During 2009, Brian tried three first party binding arbitration cases. In each, the primary issue was the necessity of the treatment and the reasonableness of the medical bills.
In the first Underinsured Motorist Arbiration, the claimant incurred bills of $8,048.61 including $5,698.61 from Allmed Medical Center for physician and chiropractic services and $3,350 from Discovery Diagnostics, a Los Angeles radiology facility. The arbitrator awarded total damages of $4,080, including non-economic damages.
In the second Underinsured Motorist Arbiration, the claimant was involved in a minor front end impact accident and the bills for her treatment totaled $10,000, all but $340 of which was for chiropractic treatment. The arbitrator awarded $5,540 after reducing the damages by $2,000 for the amounts paid from medical payments coverage. The arbitrator determined that only $2,540 represented the reasonable cost of necessary treatment.
In the third matter, the claimant was a logging truck driver whose truck was hit head on by an intoxicated driver who crossed the center line. The claimant’s medical expenses over the course of five years totaled $72,000 and he claimed an income loss of $5,000. The arbitrator awarded $101,572.48 after a deduction of $2,100 for payments from medical payments coverage.