Monday, April 16, 2007

VTLA’s amicus track record: A few more notches on the belt

Roger Creager, outgoing chair of the amicus curiae committee for the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, touted a 75 percent “lifetime win rate” for the association in the 43 appellate cases heard since 1992 in which the VTLA filed a friend-of-the-court brief. In those cases, the majority of which have been in the Supreme Court of Virginia, the VTLA tallied 30 wins, 9 losses and two ties, with two cases still pending for decision by the Virginia high court. Creager congratulated association members who have written briefs at the VTLA's annual meeting at The Greenbrier on April 13.

Last year’s highlights, according to Creager, included Ford Motor Co. v. Benitez, the sauce-for-the-gander case that applied sanctions to a defense lawyer for filing a frivolous grounds of defense, and Kondaurov v. Kerdasha, the car-crash case that originally featured some scary language on damages for plaintiff’s lawyers.

When the Supreme Court releases its next batch of opinions this Friday, the p.i. bar is looking for a decision in another case in which VTLA filed an amicus brief – Isbell v. Commercial Investment Associates Inc., which deals with the Virginia Landlord-Tenant Act as the basis for a tenant’s p.i. suit.

Creager is handing over the committee chair reins to Virginia Beach lawyer Steve Emmert and Richmond lawyer Josh Silverman.

No comments: