Maritime Law & Jones Act Settlement Loans

Did you know you could receive a portion of your lawsuit settlement before the case is settled?

If you have been injured while at sea and are awaiting your Jones Act / Maritime lawsuit settlement, Bridgeway Legal Funding can provide cash today to assist you until your attorney can obtain the full value of your case. Funding from Bridgeway provides much needed money to injured workers to cover day-to-day expenses to support you and your family. Legal Funding, also known as “pre-settlement funding” or a “lawsuit loan”, is a non-course cash advance on the future expected settlement of your Jones Act lawsuit. An advance on your case is a risk free funding option available that only requires to be re-paid if you receive an injury settlement. If your Jones Act or Maritime Law case is unsuccessful and there is no settlement awarded, the advance you received does not need to be re-paid.

What is the Jones Act?

The Jones Act, as it is known, is part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. The Jones Act allows for those injured while at sea to file a lawsuit against their employer due to un-safe conditions and negligence they or their employees created that caused your injury. A Jones Act case, unlike a normal workers compensation case, requires the injured party to prove fault on the employers’ behalf that led to an injury. The process follows “comparative fault” which means if the employer proves the employee was at least partially at fault for the injury, the settlement can be reduced by the determined fault percentage. For example, if an injured worker was awarded a $100,000.00 settlement but was found to have been 10% at fault for the injury, the settlement would be reduced to $90,000.00.

Why take a settlement loan?

In most cases, a Jones Act settlement will take far longer to be awarded then you would expect. It is normal operating procedure for an employer to immediately claim an injured worker is at fault and thus caused their own injury. By doing this, at the very least they begin to intimate some fault other than their own and begin to lower the liability they have in a settlement. Unfortunately for an injured worker, who in most cases is now out of work, a prolonged legal battle that could take years, is simply not a financial option. Taking a pre-settlement advance can put cash in your hand within 24 hours of applying to pay rent, mortgages, food, car payments, tuition and other basic living expenses. Also, a prolonged legal battle is done by design to force the injured worker to have no other choice but to settle for less than they are entitled simply out of necessity.

How long does the process take?

The application process is quick and easy. Apply today either by submitting an application on our website or by phone call to (800) 531-4066. Once you apply, our underwriters will give you a brief interview on how your accident happened, request the appropriate documents from your attorney’s office and then let your know how much of a case advance we can offer you. In most cases, Bridgeway can provide those involved in a Jones Act maritime lawsuit with a cash advance within 24-48 hours from when you apply.

Who can receive a settlement loan?

Bridgeway can fund seamen who has been injured on a yacht, ship, tug boat, barges, container ships, cruise ships, oil rigs, offshore platforms and more. Also, those injured while working on or along in-land rivers and other waterways.

Bridgeway can provide pre-settlement advances for Jones Act cases that occurred in the following states:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia D.C.