Demand Letter Calculator.
Input the coverage tower you've identified and the damages claimed. Get a suggested opening demand, floor, and ceiling adjusted for case type. Use it to scope pre-suit negotiation strategy. Not legal advice.
Coverage + damages picture
Pre-suit demand framework
Coverage strategy
How this calculator works
The calculator computes a base damages number (medicals + lost wages + future life-care), applies a case-type pain-and-suffering multiplier, subtracts comparative fault, then frames the result against available coverage. The output is a three-tier range — opening (anchor high), target (the realistic settlement zone), and floor (below which litigation makes more sense than acceptance).
Multipliers used (educational benchmarks)
- PI soft-tissue: 1.5×–2.5× medical specials
- PI moderate: 3×–4× medical specials, plus economic damages
- PI catastrophic: 5×–8×+ medical specials, plus full life-care
- Wrongful death: Economic-driven; multiplier varies wildly by jurisdiction and decedent's earning trajectory
- Premises / trucking / product: Typically commercial defendants with larger coverage towers — opening anchored higher
What this calculator does NOT do
It does not value your specific case, does not account for venue-specific jury verdicts, does not factor in liability strength, and is not legal advice. Use it as a scoping tool to think through the demand-coverage relationship. Real valuation requires real legal judgment.
Why coverage clarity changes the math
If the only identified coverage is the $100K primary, your math is bounded. If a $5M umbrella sits above it, the math completely changes — and your client's case is meaningfully more valuable to the defense to settle. The number-one ROI move in plaintiff practice is finding the umbrella the defense has not volunteered. Commission a umbrella policy trace to convert assumed coverage into mapped coverage.