The 17c Formula Caps Your Claim. A Law Firm Replaces the Worksheet.
Insurers still use a Georgia settlement shortcut — 10% cap, then severity, then mileage — to shrink a diminished value claim. It is not Utah law. Property Damage Pros is a law firm and a certified vehicle valuation service, part of the LawyerUp Injury Group: USPAP market appraisal, attorney demand, litigation in-house.
$400 standalone DV appraisal · contingency full service · we are not public adjusters
What is the 17c formula?
The 17c formula is a diminished-value worksheet from a Georgia case, Mabry v. State Farm (claim file 17c). It was a settlement methodology in that file — not a national appraisal standard and not a Utah statute. It starts with pre-accident value, hard-caps the claim at 10%, then multiplies by a severity factor and a mileage factor. Carriers use it because the math almost always lands far below the actual post-repair market loss (Carfax-range losses of 10–25% before those extra cuts). The counter is a USPAP market-value appraisal plus an attorney demand against the at-fault carrier — statewide Utah for DV.
How the 17c Math Works
Four steps. Each one is designed to shrink the file. This is an illustration — not a guarantee of your number.
Start with ACV
Take the pre-accident value. Example: a $30,000 truck.
Cap at 10%
Hard stop: $3,000 maximum, even if the market lost more.
Severity cut
Adjuster-scored 0.00–1.00. “Moderate” at 0.50 turns $3,000 into $1,500.
Mileage cut
Another multiplier. 0.75 mileage on that $1,500 leaves $1,125.
Same $30,000 truck, moderate structural repair — 17c vs market
17c lands at $1,125. Comparable market data on that fact pattern is typically $6,000–$9,000. The worksheet did not “value” the car. It capped it. (Example used on this site’s 17c explainers — not a promised recovery.)
Why Carriers Still Use It
It is cheap to defend a worksheet
A 10% cap looks official on letterhead. Most owners never ask whether Utah adopted it. They did not.
The multipliers are theirs
Severity and mileage scores are assigned by the person paid to close the file cheaply. That is not independent appraisal.
It ignores the actual market
Carfax-range losses of 10–25% already sit at or above the cap — before 17c cuts again. Structural and EV stigma can run higher. The formula does not care.
USPAP Appraisal + Attorney Demand vs 17c
Public adjusters cannot try the case. A valuation shop without counsel stops at the report. We do both — and litigation stays in-house.
| Question | 17c worksheet | What we file |
|---|---|---|
| What is being measured? | A capped percentage of book | Pre-loss market minus post-repair market |
| Data | Adjuster multipliers | Dealer transactions, local comps, condition |
| Standard | Georgia settlement file | USPAP — court-recognizable methodology |
| Who signs the demand? | The owner, usually alone | Our attorneys — part of the LawyerUp Injury Group |
| If they refuse? | The file stalls | In-house litigation. No “partner firm” handoff. |
When 17c Is the Wrong Tool Entirely
17c shows up on diminished value
Third-party claim. Vehicle repaired and retained. At-fault carrier. Statewide Utah. If they mailed you a 17c printout, start on the diminished value claim page.
Not a total-loss formula
If the car was totaled, you are fighting actual cash value — CCC ONE, Mitchell, comparables — not a 10% DV cap. Go to total loss offer too low. The appraisal clause, if you have one, is first-party collision, not this worksheet.
The 17c formula is a diminished-value worksheet from Mabry v. State Farm in Georgia. Insurance companies apply a 10% cap and then severity and mileage multipliers to third-party claims after a repaired, retained vehicle. Utah has not adopted 17c by statute. Property Damage Pros at mypdpros.com replaces the worksheet with a USPAP market-value appraisal and an attorney demand. Call 801-799-9999. Offices: 1436 S. Legend Hills Dr., Suite 316, Clearfield, UT 84015 and 45 W Sego Lily Dr, Suite 315, Sandy, UT 84070.
17c Formula — Questions
What the worksheet is, what it is not, and how a law firm answers it.
17c is a diminished-value worksheet that originated in a Georgia case, Mabry v. State Farm (claim file 17c). It caps DV at 10% of pre-accident value, then applies a severity multiplier and a mileage multiplier. Insurers use it because it consistently produces a small number. It is not a statute and it is not a market appraisal.
No. Utah has no statute that adopts 17c. Property-damage liability and unfair-claims rules (Utah Code §31A-22-304(2)(a)(iii) and Admin Rule R590-190) require fair settlement of actual loss — they do not authorize a 10% cap. If we are citing a specific Utah opinion that rejected 17c, we will say so; the accurate public statement is that 17c has no statutory basis here.
Because a 10% cap plus two more cuts is cheaper than paying the market gap on a repaired, retained vehicle. Carriers exported a Georgia settlement worksheet into everyday claim files. It is a cost-control tool, not a valuation standard.
No. 17c is a diminished-value shortcut. A total loss is actual cash value for a car you are not keeping. If they totaled it, fight ACV — do not let them mix in a DV formula.
A USPAP market-value appraisal measures pre-loss value minus post-repair market value using dealer transaction data, local comparables, and condition — the kind of evidence courts expect. That number is typically several times the 17c worksheet. An attorney demand puts the report in front of the at-fault carrier; in-house litigation follows if they will not move.
No. Running their formula for them only anchors the negotiation at a capped figure. Document the crash, finish the repair, keep the car, and have a certified market appraisal prepared instead.
The same people who can file a diminished value claim: you repaired and kept the vehicle, and you are claiming against the at-fault liability carrier (third-party / adverse). Statewide Utah. First-party collision DV depends on policy language — we will say so if we are not sure.
A standalone diminished value appraisal is $400 flat. Full service is contingency — you pay nothing unless we beat the insurer's first number. Either path includes a USPAP report you keep. Call 801-799-9999.
Do Not Let 17c Be the Last Number
Tell us about the crash and the offer. We will say if it is a DV claim or a total-loss ACV fight — no cost to hear it.
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