What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee
Here's the deal:
Four years ago, in Knoxville, I got in a car wreck that was the other driver's fault. I sustained minor injuries which resulted in me seeing a chiropractor for about a month.
I hired a lawyer who dealt with both the injury center and the insurance company. After I completed my treatment with the injury center, my lawyers settled with the insurance company and soon after I received a check for a couple thousand dollars (which was mostly for my vehicle, but also a little for time spent visiting chiropractor).
Fast forward to September of 2010, out of the blue the Injury Clinic's Corporate Office begins calling me stating that they never received payment for this item, it is still unsettled, and I owe them around $5,000. They said they just now realized it was still unsettled because they were doing "an audit" of their system. It has come to my attention since then that the injury center I was actually treated at in Knoxville is no longer in business (the corporate office is located in Florida).
I can't seem to find the paperwork from the settlement (I know, shame on me) and am having trouble getting the law firm to be responsive. Every time I call them, they tell me they are "trying to locate the paperwork" and will "let me know" when they have something. Their excuse is that since the wreck is from four years ago, they have already filed it away in storage and do not have easy access to it. I know that the law group received their check from the insurance company, because I got MY check from the lawyer's office.
The Injury Center is calling me 2-3 times a week to follow-up, threatening to send it to collections each time. I have been keeping a log of my communications with each party in case in some way I am forced to go to litigation on this matter.
Is there any advice for how I should handle this situation? I am very concerned over this matter.
Here's the deal:
Four years ago, in Knoxville, I got in a car wreck that was the other driver's fault. I sustained minor injuries which resulted in me seeing a chiropractor for about a month.
I hired a lawyer who dealt with both the injury center and the insurance company. After I completed my treatment with the injury center, my lawyers settled with the insurance company and soon after I received a check for a couple thousand dollars (which was mostly for my vehicle, but also a little for time spent visiting chiropractor).
Fast forward to September of 2010, out of the blue the Injury Clinic's Corporate Office begins calling me stating that they never received payment for this item, it is still unsettled, and I owe them around $5,000. They said they just now realized it was still unsettled because they were doing "an audit" of their system. It has come to my attention since then that the injury center I was actually treated at in Knoxville is no longer in business (the corporate office is located in Florida).
I can't seem to find the paperwork from the settlement (I know, shame on me) and am having trouble getting the law firm to be responsive. Every time I call them, they tell me they are "trying to locate the paperwork" and will "let me know" when they have something. Their excuse is that since the wreck is from four years ago, they have already filed it away in storage and do not have easy access to it. I know that the law group received their check from the insurance company, because I got MY check from the lawyer's office.
The Injury Center is calling me 2-3 times a week to follow-up, threatening to send it to collections each time. I have been keeping a log of my communications with each party in case in some way I am forced to go to litigation on this matter.
Is there any advice for how I should handle this situation? I am very concerned over this matter.
