The VLW Blog

A Hampton Roads woman who brought a bad-faith claim against her insurance company has won payment of her medical bills, along with attorney’s fees and $4,000 in punitives.
According to a Verdicts & Settlements Report filed by Virginia Beach lawyer Sandra L. Sampson, a woman hurt in a car wreck incurred more than $24,000 in medical [...]

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A carpenter hired to do trim work on a home under construction was not “using” his box van when he left it parked on the property, and he does not have coverage under his State Farm business auto policy for damage to the home from a fire that originated in the box van.
A Newport News [...]

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An employer did not forfeit coverage for an employment discrimination suit when it waited until a legal complaint hit the court to notify the carrier.
The insurance company, Philadelphia Indemnity, refused to defend the eventual suit. It said the employer had an obligation to report the employee’s accusations after the employer had been contacted by [...]

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Leesburg lawyer Christopher J. Agresto has acknowledged in court his role in a scheme to help a man pocket insurance proceeds from his wife’s death, even though the man was deemed a “person of interest” in the death.
According to authorities, James Cilenti of Leesburg was barred from receiving $500,000 in life insurance proceeds because he [...]

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Homeowners are likely on their own to pay for damage from Tuesday’s earthquake.
A number of Louisa County residents – some whose homes suffered more than $10,000 worth of damage – learned this the hard way, The Free Lance-Star reports.
While most home and business insurance policies cover fire and water damage, coverage for earth movement damage [...]

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A former Maryland lawyer implicated in a Washington-area insurance fraud investigation was sentenced Friday to seven months in prison for submitting faked medical records to bolster his own personal injury claim.
A. Ryan Lahuti also was ordered to reimburse GEICO for his $17, 435 claim settlement and to pay a $25,000 fine.  He will be on [...]

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When to call the carrier is a question that always crosses the mind of a lawyer who realizes he has made a mistake.
Many malpractice policies say a lawyer has a duty to notify the carrier if he did something he knew, or reasonably should have known, would support a demand for damages. Failure to [...]

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As we noted in our Dog Law feature last year, finding insurance to cover damage from unruly canines can be a tough assignment. In the twisting tale of Pauline Dabney’s dog bite claim, the Supreme Court of Virginia opened a door Tuesday.
Dabney was attacked and injured by two dogs in 2002. With help from friends, [...]

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Loudoun County Circuit Judge Thomas Horne will allow a plaintiff to pursue his auto accident case despite the earlier “settlement” of the claim by a dishonest lawyer acting without the client’s authority.
Woodbridge lawyer Stephen Conrad, now disbarred and imprisoned, settled hundreds of claims without authority, usually pocketing the proceeds. A string of decisions held the [...]

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An official from ALPS, the Virginia State Bar’s endorsed malpractice carrier, told the VSB Council yesterday that malpractice claims are up in Virginia.
The company’s loss ratios, the amount of money the company received in premiums versus the amount paid in claims, have been higher than expected for the past four years. Last year, the company [...]

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