WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – New laws that increase the available coverage in auto insurance policies will mean more compensation to those injured in Virginia auto accidents. But the devil is in the details, and lawyers will have to parse ...

Tagged with: Car Insurance General Assembly Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Virginians would be able to try class action lawsuits at the state level under a bill passed by the Virginia Senate this month. Senate Bill 1180, introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, would amend Virginia Code § 8.01-267.1 to ...

Tagged with: Class Action Legal Aid Justice Center Sen. Scott Surovell Senate Bill 1180 Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

The Supreme Court of Virginia has resolved a long-simmering split among circuit courts on whether auto accident victims can insist on a good faith settlement offer from their own insurance companies when a wrongdoer cannot cover the damages. Insurance companies ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court GEICO Judge Daniel E. Ortiz Supreme Court of Virginia News Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

An issue that divided Virginia trial courts for more than a decade may have been resolved by federal edict. A federal agency last month banned the use of arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts, outlawing a predetermined agreement to resolve ...

Tagged with: ADR Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

The Supreme Court of Virginia says procedural rules block wrongful death plaintiffs from court-mandated access to nursing home policies and procedures. The July 14 ruling in Cherrie v. Virginia Health Services Inc. (VLW 016-6-056) highlights efforts by patient’s lawyers to ...

Tagged with: Justice D. Arthur Kelsey Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Despite a plea from trial lawyers for guidance on when a defendant can cast blame on outsiders in a tort case, the Supreme Court of Virginia’s latest ruling on the issue of superseding cause is unlikely to resolve the issue. ...

Tagged with: Judge Walter W. Stout III Justice Cleo E. Powell Justice Donald W. Lemons Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr. Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

A dormant lawsuit – abandoned by the parties for four years – could be revived by the plaintiff by following a prescribed reinstatement procedure despite a judge’s misgivings. That was the ruling of the Supreme Court of Virginia, an outcome ...

Tagged with: Judge Lon Edward Farris Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr. Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Children caught up in the court system need special care, accord­ing to a law professor who special­izes in juvenile justice. And advo­cates say a new law approved by the 2016 General Assembly sig­nals that legislators may be paying attention to ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Rules of Evidence Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Superlatives are easy to find when asking about the contribu­tions of Jack L. Harris to the Vir­ginia Trial Lawyers Association. “Stellar.” “Legend.” “A perfect fit for the job.” The accolades flow when you ask colleagues and co-workers about Har­ris and ...

Tagged with: Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

HOT SPRINGS —The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association elected its officers and members of the board of directors for 2016-17 at its annual convention at The Homestead earlier this month. Stephanie Grana of Richmond is the new president and Charlottesville’s Lee ...

Tagged with: Virginia Trial Lawyers Association