventual lawsuit settlement. As a non-recourse advance, plaintiffs are only required to make a payment to us if they win their case or obtain a settlement. There is no need to pay if you lose your case, making the lawsuit funding application a risk-free process.
How do I spend the pre-settlement loan?
Our customers can spend their lawsuit funding however they desire. There are no restrictions in place once they receive their money, though past customers have chosen to pay off debts, cover their mortgage, and handle overall living expenses using their cash advance.
Apply For Lawsuit Funding in Massachusetts Now
We are here to ease the financial burden of all personal injury plaintiffs. Contact us today to begin a pre-settlement funding application in Massachusetts.
Call us toll-free at (800) 760-0704 to speak with a friendly funding specialist today.