So I had my deposition recently for a personal injury case, and now I’m wondering how long it usually takes to get a settlement afterward. Does anyone know what to expect? Is it usually a long wait, or can it happen pretty quickly?
It really depends on the case. Some people settle within days or weeks after a deposition if the other side sees they’re likely to lose. But if they’re playing hardball or want to drag it out, it could take months.
@James
Good to know. Kinda hoping it won’t be months, but I guess it depends on how the other side feels.
In my case, it took a couple of months after the deposition to get a settlement. The other side tried to lowball me, so we had to negotiate back and forth for a while. If they’re offering low, your lawyer will probably advise you to hold out a bit.
@Ezra
Yeah, I’m expecting them to lowball. Hopefully, we can negotiate something decent without too much delay.
A lot of the time, they wait until after the deposition to make an offer because they want to see how strong your case is. If the evidence is in your favor, they might settle to avoid trial. But sometimes they’ll drag it out hoping you’ll settle for less.
My lawyer told me it depends on the cost of going to trial for them. If it’s gonna be expensive and they think they might lose, they’re more likely to settle quicker. But every case is different.
If you don’t settle soon after the deposition, it might go to mediation. That’s what happened in my case, and we ended up settling there instead of going to trial. Mediation is faster but still takes a bit of time.