Yes. Many insurance companies will refuse to pay a fair amount or any amount at all unless they are forced to. In Oregon, there is a statute that applies to diminished value claims of $10,000 or less. Under this statute, if I send a demand letter to the at fault driver’s insurance company demanding payment of $10,000 or less, they have 30 days to give an offer. If they do not tender an offer within 30 days or give an offer that I later beat, they are required to pay my attorney fees and filing fees.
Often times they will not tender any offer. If they do not tender an offer and I file suit after the 30 days, they are liable for attorney fees and court costs if I recover any amount for your diminished value claim. Once a lawsuit is filed, they oftentimes settle these claims as quickly as they can, as they do not want to get a big attorney fee bill from me.
I handle diminished vehicle value cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t owe us a fee unless we recover money for your case.