Structured Settlement Offers Give ABRAMS LANDAU clients tax-free, guaranteed income.
A structured settlement can help clients avoid economic uncertainty. By agreeing to receive periodic payments, Herndon trial lawyer Doug Landau’s clients have chosen to plan for their and their family’s futures. Settlements for personal injury and workers comp claims are usually free of state, local and federal income tax. Also, the structured payments or annuities, are usually guaranteed. That is, if the annuity company or insurance company that has promised to make the monthly, yearly or other payments fails to do so, another company, usually an insurance company, steps into their shoes to do so. This may be an important consideration when the defendant or employer is not solid financially. There are a number of reasons why an injured worker or plaintiff in an accident case may opt for a structured settlement.
As an example of what annuities can look like, a car crash client of Virginia Trial Lawyer Doug Landau was given the option of choosing from three offers. All three involve an up front lump sum payment as well as periodic payments thereafter. This is what is known as a “structured settlement.” It gives our client guaranteed stream of tax free payments while ending the litigation and saving the insurance company on its defense and file maintenance costs
All three options had a present value of $75,000, gross (the D. C. car crash victim’s tax free NET RECOVERY, after attorney’s fees and costs would be less). The offers were as follows:
#1. Up Front Cash $37,500
Starting at age 60, quarterly payments of $1,048 for life ( 40 payments are guaranteed ). This plan has a total guaranteed payout of $79, 420
#2. Up Front Cash $37,500
At age 56 – lump sum $5,000
At age 60 – lump sum $10,000
Starting at age 65, quarterly payments of $1,022 for life ( 40 payments are guaranteed ). This plan has a total guaranteed payout of $93,380
#3. Up Front Cash $37,500
At age 56 – lump sum $5,000
At age 58 – lump sum $7,500
At age 62 – lump sum $10,000
At age 67 – lump sum $13,000
At age 67 – lump sum payment of $16, 993
This plan has a total guaranteed payout of $89,993
We have successfully settled other serious injury claims with structures. It is important to work quickly when there are quotes such as this, as the numbers fluctuate with interest rate changes.