Reply #73: Don't Blame Walmart -- It's the lawyer's fault

[Girlieman]

Nobody detests Walmart more than I do, but from what I can tell, this problem was created by the woman's lawyer. He agreed that he would notify Walmart before settling the case, but he didn't.

Any lawyer practicing in this area of the law should know not to settle a case before the liens are negotiated. In a case like this, the lien is usually negotiated down before the case is settled.

Here, the woman's total future expenses were estimated at 12 million, but they settled for 750,000, suggesting that their case was rather weak. Under these kinds of circumstances, a party can usually negotiate the lien considerably. Either that, or don't settle the case.

In my view, somebody screwed up. I hope that the woman's lawyer has malpractice insurance.