From the moment you open a lawsuit for personal injuries, the other side is given almost limitless access to information about you to ascertain whether your claims are legitimate. Due to the expanse of information your opponents are authorized to pry into, it is imperative that you disclose everything that could have any effect on your case to your attorney, including your entire medical history and earnings records. In the preliminary stages of your case, you will be required to sign authorizations permitting defense attorneys the right to obtain copies of these records. Do so only after your attorney has advised you.
Medical Records
Medical records are critical in a personal injury claim. Defense attorneys will be looking for things like previous injuries to the body parts you claim were injured in the accident. They will also be looking at any comments you make to your medical providers concerning how you feel, the frequency of your treatments, and the number of times you canceled appointments. Everything will be reviewed and compared to what you tell defense attorneys at depositions and during trial. Your integrity and your case could crumble if your testimony contradicts with what the records show.
Earnings Records
Records of your prior wage-earning history are something else your adversaries will look for. If you claim that you lost wages due to time lost at work as a result of the accident, the defense will obtain records to verify this. A good defense attorney will also look at records from your previous employers to see if you were prone to absenteeism or workplace injuries anything that might help their case. Expect also, for your opponents to obtain copies of your Social Security records and old income tax returns to see what your work history has been like.
Be Honest with Your Attorney
Once litigation begins, the defense will have the means necessary at their disposal to obtain every piece of information possible that might be helpful to them in your case. It is important that you are completely honest with your attorney about any potential weaknesses in your case so that he or she is fully informed. If anything becomes an issue, your injury attorney will know how to deal with it, but they can’t avoid a problem if they can’t see it coming.
