What is an attorney’s obligation to pay the medical bills of his client after a settlement?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What is an attorney’s obligation to pay the medical bills of his client after a settlement?
I work for a doctor’s office. We had a patient come in after an accident and he signed a statement agreeing to have his attorney pay us directly. Can we sue the attorney for not honoring the letter they received that their client had signed, especially after they verbally agreed to pay us directly? Are they liable for upholding this letter?
Asked on December 12, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Ohio
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Custom and practice is that when a health care provider provides services for his or her patient who has been in an automobile accident and there is a lawsuit arising out of the acccident, the attorney has the health care bills paid out of any settlement or judgment proceeds of the patient.
In your situation, has there then a settlement or judgment where payment has been made to the patient? If so, then the medical bills need to be paid from it. If there has been no payment to the patient from a settlement or judgment, payment for medical services most likely is not due.
I suggest that you first find out if there has been a settlement with your patient regarding the accident you have written about.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.