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Home / Blog / Child dog bites / What is a Friendly Hearing in Child Dog Bite Cases?

January 30, 2024 - Child dog bites, Blog

What is a Friendly Hearing in Child Dog Bite Cases?

Table of Contents

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  • Why Does a Court Have to Determine What’s In My Child’s Best Interests?
  • Why You Require a Dog Bite Lawyer Familiar with the Friendly Hearing Process
  • Potential Settlement Structures Resulting from Friendly Hearings
    • Settlements Held In Trust
    • Structured Settlements
  • Choose a Dog Bite Lawyer with Over 40 Years of Experience in Child Dog Bite Cases

Friendly hearings allow children to benefit from a court’s review of their injury settlement. The goal of the hearing is to decide whether the compensation and its structure are in the child’s best interests. Governed by New Jersey Court Rule 4:44, a friendly hearing takes place without a jury and is not an adversarial hearing. The legal process helps provide children and their families with the ideal legal setting to review a settlement without the additional burden or stress of a prolonged court battle.

Why Does a Court Have to Determine What’s In My Child’s Best Interests?

Unfortunately, while you might have your child’s future in mind when you help them with their injury case, other parents have tried to take their child’s settlement themselves and spend the money on items offering no benefit to the child as the victim.

The judge will work with you and your child’s attorney to ensure the settlement is structured effectively to protect them over the long-term, ensuring, for example, that any future medical needs are covered within their settlement.

Why You Require a Dog Bite Lawyer Familiar with the Friendly Hearing Process

There is a clearly defined legal process to follow within friendly hearings. A skilled and experienced dog bite lawyer can help you submit a proposed order to the judge, which includes a breakdown of the following dog bite case elements:

  • Settlement amount

  • Legal expenses

  • Medical fees

  • Attorney fees

The judge will review all fee structures and determine whether the evidence backs the service fees. Courts make this determination after the submission of medical documents, including medical affidavits and medical reports from the attending physicians who treated your child’s dog bite injuries.

Your attorney will work with your child’s medical care team to collect, compile, and submit evidence according to the specific guidelines for friendly hearings in New Jersey. The court will also determine whether there are concerns about future settlement payments in relation to the financial stability of the dog owner and their insurance policy. Your dog bite injury attorney will play a crucial role in reviewing and addressing payment concerns and ensuring the settlement structure holds the owner accountable for maintaining payments.

Potential Settlement Structures Resulting from Friendly Hearings

The court will select one of two potential settlement structures after a friendly hearing. These options are:

  • The settlement is held in trust until the minor turns 18

  • A structured settlement or annuity fund

Settlements Held In Trust

When the courts hold settlements in trust for the dog bite victim, parents or guardians may be required to file for guardianship rights and then apply to the Superior Court of New Jersey probate court to access and withdraw the settlement funds. However, this access is only available with proof the funds are to benefit the child.

Structured Settlements

Structured settlements are a form of financial plan for the victim’s future. The court may decide on an investment plan based on the child’s needs as they grow. Potential benefits of the structure include a high rate of return with no taxes on structured payments.

Another benefit of a payment structure is that it allows the court to work with parents and guardians to disburse funds at specific age milestones. For example, a child might receive a portion of the funds at 18, then 21, and then 25. This staggering of payments provides a steady income stream for the child and prevents them from spending their total sum immediately after their 18th birthday.

Choose a Dog Bite Lawyer with Over 40 Years of Experience in Child Dog Bite Cases

The procedures and regulations governing child dog bite cases in New Jersey are complex, and your family requires a lawyer with proven experience winning large dog bite injury payments for local families.

David J. Cowhey is the New Jersey dog bite lawyer with more six-figure settlements than any other attorney across the state. His record is exceptional, and his focus on child dog bite cases means you’ll be working with a powerful advocate for your child and their long-term future.

Book your free dog bite case review today or call David Cowhey at 1 (609) 513-0627 to discuss your child’s dog bite case and learn more about friendly hearings.

I’ve been bitten by a dog

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Dave was awesome helping me through the nightmare world of insurance claims after my daughter was attacked by a neighbors dog. Dave is very friendly, always available and extremally knowledgeable and connected to this process. I highly recommend you call him about your case,

John L.

David Cowhey, Esq. did a great job for my daughter, who had been bit by a dog and left with a scar on her leg. He is an extremely competent and responsive attorney. The whole process was very easy and he negotiated a great settlement! We are very happy. Highly recommend his professional services!!

J S

My experience with David Cowhey was amazing, he is a very knowledgeable and helpful lawyer. I got bit by a dog and it left a very noticeable scar on my leg and David was great to have on my side. He’s very easy to work with, would definitely recommend if you’re going through the same thing!

Michaela S.

Dave is so professional. My daughter was 6 when she was attacked by a friend of the family dog. I contacted Dave’s office and spoke with his secretary. She was so friendly and asked questions that made me feel comfortable. I was amazed by how fast the service was and everything was easy to understand. Dave made sure my daughter was compensated for her injuries and along with pain & suffering. There couldn’t be a more perfect choice but that’s because God helped me choose this great lawyer! He did an excellent job!!! She is 7 now and We are now able to move on better because of the help of Dave. Pick this lawyer!! I PROMISE YOU WONT REGRET ANYTHING AT ALL‼️ Thank you Dave!

Nieja M,

My entire experience with Dave and his team was 5 stars. They specialize in one thing, and this experience taught me why you want an attorney who specializes. Dave's knowledge, experience, and confidence is what made things go smoothly and quickly. Professional and quick responses always. If someone was bitten by a dog I recommend this guy, he will get you what you deserve.

Morgan K.

My wife got bit by a dog last spring; she immediately received medical care and we made a police report- all within 2 hours. Shortly thereafter, we decided to choose Attorney David to represent her. He walked us through the process. It is much more comfortable knowing that his practice only involves dog bites. He knows his stuff! We have just received notice that a fair settlement has been reached. If you have been bitten by a dog, my wife and I would highly recommend David Cowhey for an attorney. Thank you to David and his professional staff!

David D.

My 8 year old son was bitten by a neighborhood dog, leaving permanent scars on his abdomen. I immediately contacted David Cowhey. He explained the process very clearly and made it very easy for us to come to a fair settlement for my son. He was a perfect advocate for us, and he is very compassionate for the victim. We are very pleased with the hard work David has done for our son.

Stephanie D.

Lawyer Dave Cowhey (& his office) helped my wife, son and me immensely over the past 15 months. He is tremendously professional, responsive and proactive, as well as being, a great attorney. Thanks to Dave, we are now able to put our 'incident' behind us. I highly recommend his services - he will work hard and long for you to get you the settlement you deserve.

Seth K G

My experience with Dave and his law firm was wonderful. While I was nervous to start the process of something that I knew nothing about, he was extremely helpful and explained everything clearly and concisely. He answered all of my questions - day or night, weekday or weekend, and made sure I was comfortable at each step. I would highly recommend Dave and his firm!

Ariella L.

I absolutely loved my entire time of working with with Dave. He always kept my best interest in mind and made sure that I was taking care of. He was amazing at communicating all steps in the process with me, and never hesitated to answer any of my questions. Would highly recommend!

Amanda G.

Dave was extremely responsive and guided me thru the process with compassion. His specialization in dog bites really helped facilitate the process. He knows all the insurance issues and, despite the backlog of cases due to Covid, was able to settle my claim for more than we anticipated as well as earlier. I would definitely recommend Dave as I felt comfortable that I was getting the best advice every step of the way!

Kristen J.

Dave did extremely well by me and my family. He was nothing short of professional and assisted us through the entire process. I called him the day of the dog bite, and I followed his instructions to the "T". Him, and his staff, were knowledgeable on every step of the process. From medical advise, to advise on setting up our structured settlement for our child. If you need help right away, don't wait.... call him asap!!!

William W.

Dave was amazing, he handled my case with care , answered every question , email and helped me to understand the steps we needed to take. I had never dealt with a lawsuit before so of course I was nervous and thought I was going to get ripped off but nope. He was very professional and attentive. Hope I never need him again but should I ever need a lawyer for a dog bite i'm calling him first!

Neyia W.

Dave Cowhey was amazing during our case which was very personal in the sense that involved family members. He was candid and professional and always gave us his honest opinion to all our questions and concerns. He's a family man and understands how upsetting the situations are at hand. I wish he was a lawyer for everything honestly, he was fantastic! Highly recommended Dave and his team.

Courtney R.

My one year old dog and I were viciously attacked by a pit bull. I didn’t want to file a law suit initially until I realized the severity of the injuries both mentally and physically. Most lawyers are all about the money not for the justice and compassion of the victim. I am blessed to have found David. He was our hero who understood our situation was efficient knowledgeable and above all sincerely compassionate

Karol M.

Dave was hands on and always available. Steered me through the entire process and helped cover my medical costs and compensation for my scar and injury. Went over and Beyond and made me feel at ease and confident in a positive outcome. Would recommend to all.

COACH B

Honest, fast, responsive and professional. Great experience working with Mr. Cowhey and I highly recommend to handle any dog bite case.

Lilian P.

We contacted Dave when our 5 year old son was attacked by our neighbor's dog, resulting in deep wounds (and now scars) on his face and arm. Dave was extremely knowledgeable/helpful from the start, explaining how everything would work, and he was always available via phone/text if we had questions come up throughout the process. He always gave us all of the options/routes we could take and let us decide what was the best move for our family. He advocated for the best outcome for our son and always kept us in the loop. We were able to settle in a friendly hearing with the homeowner-insurance company, which was simple and straightforward, thanks to all of Dave's hard work behind-the-scenes. We definitely could not have navigated this process ourselves and we are very thankful for the help of Dave and his team!

Elisa H.

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or call us at

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