Visitor Question

Attorney Didn’t Pay My Medical Bills…

Submitted By: Yesenia (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)

I was hit from behind by a truck while I was waiting at a stop sign. I was hit with such force that my car hit 2 others. I did black out from the impact and don’t remember much. I was rushed to the trauma center at the county hospital even though my health insurance was & is with Kaiser Permanente.

The paramedics were told I had Kaiser, but still took me to county. I know they were concerned due to me blacking out upon impact & by how bad my car looked. Needless to say, the vehicle was a total loss. (It was my dream car, a Cadillac CTS – but just materialistic I know.)

Thank God I had no major injuries (must have been my Guardian Angel). I do still have severe pain on the bottom of my right foot and lower back, and have very bad headaches!

The case settled for much less than I expected, but I just wanted it to end so I could move forward with my life. I have confirmation from my attorney that yes, she did receive copies of medical bills that her office failed to pay. They are telling me I am responsible to pay them.

Now they total over $1000.00.

The outstanding bills are from the county hospital and the ambulance. The hospital bill is now a judgement against me. I am so frustrated! This is why I hired an attorney, so that they could handle all this, and they dropped the ball!

Is there anything I can do?

Do I have a professional malpractice case against the attorney (law firm) that “represented” me? Thank you.

Disclaimer: Our response is not formal legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information provided. Do not rely upon the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site, when deciding the proper course of a legal matter. Always get a personalized case review from a local attorney.

Answer

Dear Yesenia,

Unfortunately you are responsible for your doctors’ bills. Whether your law firm should have paid your doctors’ bills is controlled by a couple of items.

The first is the Contract of Employment you signed when you retained the law firm. Take that out and read it well. If it says your attorneys were to pay all outstanding medical bills before paying you, you may have a breach of contract case against the firm. Pursuing that avenue would be difficult. You against the world (the law firm) so to speak.

Rather, if your understanding was that all medical bills were to be paid before you received your net settlement you have a right to be upset with the law firm, but that is about all. The problem is you owe the money. Whether it was paid before you received the settlement or you have to pay it after, your net settlement amount would be the same.

Contact the medical creditors and work out a payment plan with them. Regrettably that is all you can really do.

Learn more here: Negotiating Medical Bills and Liens

The above is general information. Laws change frequently, and across jurisdictions. You should get a personalized case evaluation from a licensed attorney.

Find a local attorney to give you a free case review here, or call 888-972-0892.

We wish you the best with your claim,

Published:

Leave a Comment

Don’t ask a personal injury question here – comments are not reviewed by an attorney. Ask your question on this page. Required fields are marked *