Choosing where to file your personal injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania can have a profound impact on how much you ultimately recover.

When I graduated from law school, I worked as a law clerk for a judge in Lycoming County. Lycoming County is a very conservative Pennsylvania County. One day during a settlement conference between a plaintiff who was claiming he contracted mesothelioma (a disease from asbestos exposure) and the manufacturer of the product, the parties began to discuss the value of the case. The plaintiff’s lawyer saw the case valued at many millions of dollars. Of course, defense counsel had a much lower impression of the value of the case. When asked for his opinion on the value, the Judge laid some hard truth on Plaintiff’s counsel. He said, I’ve practiced in Lycoming county my entire career and have never seen a million-dollar verdict. In contrast, a verdict in a medical malpractice case was recently handed down in Philadelphia for $44 million dollars.

The disparity in possible jury verdicts depending on the county is not lost on defense attorneys and their insurance company clients. They know that a personal injury claim brought in Lycoming County is worth dramatically less than a case in Philadelphia. That knowledge will affect the amount the insurance company offers on your matter.

You Have Options

Fortunately, the venue rules in Pennsylvania afford Plaintiff’s options when deciding where to file their suit. For example, when suing an individual, suit can be brought in the county where you live, where the defendant lives, or where the incident took place.

When suing a company, suit can be brought in the county where the company has a registered office or principal place of business, where it regularly conducts business, or where the accident/incident took place, among other places.

Therefore, it is important to hire the right attorney. Make sure your lawyer knows what Pennsylvania county will bring the greatest potential value to your personal injury claim. Call us if you have questions about where to file your personal injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania.