Virginia General Assembly Raises Jurisdictional Limits of General District Courts to $25,000

March 6, 2011 in News | MARTIN WREN, P.C. | LEAVE A COMMENT

Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers

The Virginia General Assembly recently passed a bill increasing the jurisdictional limits of Virginia’s General District Courts to $25,000 for a lawsuit, exclusive of interest and attorney’s fees.  Before the change, Virginia general district courts were limited to hearing claims involving $15,000 or less, as claims involving greater than $15,000 had to be filed in the circuit court.

This statutory change will most likely impact smaller personal injury claims, such as soft-tissue injury or whiplash claims, where injured plaintiffs formerly had to decide whether to seek $20,000 in damages in the circuit court or limit their claim to $15,000 in damages in the general district court but save considerable time and expense.  General district court claims have the advantage of being tried within 8-12 weeks of filing suit, while personal injury suits in the circuit court can take one year or even longer before the trial occurs.

In addition, the costs associated with pursuing a personal injury claim in a general district court are significantly less than filing that same suit in a circuit court.  This is primarily because a plaintiff in a general district court claim can produce medical evidence of the injuries via written report prepared by the plaintiff’s health care provider, which saves the considerable expert fees associated with having a doctor appear in court to testify, a necessary component of a trial in circuit court.

Cases proceeding in general district court are less expensive for an additional reason: GDC cases do not have much discovery beyond the use of a subpeona duces tecum, a device for obtaining documents from the other party or third parties.  Because a general district court case does not involve the costly discovery process and associated expert witness fees in discovery depositions, a plaintiff’s case in general district court can proceed more smoothly and with less expense than that same case would proceed in circuit court.

If you have been injured in an accident and would like more information about filing suit in either general district court or circuit court, please contact Jonathan T. Wren or Robert E. Byrne, Jr. of MartinWren, P.C. at 434-817-3100.

With offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia, MartinWren, P.C. is a dynamic law firm offering legal services to individuals and small and large businesses across the Commonwealth.  MartinWren, P.C. represents clients in diverse practice areas: Business, Corporate & Tax Law; Estate Planning & Administration; Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers and Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyers; Intellectual Property and Technology Law; Healthcare Law; Commercial & Residential Real Estate; Civil and Commercial Litigation; Startups and Emerging Companies; Family Law & Adoption; and Nonprofit Organization Law.

Contact Our Virginia Lawyers

We serve clients throughout Virginia — from Charlottesville and Central Virginia to metropolitan Richmond; Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley to Roanoke; and the cities of Hampton Roads to the Northern Virginia cities of  Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington.

To speak with one of our attorneys, please call us at (434) 817-3100.

Our Virginia personal injury lawyers at MartinWren, P.C. have a statewide practice and offer free consultations at a time and location that is convenient for you.  We will gladly meet with you at your home or at the hospital, even on nights and weekends.

SEND US A MESSAGE

Disclaimer: Using this contact form or any page of MartinWren, P.C.’s website does not establish an attorney-client relationship.  Please do not submit any confidential, privileged, or other protected information until and unless you have completed a private consultation with a MartinWren, P.C. attorney, the attorney has informed you that no conflict of interest exists, and the attorney notifies you that the firm can take your case. By completing this form you agree that we can follow up with you by phone, email, or by text messaging.

    *Please enter your initials to acknowledge that you have read and understood the Disclaimer above:

    To schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer, please call us at (434) 817-3100.

    latest firm news