Well, certainly not a Judicial Hellhole as defined by the American Tort Reform Association in its annual report on what it views as the worst places to try a case from the civil defendant’s point of view.
West Virginia takes quite a beating, and Maryland gets slapped around a little, but the only reference to Virginia in the 64-page report lists the thefts by Manassas lawyer Stephen Conrad as an example of the need for congressional hearings on the unscrupulous nature of personal injury attorneys.
The report, by negative implication, supports the grumbling of state personal injury lawyers that Virginia court rules, judges and juries are hardly plaintiff friendly.
By Alan Cooper
