In Virginia, settling with one of several defendants keeps your case alive against the others, but that payment comes off any later verdict. A 2026 ruling shows it can erase one.

In D.C., a landlord who lets a ceiling, stairwell, or railing stay dangerous cannot defeat your injury claim by saying you should have moved out. Here is what that rule does and does not cover.

In D.C., being even slightly at fault normally destroys an injury claim entirely. But pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders are protected by a 2016 law that most people hurt on D.C. streets have never heard of.