Blog

Case Study: Workers’ Compensation

A 40 year-old male employee was catastrophically injured during an auto accident resulting in paraplegia and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The adjuster for the self-insured employer referred this challenging workers’ compensation claim to Independent Life. The Case The injured worker spent the last two years in and out of facilities stacking up costly medical...

Revisiting the Grillo Case

Revisiting the Grillo Case The Christina Grillo medical malpractice case reached a $2,500,000 settlement in Texas in 1990 – thirty years ago. Why is the case still important today? And why, like two other historical industry events which occurred in 1990 (the Uniform Periodic Payment of Judgments Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act),  is it worth revisiting? Most structured...

Case Study: Wrongful Termination

Case Study: Wrongful Termination A 50-year-old black male truck driver filed a wrongful termination and discrimination case against his employer citing the reasons for his firing were unlawful. In addition, his employer, the trucking company, attempted to classify him as a 1099 independent contractor when he should have been classified as a W-2 employee.  ...

Case Study: Medical Malpractice

Medical Malpractice A regional hospital was handling a challenging medical malpractice claim involving a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and significant developmental delays. Due to the nature of the claim, the life expectancy, medical cost projections, and valuation ranges were each hotly contested items. The Challenge As a result of years of low interest...

Uniform Periodic Payments of Judgments Act: Conclusion

Uniform Periodic Payments of Judgments Act: Conclusion In retrospect, the failure of the National Structured Settlement Trade Association (NSSTA) to support the Uniform Periodic Payment of Judgments Act (“Uniform Act”) in 1990 can be viewed as a critical turning point in structured settlement history. Although enactment of the Uniform Act in the early 1990s would have required a sustained commitment...

Celebrating 30 Years of the ADA

July 26 marks the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). This legislative anniversary should be recognized and remembered as an important historic milestone among structured settlement and settlement planning professionals who advise personal injury victims and their families. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on...