News by Roman Stauffer on West Virginia Record

CHARLESTON – Leading up to and following the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia's decision in Leggett v. EQT Production Company, there was much attention given to the fact that newly elected Justice Beth Walker’s husband had held some energy stocks before the Court’s rehearing of the case. In response, Justice Walker notified the court that her husband had divested himself of ownership of shares of stock of any company engaged in the business of producing coal, oil, natural gas, wind, and solar energy.

CHARLESTON – For too many years, West Virginia’s leaders have worked to attract jobs, small businesses, and spur economic growth while facing the stiff headwinds to much-needed lawsuit reforms from greedy personal injury lawyers and corrupt politicians.

Dear Editor: Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has made great strides in instituting ethical, good-government policies on the state’s hiring of private lawyers for litigation, and he has worked to limit the amount of settlement dollars paid to these lawyers.

CHARLESTON – Dramatic and sensationalistic personal injury lawsuit ads bombard our daily lives, especially on television.

CHARLESTON – As the curtain falls on this year’s legislative session, we all should applaud the members of the West Virginia Legislature for their abilities to tackle big issues, particularly lawsuit reforms, which will move our state forward and into the national mainstream.

CHARLESTON – It’s time for state lawmakers to enact a good-government outside counsel rule requiring transparency and competitive bidding for the appointment of private attorneys to represent the state and its agencies in legal proceedings.

CHARLESTON – For more than a decade, West Virginia was labeled a “Judicial Hellhole” because of our state’s activist judges, the rampant courtroom abuses by some personal injury lawyers, and unbalanced laws that have been out-of-step with other states.

CHARLESTON – In a number of respects, West Virginia’s civil justice system is finally beginning to come in line with other states across the country, thanks to the hard work and leadership of the West Virginia Legislature, especially State Senate President Bill Cole and House Speaker Tim Armstead.

CHARLESTON – Ask anyone who has ever been involved in a lawsuit, and they’ll tell you about the expensive and lengthy process of resolving disputes through litigation.