08/25/2026
Most people think a personal injury case is just the medical bills. That is the small piece.
California law also recognizes non-economic damages, and they are harder to put a number on precisely because they are not on a receipt. Anxiety. Loss of enjoyment of life. Pain and suffering. Grief. Disfigurement.
Those are real, they are compensable, and they are the part an unrepresented person almost never asks for. Which is exactly why the first offer only ever covers the receipts.
Save this if you are about to settle something. Send it to anyone who thinks their case is worth whatever the hospital billed.
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