East Lansing, MI Personal Injury Law Firms & Lawyers

You have a lot of issues here. Pain and suffering is not part of a workers compensation claim. What your lawyer is talking about is a "schedule award" meaning that you get a lump sum and that permanently ends your comp claim. The consequences are serious, so you need to get complete information and consider it carefully. Ask your lawyer if it is possible to get a lump sum on your disability and keep the medicals open. Then again, you mention that there are trust issues between you and your lawyer. Maybe he/she is being honest with you and telling you everything, but you are not listening. Or, maybe you are right, that he/she is holding back for whatever reason. So: you have to either regain trust with your current lawyer or get a new one. Schedule a face-to-face meeting. Think of the quesions you want to ask ahead of time, write them down if you have to. Maybe bring a trusted family member with you. Discuss all of your questions and concerns and don't make any decisions then and there, take extensive notes and go home and think it over. If you still have a lack of trust, that doesn't necessarily mean that your lawyer is dishonest, if just means you have a lack of rapport. You can get a new lawyer and have your file transferred, it happens all the time. Finally, you need to learn to focus: in your narrative you talk about losing your apartment, trying to start work again, getting a voucher for school, your skin condition, your car and social security. It is difficult to listen to all of that, so if you talk that way, the person(s) you are talking to will be less likely to take you seriously.

You really need some forensic experts and also will have to subpoena vendors that have been paid in cash. You need an aggressive criminal defense attorney to handle this. Of course trials are risky. If she has not committed the crime and if you can prove the innocence ,should go to trial. Did you have a change of life style while she was working? (fancy cars, splurge etc?) If not, if owners are lying may be need to take them on direct attack.