North Carolina Lawsuit Loans and Pre Settlement Funding

Gold Star Lawsuit Funding provides lawsuit funding in North Carolina so injured plaintiffs can get the money they need until their cases settle.

Gold Star Legal Funding is one of the oldest and most reputable lawsuit funding companies in North Carolina. Gold Star has been providing fast, low-cost lawsuit loanspre settlement funding, and post settlement funding to North Carolinians since 2003.

Serious personal injury lawsuits are notorious for taking a long time to settle. Falling into financial disarray shouldn’t be part of the deal, but for many people, it is unavoidable.

After a severe accident, recovering from your injuries and surgeries and dealing with physical therapy is hard enough. The last thing you need to be worrying about is past-due bills or any other financial challenges while you’re trying to put your life back together.

It’s been said that severe injuries and job loss are two of life’s most stressful events. Tragically, many injured plaintiffs find themselves dealing with both situations simultaneously, on top of their lawsuit.

If you’re exhausted and stressed out, it’s no wonder. And if you need money now, you’re not alone.

Gold Star Legal Funding can help.

Apply now or call and speak with one of our friendly funding experts.

Pre Settlement Loans in NC

Legal funding is a specialized type of financing designed just for plaintiffs.

For NC residents, it is even more specialized. To comply with this state’s regulatory statutes, all lawsuit funding in North Carolina that Gold Star provides must be in amounts of $25,000 or more.

Despite lawsuit funding being referred to by a variety of names, including “settlement loans” and “lawsuit loans,” it isn’t a loan at all. Instead, it is a non-recourse, outcome-contingent cash advance against a portion of your future settlement award.

Think of it as “No Win / No Pay.”

It’s still your money, but now you can have access to it sooner rather than later. And because it’s your money, you get to decide how to use it. You can pay rent, catch up on bills, buy groceries, pay for copays or prescriptions, fix the car, or whatever else you need.

Gold Star offers funding like personal injury lawsuit loans and car accident settlement loans. We also fund workplace injury claims like construction accidents, Jones Act lawsuits, and FELA railroad settlements.

We are, however, unable to offer workers comp loans in NC.

Gold Star can consider funding on almost any type of case in NC – pending or settled – as long as there are severe injuries and clear liability against a sufficiently insured defendant.

If you need immediate financial help, apply online, or call us at (877) 932-2628 to get the ball rolling.

Pre settlement loans in North Carolina are fast and easy, its free to apply, and it only takes a minute to get started.

There are no upfront fees, no credit checks, no monthly payments, and no income or employment verification either. And best of all, the advance only gets repaid after you win your case.

How Do Laws and Regulations Affect Pre-Settlement Loans in NC?

Statute of LimitationsA lawsuit must be filed within a certain time period after the injury (or discovery of the injury, in some cases) or it will be dismissed as time-barred.
Contributory NegligenceIf your actions contributed to the injury in any way, you cannot be awarded damages.
Insurance LimitsNC law sets the policy limits for auto insurance (minimum): $30,000 for bodily injury for each person; $60,000 in total for bodily injury for all persons in an accident; and $25,000 for property damage. Anything below $25,000 in NC will not qualify for lawsuit funding.
FaultNC cases and statutes define the actions that establish a defendant’s liability for your damages.
Minimum FundingNC statutes establish the minimum amounts for lawsuit loans.

Can You Get a Loan on a Car Accident Settlement?

Facts About NC Motor Vehicle Accidents

Auto accidents can disrupt your physical and emotional health as well as your finances. You could have mounting medical bills and day-to-day expenses, but your injuries may prevent you from working.

Filing a lawsuit begins the process of receiving compensation for your injuries, property damage, and lost wages. But the lawsuit could be pending for many months or even years before the other driver’s insurance company settles.

Insurance companies know that your financial difficulties can force you into accepting a low-ball offer. They also know that slow-walking the case keeps the pressure to settle on you, even if they know their customer was at fault.

You can thwart this litigation tactic by securing funding during the pendency of your lawsuit so you can withstand the delay without giving in to financial pressure.

Lawsuit loans not only position you to secure a better settlement but also de-escalate financial problems. For instance, they can help you secure funds to deal with medical debts, which are the single greatest cause of U.S. bankruptcies. Medical bills and loss of income can force you to choose between buying groceries or paying rent.

A lawsuit settlement loan for auto accidents can be a lifeline. You can rely on the settlement advance you receive to catch up on bills, mortgage and other loan payments, and daily expenses. You can regain control of your finances, which puts you in a position to negotiate the best possible settlement for your injuries.

Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics in NC

North Carolina drivers experience about 80,000 car accidents annually. These result in over 125,000 injuries and 1,400 deaths per year. Car accidents in Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville, Durham, Greensboro, Wilmington, and other major cities represent the bulk of the injuries and accidents.

North Carolina’s 2018 City Crash Data

North Carolina CityTotal Crashes in 2018FatalitiesInjuriesAlcohol-RelatedPedestrianBicycle
Asheville5,114151,6201516818
Charlotte34,1839618,013887428109
Durham9,638233,61924314934
Greensboro9,477305,87335612327
Raleigh17,745286,81950915859
Wilmington3,88741,6381585430

Source

These accidents result in injuries to drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists, all of whom are entitled to compensation under North Carolina’s at-fault insurance laws. Under this structure, the insurer for the driver who caused the accident must pay for all parties involved.

Can You Get Settlement Loans in North Carolina for Employment and Workplace Injury Lawsuits?

NC Labor Lawsuit Loans

Lawsuit advances are avaialble for employment discrimination and third-party workplace injury lawsuits, subject to NC’s funding minimum of $25,000. These include claims for workplace discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile work environment, and workplace injuries that resulted from the actions of a third party.

There are lawsuit advances provided for claims such as workplace discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile work environment, and workplace injuries that resulted from the actions of a third party.

Is an EEOC Complaint Necessary for Filing an Employment Lawsuit?

Complaints filed by employees in North Carolina with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are dominated by allegations of discrimination based on race, gender, and disability with over 1,000 complaints per year within each category. Moreover, the EEOC receives complaints about workplace discrimination for age, religion, and color, with a few hundred complaints of each type.

An EEOC complaint must precede a lawsuit. The EEOC investigates complaints and can pursue sanctions against employers who are found to have violated anti-discrimination statutes. However, U.S. law provides several points during the EEOC process where the employee can proceed directly to a lawsuit against the employer.

Are Workers’ Compensation Claims Eligible for Lawsuit Cash Advance?

Hundreds of thousands of workers are injured on the job and nearly 200 die every year in North Carolina.

When a workplace injury occurs, workers’ comp usually applies regardless of fault. Most employers are covered by work comp insurance. But unfortunately, workers’ compensation claims are not eligible for lawsuit funding in North Carolina. However, all other types of workplace injury claims are eligible for lawsuit loans.

Are Third-Party Liability Cases Eligible for Pre-Settlement Loans?

Third parties may be liable for workplace injuries and can be sued separately. Third-party liability can be filed together with employer liability and workers’ comp cases, and defendants may include different entities. 

Examples of third parties include:

  • Vendors: Manufacturers of defective tools, equipment, or materials that caused your workplace injury may be sued.
  • Sub-contractors: If a sub-contractor performs defective work that results in your injury, the sub-contractor may be sued.
  • Drivers: A driver who caused a vehicle accident that resulted in your injury can be sued, even if you were driving for work.
  • Landlords and property owners: A property owner who created a hazard or failed to warn of a hazard on the property where you were working may be sued.

Since third parties can be sued for the damages they caused, third-party liability cases are eligible for pre-settlement funding in North Carolina.

With more than 3,300 miles of railroad tracks, there are a lot of railroads in North Carolina. It takes a lot of people to maintain this important infrastructure. Unfortunately, these people also sometimes suffer railroad work injuries and work-related deaths.

Instead of workers’ compensation, railroad workers are covered by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA). It is also sometimes referred to as the Railroad Workers Act. This is a federal law that enables injured railway workers to sue their employers for their workplace injuries because railroad workers are not eligible for workers compensation.

Large railroad company defendants are well-known for dragging out lawsuits in an attempt to compel FELA plaintiffs to settle for a lower amount. Fortunately, FELA lawsuit settlements are eligible for pre-settlement and post-settlement funding in NC so you are financially able to stay in the fight longer if you choose. 

North Carolina boasts 322 miles of ocean shoreline and more than 12,000 miles of shoreline in coastal estuaries. Consequently, maritime workers are an important part of the NC economy. Instead of workers comp or FELA, maritime employees are protected under the Jones Act.  Also sometimes called the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, this federal statute protects U.S. merchant marines and maritime employees in the event of an injury or death. 

With so much beautiful shoreline, NC also sees a fair share of lawsuits filed under the Jones Act. Fortunately, it’s possible to get funding in these types of cases.

Can You Get Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Funding?

2018 NC Med Mal Lawsuit Statistics

Medical Errors

Diagnosis: 34%

Surgery: 22%

Treatment: 19%

Obstetrics: 9%

Medication: 5%

Monitoring: 5%

Other: 6%
Average Med Mal Payout Amounts

Quadriplegic, Brain Damage, Lifelong Care: $1,029,105

Major Permanent Injury: $600,797

Significant Permanent Injury:$424,645

Death: $374,530

Minor Permanent Injury: $236,087

Major Temporary Injury: $214,407

Cannot Be Determined: $109,583

Emotional Injury: $91,678

Minor Temporary Injury: $72,850

Insignificant Injury: $34,333

Medical malpractice (med mal) occurs when medical care fails to meet the standard of reasonable care under the circumstances. Medical malpractice lawsuits arise primarily from misdiagnoses, surgery mistakes, and medical treatment errors.

In a medical malpractice lawsuit, the plaintiff’s attorney uses expert witnesses to prove the defendant made one or more critical errors or deviations from the normal, accepted standard of care for any given procedure or situation. 

It has often been said that medical malpractice cases are won or lost based on expert testimony. This is because in med mal cases, expert witnesses must provide the “smoking fun of liability.” They do this by evaluating the minutiae of what did or did not occur and then showing how and where it deviated from the accepted standard of care.

Of course, the defense will also attempt to provide expert witnesses to show that their client’s actions adhered to the accepted standard of care. Proving medical negligence or malpractice often boils down to a protracted battle of the expert witnesses, adding to the cost and duration of these types of cases. 

According to medical malpractice insurance agency Diederich Healthcare, payouts in North Carolina med mal cases totaled $41,342,000 in 2018. In early 2020, that amount already increased more than 22% to $66,688,250. Due to nationwide increases in medical malpractice damages, however, North Carolina was still the state with the fifth-lowest medical malpractice payouts per capita nationwide in 2018. 

Why Don’t All Funding Companies Offer Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Loans?

Due to their complications, some lawsuit funding companies may turn away medical malpractice cases because of:

  • Risk: Med mal cases are one of the riskiest case types to fund because they take longer, cost more, and rely heavily on the interpretation of expert witness testimony to provide the “smoking gun” of liability.
  • Limits on Awards: Though personal injury lawsuits typically do not have damage caps in North Carolina, medical malpractice cases are the exception. In med mal cases, North Carolina limits pain and suffering damages to $500,000 and punitive damages to three times the actual damages or $250,000, whichever is greater. In cases of severe malpractice, medical bills and expenses can easily consume most, or even all, of a damage award.

We welcome NC plaintiffs in med mal lawsuits who are interested in obtaining a pre-settlement loan. Contact us at (877) 932-2628 or fill out an application online for a free, no-obligation review of your case.

Can You Get Premises Liability Lawsuit Funding?

Important Premises Liability Information

  • Slip-and-fall: A slipping, tripping or falling hazard is a condition that was either known, or should reasonably have been known, to present a danger of injury can be the basis of a lawsuit.
  • Lighting: Injuries caused by poor lighting in a stairwell or parking lot can lead to a lawsuit.
  • Code violations: Do-it-yourself installations or repairs of electrical wiring and components, stairs and railings, paths and walkways, and construction projects not done to code frequently result in injuries, deaths, and lawsuits.
  • Animals: Dogs and other animals are considered property, and as such, fall under premises liability of their owners when they cause injuries. North Carolina imposes strict liability on dog bites, meaning that an owner is responsible for all injuries regardless of the animal’s history or the owner’s degree of care.
  • Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Nursing home neglect is a common type of elder abuse. When nursing home administrators and managers fail to meet the responsibility to maintain safe facilities, or maintain medically-approved standards of patient treatment and patient medical care, including supervision, they can be liable under premises liability. 
  • Commercial Property Accidents: Property owners have a legal duty to keep their property reasonably free from hazards. Failure to do so may result in a premises liability lawsuit. 
  • Rental Property Accidents Caused By Owner Negligence: Landlords and property managers have a legal obligation to keep a rental property safe and healthy. If not, they may be liable for injuries that occur on the property. 
  • Homeowner Accidents: Owners of a residential property can be found liable for injuries sustained on their property depending on why the injured person was present on the property.

Noteworthy Attorneys in North Carolina

2020 Top Picks

“Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes the top lawyers in North Carolina via a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research and peer evaluation. The North Carolina lawyers who receive the highest point totals during this selection process are further recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers Top Lists.”

Super Lawyers recognizes the top lawyers in North Carolina every year. This year’s honors were awarded to:

TOP 10: 2020 WOMEN NORTH CAROLINA SUPER LAWYERS

1. Marcia H. Armstrong
The Armstrong Law Firm, P.A.

2. Kimberly W. Bryan
Parker Bryan Family Law

3. Nicole L. Gardner
Gardner Skelton PLLC

4. Laura L. Noble
The Noble Law Firm PLLC

5. C. Melissa Owen
Tin Fulton Walker & Owen

6. Annemarie Pantazis
Wilder Pantazis Law Group

7. Alice C. Stubbs
Tharrington Smith, LLP

8. Lorion MacRae Vitale
Vitale Family Law

9. Elizabeth K. Arias
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

10. Catharine Biggs
Arrowood Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

TOP 10: 2020 NORTH CAROLINA SUPER LAWYERS

1. Mark E. Anderson
McGuireWoods LLP

2. Joseph B. Cheshire, V
Cheshire Parker Schneider, PLLC

3. W. Thompson Comerford, Jr.
Comerford Chilson & Moser, LLP

4. James P. Cooney, III
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

5. Kearns Davis
Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP

6. Alan W. Duncan
Turning Point Litigation

7. Dan J. McLamb
Yates, McLamb & Weyher, L.L.P.

8. Leslie C. Packer
Ellis & Winters LLP

9. Patti W. Ramseur
Fox Rothschild

10. James F. Wyatt, III
Wyatt & Blake, L.L.P.

Apply for Pre-Settlement Funding in North Carolina

Gold Star Legal Funding has been providing pre-settlement funding in North Carolina since 2003. Applying for lawsuit loans is quick and easy and can put cash into your hands in as quickly as 24 hours after approval.

Gold Star offers the lowest non-compounding rates in the state for both pre-settlement and post-settlement funding.

We can offer legal funding up to 20% of the anticipated net value of your settlement on pending cases and up to 50% of the net value on settled cases, with a minimum funding amount of $25,000.

Apply online or call us at (877) 932-2628, and one of our friendly representatives will be happy to take your information right over the phone.

Still have questions?

Call us! 833-FUNDED2

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top
Skip to content