The Nonsuit: Virginia Plaintiffs' Unique Do-Over (and Its Limits)
Virginia's nonsuit statute gives plaintiffs one voluntary dismissal as of right: strict timing rules and a six-month refiling window explained.
Blog, page 7
Plain-English articles on the court decisions and rules that shape injury cases in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Birth Injury Cases in Maryland: What Families Should Know Before They Call a Lawyer
Maryland birth injury claims explained: common injuries, the certificate of merit, the noneconomic damages cap, and the special deadlines for children.
Virginia Wrongful Death Claims: Who the Beneficiaries Are, What Damages Cover, and How the Money Is Divided
Virginia wrongful death law explained: the statutory beneficiary classes, the damages a jury can award, distribution, and the two-year deadline.
Quisenberry v. Huntington Ingalls: Virginia Recognizes the Take-Home Asbestos Duty
The Supreme Court of Virginia holds employers owe a duty to workers' family members exposed to asbestos carried home on work clothes.
Hurt on Metro: WMATA Injury Claims, the Immunity Wrinkles, and Your Deadlines
Injured on a WMATA train, bus, or station? Why Metro cases are unlike any other injury claim: sovereign immunity, federal court, and strict deadlines.
Blair v. District of Columbia: The District Answers for an Off-Duty Officer's Violence
In Blair v. DC, the DC Court of Appeals held a jury must decide whether the District is liable for an off-duty officer who invoked police authority.
Summer on the Water: Who Is Liable After a Maryland Boating Accident?
Maryland boating accident liability explained: operator negligence, alcohol on the water, maritime law's surprising role, and what victims should do.
Country Roads, Unforgiving Law: Why Rural Virginia Crash Cases Are Different
Rural Virginia crashes combine high speeds, thin insurance, and the nation's harshest fault rule. What families need to know about these cases.
Scooters Hit DC's Streets: The Early Legal Questions of the Dockless Era
Dockless scooters arrived in Washington DC this spring. Who pays when a rider is hurt, or hurts someone else? The early legal landscape, explained.
Duffy v. CBS: Maryland's Highest Court Refuses to Let the Statute of Repose Outrun Mesothelioma
In Duffy v. CBS Corp., the Court of Appeals of Maryland held the 20-year statute of repose did not bar a steamfitter's mesothelioma claim.
The Maryland Statute of Limitations Guide: Three Years, the Discovery Rule, Minors, and the LGTCA Notice Trap
Maryland injury deadlines explained: the 3-year rule, the discovery rule, tolling for minors, medical malpractice limits, and the LGTCA 1-year notice.
Punitive Damages in Virginia: The $350,000 Cap and When Juries Can Punish
When Virginia juries can award punitive damages, how the $350,000 statutory cap works, and why drunk-driving cases are treated differently.
Nursing Home Neglect in Washington DC: Warning Signs and Your Family's Legal Rights
How to spot nursing home neglect in Washington DC, the rights residents have under DC and federal law, and the deadlines families need to know.
Icy Sidewalks in DC: What Property Owners Must Do About Snow, and When You Can Sue After a Fall
DC law gives property owners 8 daylight hours to clear sidewalk snow. What the shoveling law does, and doesn't, mean for people injured in icy falls.
Spine Injury Cases in Maryland: Proving the "Invisible" Injury to a Skeptical Jury
Herniated discs and spine injuries don't show like broken bones. How Maryland injury lawyers prove invisible injuries, and answer the defense playbook.
Health Insurance Paid Your Bills: Do You Still Have a Claim? Virginia's Collateral Source Rule Explained
Yes: Virginia's collateral source rule means the at-fault party pays your full medical bills, even the amounts your health insurance covered or wrote off.
Hall v. District of Columbia: D.C. Circuit Reinstates False-Arrest and Excessive-Force Claims After a Restaurant Bill Dispute Ends in Handcuffs
In Hall v. District of Columbia, the D.C. Circuit revived false-arrest and excessive-force claims, and let claims against the restaurant proceed too.
Truck Crashes Are Different: Federal Safety Rules, Black Boxes, and the Preservation Letter That Saves the Case
Tractor-trailer crash cases run on federal safety rules and electronic evidence that disappears fast. What Virginia victims need to know, and do, early.
Maryland's New Enhanced UIM Coverage: The Offset Trap, and the 2017 Law That Finally Fixes It
Maryland's 2017 Enhanced UIM law lets drivers stack their own coverage on top of the at-fault driver's insurance. How the offset trap worked and how to opt in.
Wrongful Death vs. Survival Actions in DC: Two Claims, Two Sets of Damages
When someone dies from negligence in DC, the law provides two distinct claims, wrongful death and survival, with different damages and beneficiaries.