In Lagumen v. Richardson, 80 Va. Cir. 51 (Chesapeake Jan. 21, 2010), Chesapeake Circuit Court adjudicated the degree of certainty or probability required for a medical expert opinion to be admissible. In that medical malpractice case, the treating physician equated the legal touchstone of “reasonable...
In Lents v. Vetter, 80 Va. Cir. 268 (Fairfax Apr. 2, 2010); Fairfax County Circuit Court applied Va. Code Ann. §8.01-20.1 in a medical malpractice action. Section 8.01-20.1 requires plaintiffs to have medical expert certification of a prima facie case before requesting service of process. In...
In Salzman v. Kanchev, 80 Va. Cir. 139 (Chesapeake Feb. 4, 2010), Chesapeake Circuit Court addressed stacking of uninsured and underinsured liability insurance coverage. The declaratory judgment action involved a car crash on Military Highway in Chesapeake, Virginia. “When a disputed policy term is unambiguous, a...
Christine M. Tigges of Hamilton, Virginia, was covered by United States Automobile Association (“USAA”) for $300,000.00 of personal injury damages under an automobile liability insurance policy. She then also apparently was covered by USAA for car accident under an umbrella insurance policy for an additional...
On July 15, 2011, Mr. Waterman settled the car accident claim of a Williamsburg resident. The victim was a guest passenger in Fairfax County, Virginia, when an inattentive offending motorist from Great Falls rear-ended the vehicle from Annandale in which he was riding. The Williamsburg victim...
In Government Employees Insurance Co. v. United Services Automobile Association, No. 100332 (Apr. 21, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court found no insurance coverage in a declaratory judgment action for a car accident in Hampton, Virginia; based on the offending driver not being a permissive user....
House Bill 1605 passed during the General Assembly’s 2011 Session, and became effective July 1, 2011. It made fraudulent falsification of patient records a class 1 versus a class 3 misdemeanor; but does not alter any commonlaw jurisprudence about fraudulent falsification in civil medical malpractice...
During its 2011 Session, Virginia’s General Assembly passed companion House Bill 1746 and Senate Bill 1145. They extend from 2 to 20 years the limitation period within which an infant or incapacitated victim of sexual abuse can file a civil personal injury lawsuit. This statutory amendment...
In Addison v. Jurgelsky, No. 092361 (Jan. 13, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court reversed dismissal of a medical malpractice action. It held that a single co-administrator acting alone as Plaintiff could file, but not maintain, suit under Virginia’s Wrongful Death Act, Va. Code Ann. §8.01-50,...
In the medical malpractice lawsuit of Carla J. Jones v. Joelle M. Perez and Chesapeake Hosp. Auth., 81 Va. Cir 52 (Chesapeake Jul. 29, Oct. 26, and Nov. 22, 2010), the judge granted Plaintiff post-filing pre-service discovery pursuant to Va. Sup. Ct. Rule 4:5(a). Plaintiff...
At 9:00 p.m. tonight, June 27, 2011, HBO premiers in Virginia the critically-acclaimed film, “Hot Coffee,” as part of its Summer Documentary Series. It exposes the truth behind the $2,900,000.00 personal injury award against McDonald’s that insurance and defense interests have spin-doctored for years to...
In the medical malpractice miscellaneous proceeding, In re Carla J. Jones, Nos. CM10-911 and CM10-710 of Circuit Court for Chesapeake, Virginia, petitioner sought pre-suit discovery pursuant to Va. Sup. Ct. Rule 4:2(a)(3). The judge granted pre-litigation depositions of the individual healthcare provider who allegedly was...
Mr. Waterman was selected for inclusion on the 2011 list of Virginia Super Lawyers. The selection process includes peer nominations, a “blue ribbon” panel review, and independent research of candidates. Only 5% of Virginia attorneys are named each year. Mr. Waterman also was chosen for 2009...
In Chalifoux v. Radiology Assocs. of Richmond, Inc., No. 100052 (Apr. 21, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court applied the “continuing treatment rule” in a medical malpractice case. It reversed the trial court finding upon evidentiary plea hearing that Defendant’s serial comparative diagnostic imagings of Plaintiff’s...
In Volpe v. City of Lexington, No. 092583 (Apr. 21, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court delineated the duty to warn of a governmental entity and its alleged gross, willful and wanton negligence for a case of wrongful death in Rockbridge County, Virginia. It reversed a...
In Farmers Ins. Exch. v. Enterprise Leasing Co., No. 100082 (Apr. 21, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court held that a self-insured rental car enterprise that paid damages caused by its renter contractually was entitled to indemnification where supplemental liability protection was declined. Id. at 5-12....
Mr. Waterman additionally resolved another companion personal injury claim on June 10, 2011. Yet another guest passenger was an I-664 car accident victim in Newport News, Virginia, because the offending USAA motorist was following too closely. Despite sustaining a 25-35 m.p.h. impact, the car accident victim...
Mr. Waterman also settled the companion personal injury claim against a USAA insured on June 10, 2011. It was a guest passenger injured when rear-ended in an I-664 car accident in Newport News, Virginia. That claimant initially was treated at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News,...
On June 10, 2011, Mr. Waterman settled a driver’s personal injury claim against an insured of United States Automobile Association. It arose out of a car accident on Interstate 664 in Newport News, Virginia. The car accident victim resided in North Carolina. Despite her being out-of-state,...
In CNH America, LLC v. Smith, No. 091991 (Jan. 13, 2011), the Virginia Supreme Court reversed a $1,750,000.00 jury verdict for Plaintiff in a special case of product liability in Smyth County, Virginia. Plaintiff’s expert opinion testimony lacked adequate foundation. Id. at 9-11. CNH America “remanded”...
In Harris v. Commonwealth, 279 Va. 123 (2010), the Virginia Supreme Court addressed Virginia’s Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators Act, Va. Code Ann. §37.2-900, et seq., In a victory for crime victims, it upheld the civil commitment of an incarcerated sex offender to the...
In Simpson v. Virginia Municipal Liability Pool, 279 Va. 694 (2010), the Virginia Supreme Court held that a Nottoway County Sherriff’s Office road Deputy was not covered by any automobile insurance policy where there was no car accident or use when he was injured apprehending...
Kimble v. Carey, 279 Va. 652 (2010) applied the “rescue doctrine” a/k/a the “humanitarian doctrine” in the context of a car accident in Interstate 64 in Henrico County, Virginia. The Virginia Supreme Court opined on the particular case facts that pre-rescue misconduct of the helpless...
In Rascher v. Friend, 279 Va. 370, 373 (2010), the Virginia Supreme Court reversed the trial judge striking the evidence of a bicyclist in Prince William County, Virginia, who suffered personal injury in a car accident. It held that the jury could have found Plaintiff...
Hawthorne v. VanMarter, 279 Va. 566, 571 (2010) involved a vehicle accident in which a Roanoke County Policy Department Officer allegedly caused wrongful death and personal injuries to other motorists. The Virginia Supreme Court upheld grant of sovereign immunity for ordinary negligence based on Defendant’s...
On May 18, 2011, United States Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit by Order and Judgment of 3-justice panel summarily dismissed without opinion the appeal that had been prosecuted against Mr. Waterman’s client. The special case is United States of America, ex rel., Joseph...
On May 16, 2011, Mr. Waterman filed Brief in Opposition to Petition and in Support of Assignments of Cross-Error of Appellee/Cross-Appellant, Mr. Gagnon, in Travis Burns v. Gregory Joseph Gagnon, et al, No. 110754 in the Virginia Supreme Court. The appeal is of his $6,100,000.00...
The recent letter opinion in Hairston v. Eliacin of Honorable David A. Melesco, Judge for Circuit Court of Danville, Franklin County and Pittsylvania County, Virginia, reaffirms the continuing vitality of Mr. Waterman’s landmark medical malpractice case, Riverside Hosp., Inv. v. Johnson, 272 Va. 518 (2006),...
Medical malpractice defense counsel have sought to rely on Muhammad v. Commonwealth, 269 Va. 451, 518-519 (2005), the so-called “Capital beltway sniper” case, as authority for introducing self-serving videotape or computer “simulations” created for their own civil cases. But Muhammad obviously is a singular criminal...
On April 27, 2011, Mr. Waterman was invited to speak for the Seminar Program at the Annual Convention of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (“STLA”) in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the week of Mardi Gras 2012. His topic will be “Tactics, Techniques or Strategies I...