Disability advocates and America's most reputable plaintiff attorneys speak out about structured settlements:
"Structured settlements are a model benefit for people with disabilities because there is no financial disincentive for a person who chooses to go back to work."
Andrew J. Imparato
President, American Association of People with Disabilities
"For years, structured settlements have offered great benefit and financial security to injury victims, surviving spouses and children involved in tort cases."
Philip Corboy, Esq.
Trial attorney and former chairman, American Bar Association Committee on Medical Professional Liability
"A creative structured settlement consultant can put together a package that will give the injured person some flexibility and access to money when they need it, but also preserve that money over many years."
Fayrell Furr, Esq.
President, Southern Trial Lawyers Association (2005-2006)
"Structured settlements are an effective tool to provide financial security, which most families desperately need after a serious accident or death."
Nancy Starnes
Vice President, National Organization on Disability
"Structured settlements have been adopted by Congress and state legislatures to assure people who need long-term medical and other support will get it."
Robert Hunter
Director of Insurance, Consumer Federation of America*
"Structured settlements provide the crucial financial protection that allows families to concentrate on rebuilding their lives."
Margaret Moses Branch, Esq.
Founding President, New Mexico Women's Bar Association
"Ask yourself: What if you had invested your settlement in Enron? Or a 'dot-com' company? The money for your medical and rehabilitation costs, not to mention your child's education, would be gone forever. A structured settlement is a good solution."
Maria Diamond
Past president, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association
"Whether you've received a moderate injury or a severe one, your lawsuit settlement is a one-time chance to be compensated for your loss. That's why, regardless of how serious an injury is, I urge my clients to consider a structured settlement. When you agree on a structured settlement, you can arrange regular, on-time payments. This financial security is extremely important because it lets accident victims focus on the important task of pulling their lives back together.
Douglas deVries, Esq.
Past president, California Trial Lawyers Association
"Structured settlements are a benefit that I have recommended to clients as one of the best ways to guarantee financial security and independence."
William Garmer, Esq.
Board of Governors, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
"Structured settlements ensure that victims have enough funds to not only pay their bills today, but also in the future. I am one of those victims whose life needed to be put back together."
Hon. James Langevin
Member of Congress & structured settlement beneficiary
"A structured settlement allows a family to focus on recovery with the knowledge that their settlement will be there to help them through the years to come. That's why I have been comfortable recommending structured settlements for more than 10 years."
Donna Davis, Esq.
Past President, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
"The structured settlement has proven so effective at keeping seriously injured and disabled Americans off public assistance that [in 1997], Congress amended the tax code to allow for increased use of structured settlements in workers compensation cases."
William Robinson, Esq.
Past President, Kentucky Bar Association
* Title for identification only
You've heard the experts. Now listen to what some beneficiaries say:
Shirley Adams (Yorba Linda, CA)
Mother of a child with brain damage
In 1973, Shirley Adams of Memphis, Tennessee gave birth to a daughter, Tiffany, who was born with brain damage. Ms. Adams maintained this damage was the result of medical malpractice by the hospital.
In 1980, Shirley and her husband received a settlement of $250,000. Despite the attorney's advice to invest this money prudently, Shirley says her husband put the money into his own construction company.
By the mid-1980s, the company was bankrupt and the money to care for Tiffany was gone. In 1993, Shirley and her husband divorced. He moved to Eastern Europe and stopped paying child support.
But the story does not end there. In 1987, Tiffany's wheelchair malfunctioned, causing it to roll forward and throwing her face first into the street.
Tiffany suffered severe facial injuries. This time, Ms. Adams insisted that the settlement from the wheelchair manufacturer be in the form of a structured settlement.
Today, Ms. Adams is convinced of the benefit structured settlements have brought to her life. "Taking care of Tiffany is a full-time job and requires constant attention, not to mention the financial need," she says, "My structured settlement protects Tiffany from other people completely taking advantage of her for the whole amount of the settlement."
Remember!
Structured settlement payments are:
Free from federal & state income taxes
Tailored to your specific needs
Protection against premature dissipation
Guaranteed to arrive on time and in full