Stan Wellman has a broad civil litigation practice, which includes the areas of transportation and trucking, premises and products liability, construction, day care, defamation, sexual abuse, admiralty, aviation, toxic tort,…
Elizabeth Skilling was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1962. Elizabeth began her career in 1987 with McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Richmond, Virginia. She joined Harman Claytor in November…
Tom Garrett was born in Bedford, Virginia in 1968. His primary areas of concentration are insurance coverage litigation and civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, he worked…
Mark Carlton was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1972. Mark began his legal career as law clerk for the Circuit Court for the City of Norfolk. He joined Harman Claytor…
Unambiguous Anti-Stacking Language Until a year ago, the law on stacking uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages under a single policy insuring several vehicles was clear. In Goodville Mut. Cas. Co. v. Borror, 221 Va. 967, 275 S.E.2d 625 (1981) (“Borror”), the Virginia Supreme Court had held that it was “the rule in…
The general rule under Virginia law is that an insurer’s duty to defend arises when the complaint alleges facts and circumstances, some of which, if proved, fall within the risk covered by the Policy, Courts have often described this as an “eight corners” rule, which confines the inquiry concerning the duty to…
On September 23, 2011, we sent a Legal Alert concerning the Virginia Supreme Court‟s decision in AES Corp. v. Steadfast Ins. Co., 282 Va. 252, 715 S.E.2d 28 (2011). The court in that case considered whether there had been an “occurrence,” which was defined as an “accident,” for purposes of coverage under…
The standard commercial general liability insurance policy provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage caused by an “occurrence.” The term “occurrence” is defined as “an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to substantially the same general harmful condition.” In the recent case of AES Corp. v. Steadfast Ins. Co., ____ Va….