An Extraordinary Lawyer’s Subspace - Chapter 183



Only Noblemtl

【Episode 183 – Just 10 Million】

PIC Insurance’s claims handler did not review the legal opinion sent by the plaintiff.

Still, I submitted the report according to the manual.

The report was forwarded to the legal department through the claims manager, and then to Joshua Morris’ desk through Sean Johnson of the legal department.

-The team leader will be meeting with you at 3 PM later today regarding the claim.

Joshua Morris reviewed the general legal opinion.

Well written.

They listed every issue one by one without missing a single one, and even mentioned any counterarguments that PIC Insurance might raise, thereby blocking them in advance.

‘I don’t think it will be easy to refute this.’

That was the thought that came to mind as soon as I read it.

‘Kim & Kang? Where is Kim & Kang? She’s pro bono, but why the hell is she working so hard?’

He looked at the business card that came with the report and got annoyed.

It was like being bitten in the thigh by a foreign lawyer, something I had never heard of before.

‘What should I do?’

If you only look at the opinion, it is obviously wise to pay the insurance money now.

‘But will these really be sued?’

Litigation isn’t something you can win with just one persuasive argument.

You need time and money.

Even if it is legally advantageous, it is not easy to fight to the end if you do not have money and time.

‘Kim & Kang? Would they really go that far in a pro bono case?’

dripping-

“yes.”

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to the meeting?”

While Joshua Morris was pondering these thoughts, his colleague Shawn Johnson knocked on his door.

It was already three o’clock in the afternoon.

.

PIC Insurance Legal Department Conference Room.

The head of the legal team asked Joshua.

“What happened?”

Fortunately or unfortunately, the head of the legal team did not read Han Beom-sang’s legal opinion carefully.

Actually, it was a bit long.

“There was a flooding incident three years ago due to a valve failure at the plaintiff’s laundry called ······.”

Joshua Morris explained the background and legal issues to the team leader.

Although he seemed to be explaining things objectively, he was actually at fault, subtly downplaying the severity of the incident and hiding his own mistakes.

As a result, the merit of the claim inevitably appears to be low.

Kim & Kang’s argument sounded weak.

“Then I guess I can just refuse.”

“But if it goes to court, there’s a chance we’ll lose. That’s why it’s better to reach an appropriate agreement…”

Joshua Morris added a subtle risk to the team leader’s remarks.

In fact, the outcome he most wanted was a decision to simply pay out the insurance money without an internal audit.

“This one didn’t even have a claim reserve.”

“That’s true, but the amount claimed isn’t that large…”

“How much is it?”

“Two hundred and forty thousand dollars.”

“It’s big.”

“This time, the pro bono lawyer is claiming interest and other expenses, but in the documents that the claimant previously resubmitted, it says $130,000. If they were to settle by saying they would give around $70,000, I think they could reach an agreement.”

Joshua suggested, glancing at Shawn Johnson next to him.

He appears to have reviewed the legal opinion.

Joshua’s eyes didn’t quite agree with her opinion that they might be able to settle for seventy thousand dollars.

“Shaun, what do you think?”

“Hmm- I wonder if we can really settle for seventy thousand dollars···.”

“You don’t think I’ll do it?”

“If you look at the contents of the opinion paper, it is quite persistent in its rebuttal.”

When asked by the head of the legal team, Shawn Johnson expressed a negative opinion.

Joshua Morris was quick to dispute his claims.

“Well, it’s pro bono, you know. From my perspective, it looks like it was written with the thought, ‘I’ll just submit my opinion and leave it at that!’”

“If that’s what you were thinking, why did you make it a settlement proposal? Just ignore it. If you’re not going to sue anyway.”

I got lost in my rebuttal to Shawn Johnson’s comment.

Joshua Morris quickly switched positions again.

“That’s true, but just in case. As Sean said, what they’re arguing isn’t completely without merit… If a lawsuit is filed, we’ll have to hire a law firm and all sorts of annoying things will happen, so in terms of cost savings, I think $70,000 would be a good deal… That’s my opinion.”

So it becomes unconvincing.

The team leader tilted his head.

“There’s no claim reserve for the accident three years ago… Hmm… Do I really need to do that? This was filed after the deadline for resubmission. That alone would be enough to reject it.”

“Oh, yes, well, that’s true.”

“You said that three years ago, we reviewed it and told the billing team that we didn’t have to pay. Seventy thousand dollars is not a large sum, but if we change our opinion now, it will look strange on the legal team. Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah, well, I guess it could be seen that way.”

Joshua Morris forced himself to look calm.

The team leader may not notice, but Shawn Johnson knows what Joshua’s intentions are.

As things turned out that way, Shawn Johnson cautiously intervened.

“I don’t think it would be such a bad idea to offer a settlement of seventy thousand dollars.”

“Really? Sean, you think so too?”

“Yes. The opinion that came in back then was bad, but the opinion that came in this time is different. Anyway, it seems like a good deal for $70,000 to avoid unnecessary litigation with the plaintiff.”

“Would a pro bono lawyer really file a lawsuit? Even if he did, I don’t think he would work that hard. Would he? If it’s a lawsuit that doesn’t make any money? Why? Are you some kind of passionate consumer protection lawyer? You’re an international student.”

“So wouldn’t it be possible to work even harder? Because there are no other cases to deal with.”

They have absolutely no information about Beomsang or Kim & Kang.

Honestly, I don’t care.

Shawn Johnson’s personal opinion was that it would be better to settle now, even if it meant paying the original claim amount of $130,000.

However, there were some things I didn’t want to get deeply involved in.

Getting too involved in a complicated case can only lead to more annoying problems.

Although he couldn’t agree with Joshua’s opinion, Shawn Johnson cautiously came to Joshua’s defense as the team leader seemed unlikely to even offer a compromise.

If it’s less than $130,000, it’s better to try to make a settlement offer of $70,000.

“hmm···.”

I want to keep my original opinion because the shape is strange.

When another subordinate, Shawn Johnson, says the same thing, the team leader has no choice but to reconsider.

“Really? Do you both think so? Well, since it’s 2 to 1, let’s do that. Seventy thousand is too much, and it’s too much. I’ll send a letter to the claims team saying that it would be reasonable to offer fifty thousand dollars as a settlement on the condition that the claim is dropped forever.”

“all right.”

“Give me a reasonable reason. Make sure it doesn’t conflict with what you said before. Considering the legal fees and other expenses that you might incur, like I just said, I think something like fifty thousand dollars would be okay. Blah blah blah. Okay?”

“yes.”

The decision of the PIC legal team was as follows:

The claims team, which received the decision from the legal team, offered an insurance settlement of $50,000 to Mr. Park Jae-hong’s wife, Ms. Yoon Geum-ja.

-*-

New York, Manhattan,

11th floor, 1300 Avenue of America,

Kim & Kang’s office.

I would have liked to have charged more, and legally I could have done so.

However, the client seemed to be in dire need of money, so he requested the minimum amount. He completely excluded things that are difficult to prove, such as mental damage and secondary damage.

“Yes? How much were you offered? Fifty thousand dollars?”

The general was angry.

Not only was the amount pitiful, but I also don’t like the fact that they contacted the claimant directly instead of through me.

It is a very immoral act by convention.

When I went for consultation, I didn’t like the attitude of the claims handler, but if I tried to understand that they had no choice but to follow the manual, this behavior was beyond common sense.

This is more than just ignorance; it’s illegal.

“The amount is ridiculously small and I still feel really wronged, but if I don’t get it now, I don’t know how much I’ll get later….”

Yoon Geum-ja poured out her resentment mixed with lament.

Mr. Park Jae-hong collapsed from illness after the accident.

The laundry shop was sold for a pittance, and he was unable to do anything else because he was receiving hospital treatment.

“Mother, can’t you fight just a little longer?”

“yes?”

“If you can hold out a little longer, I will make sure that you are properly compensated.”

“If only I could, I would…”

“I will definitely make it happen. I will definitely do it.”

The general was angry.

“Okay, then I’ll just trust you, lawyer.”

“Yes. First, I will reject the settlement offer and increase the amount claimed.”

“How much···?”

“Ten million dollars.”

Just. Ten. Million Dollars.

Decision to sue

“You turned down the offer? That’s surprising. I thought you’d accept it. You said you’d negotiate. So, how much more did you ask for? Ten thousand dollars? This much? Joshua’s guess was right. Seventy thousand dollars?”

“that is···.”

When Shawn Johnson, a subordinate who had been talking to the billing team, hesitated, the team leader asked again.

“What? Do you want more?”

“yes.”

“How much? You’re not asking for the full amount of the two hundred and forty thousand dollars I charged you this time, are you?”

“no.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. So how much did you counteroffer? One hundred thirty thousand?”

“Ten million dollars.”

At first I thought I had misheard, so I just stared blankly.

As the team leader looked at him silently, Sean spoke again, word for word.

“They want ten million dollars.”

“!!!”