What happens when you sue someones insurance company?

Question

I went to someones house and thier dog pretty much bit half of my lip off. My lawyer said the best thing to do qwould be sue the insurance company (because my friends mom is broke). He said that it would have nothing to do with her. But now they are going to lose thier hoise apparently. Is it because were suing the insurance company or does this have anything to sdo with it?

p.s. the case isnt even done yet. we still have like months to go before we even get the settlement amount or whatever. so thats why im not sure because how could she even think that if we dont even know if we'll win or lose the lawsuit??

Answer 1

As I see it, you sue a person, not the insurance company.  If the person has insurance, the insurance company pays you.  The rest is paid by the person that you sued.

If the person does not have the money to pay you, they may have to sell the house that they own or refinance it.

Answer 2

You sue the dog owner.  If the dog owner has liability insurance, then the owner contacts the insurance company who takes over the case.

Answer 3

You don't sue the insurance company. They didn't harm you, so there is no grounds to sue them. You sue the dog owner. The insurance company will defend the dog owner in court, and make payments that they owe, up to the limit of the policy they bought. Anything above the policy limit the dog owner would owe.

The lawsuit shouldn't have anything to do with them losing their house, unless they were renting and the rental agreement prohibited dogs. If they own the house and have homeowners insurance, this shouldn't have cost them any money yet, since there hasn't been any settlement.

Maybe these people will think twice about having these type of dogs.

Answer 4

If you sue the insurance company, you're going to lose - the insurance company doesn't own the dog.  You have to sue the someone.  

That lawyer is lying.  The paperwork will say, I"m sueing someone's mom.  It HAS to.  Then, if she has insurance, AND she didn't lie about the dog, her insurance will pay.  But if she doesn't have insurance, or the insurance won't cover it, then you'll be taking everything she owns, and garnishing her wages forever.

If it's her dog, and it bit you, you're going to win the suit, if you're suing her.  Dog bites are pretty much cut and dried - now it's all about how much.   That's why lawyers love them so much - easy money.

Answer 5

Your lawyer knows the laws of your state you live in - so take his advice.

Most people have a homeowners policy if they own their home.

A homeowners policy has "liability coverage" to take care of people who get hurt in your house or yard.  This is probably what your lawyer is referring to. And he knows how to word the complaint in a way to get you help with your medical bills.