The amount i ended up accepting was even below the low range amount that my lawyers had said i could receive.The evidence i had was actually a report that was requested by the CMC,that proved the dept of childrens services(DOCS),failed duty of care to me as a child,by knowing i was being exposed to all forms of abuse by the approved carers i was given to as a baby.They removed me at age 10, but also removed 4 of there biological kids as well.I had a back injury,i have scars on my face dating back to the age of 2, i have no recall of how i got the scars only my file i requested through FOI,gave me that info, plus that i had a broken arm and finger formation marks around my neck.There is much more that is documented that should of warranted my removal many times from the carers.I know i could win in court but i listened to my barrister and lawyer whom that day, didnt even bother to highlight issues that are in my favor,i know that this dept. is rarely proven to be held accountable for their failures, so i know i achieved a legal level that had been denied to other victims.I can not say publicly what i got, only it was resolved,but i made sure that there were no restrictions in me telling my story and i will.By the way on signing the outcome documents, i never was given the chance to read the documents myself, my barrister just read out loud bits of it, should i have had the legal rights to be given the papers to read myself before signing?Another reason why i feel i was shafted, is when i was signing where i was told to sign, my barrister noticed that i was left-handed and says qoute"if i had known you were lefthanded, i would of gotten you more money" i felt a kick in my gut right there.I would hate to think that i made a wrong decision that day, that i know ended with an amount that now i feel i failed not only myself now as an adult, but i also failed a little girl whom i know suffered enormous pain,me.
Are you thinking about selling your home yourself? then
I think most people experience an emotional letdown when a case is settled. I’ve had my cases plead out when we were ready to pick a jury, and I always second-guess myself and wonder whether I should have held out for more and feel like I was all ready to GO when suddenly it’s all over. And that isn’t even with me as the victim or defendant–I’m just the lawyer. I can only imagine how the victim and defendant must feel in those situations.
Look, you apparently had good reasons for taking the settlement. No case is a sure-fire winner. As you said, you held the agency accountable, you can tell your story. Would getting more money REALLY have made you feel better? I’d be willing to bet no matter how much money you got, you would still be feeling these mixed emotions.
Don’t take the "left-handed" remark to heart. It sounds like your lawyer was making a little joke to break the tension a bit. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt you.
I think you’re brave for taking on the system. You won. You’re here. You can tell your story, and you will. You can get on with your life sooner than if the case had dragged on, and you had to relive everything in the context of a trial. Do your best to feel good about what you’ve accomplished.
Best wishes, and congrats on your win!
You signed the settlement agreement, so you got what you agreed to accept.
If you thought it was too little, why did you settle???
I’m with Lexie. I think if you’d gotten $10,000,000, you’d be lying on your pile of cash right now feelin’ the exact same way …
It’s just the "coming down" stage of a long emotional ordeal. Hopefully, it’ll start to get better soon, as you start to get it behind you.
Best wishes for a brighter future.
The water is under the bridge now. A day late and a dollar short! That barrister – where did you find this character? I am left-handed, and it actually helped ME win my case!
I am sorry to say this but, they swept your case under the rug! and your barrister didn’t help either. He could have been paid off, to let it slide. Believe me, don’t trust anyone! I sacked my attorney cos I found out he was playing along with the company I was sueing!! It took the third attorney and the good sense of the Judge to help my case. No use crying over split milk now sweetheart. Just be more careful in the future WHO you put your trust in!