It can take as little as 1-2 weeks for you to receive a settlement check after you have signed the insurance company’s release of liability form. But unfortunately, there is no definite answer as to how long it will take for an agreement to be made and for your case to be resolved.
In California, insurance companies have 40 days to either offer a settlement or deny your claim once they receive proof. After that, the adjuster can still take their time to investigate and respond to inquiries. Whether you accept the claim offer, reject it, or appeal a denial, can also impact the waiting period. If your claim ends up in court, a car accident trial typically only takes 1-2 days once it has begun. However, the entire process generally takes at least one year. Since there are phases of litigation that can delay your trial date, such as:
Serving the complaint. Which can take a few weeks or up to several months if the defendant is difficult to track down.
Waiting for an answer. The defendant has about a month to file an answer to the complaint.
Discovery. Both parties exchange the information they have regarding the accident, which may become evidence. This phase can take several months or sometimes over a year to complete.
Appeals process. The outcome of a trial can be appealed by either party, possibly adding years before a final judgment is made.