Legal Question in Personal Injury in Tennessee

Yesterday, my husband, daughter and I went to the local pet store. They had a bird there roaming around free. My daughter had her hand down in the hamster cage and all of a sudden that bird jumped up on the hamster cage and attacked and bit her. I barely got her away from the bird before it bit her face. The store associates heard her scream and cry and came to see what was wrong and said sorry. We left the store and I immediately called the cooperate office. I received a call from one of their insurance people today offering me a settlement of $200 and told me that was all that they could do because she wasn't seriously hurt and that they weren't going to stop letting their bird roam free.... Should I hire a lawyer?


Asked on 8/20/10, 12:38 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Edward Hoffman Law Offices of Edward A. Hoffman

That depends. How serious were your daughter's injuries? You are entitled to be made whole and your daughter may be entitled to some compensation for her pain and suffering, but it doesn't sound like this case is big enough to justify hiring an attorney.

If you think $200 is too low, you can demand a higher amount (bear in mind that doing so will also reject the $200 offer). If you and the company can't reach an agreement, you can sue them.

My sense is that this is a small claims case, worth only a few thousand dollars at most. If I'm right about that, it's suitable for small claims court and not worth getting a lawyer for.

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Answered on 8/25/10, 12:58 pm


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