Q: Do I have to pay all of the court fees and medical bills if loose a case ?
I had an accident at kmart almost 3years ago the lawersend me an offer of 5000 and out of that he said I would have too pay my lawyer fees and all medical bill.the letter also said if I did not accept the offer I would have too go to court and if I lost the case and I would have too paid all off the court fees and they would put a lean against my house so I just told my lawer to Try only to get my bills paid and forget about my compensation I was scared too loose my house was that a good decision?
A: From the $5000 offered to you, you were required by contract to repay medical bills (although your lawyer can make several different arguments to reduce those bills) and through your retainer agreement with the lawyer to pay his fee (via contingency I presume). If the $5000 offer is not enough to cover all those expenses, then you probably should not accept it. However, if it was a weak case, that may have been your only choice. As far as rejecting the offer and going to court and losing, you would be liable for the costs of the other party, including court costs, which could be substantial. However, I am unaware of any authority enabling a lien to be placed on your house, I don't believe that is true. It sounds like your case had some problems, so in the long run, you probably made a good decision.
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