Virginia Personal Injury Cases Head to General District Court

A new option for Virginia personal injury plaintiffs is available as of July 1. Cases with a value up to $25,000 may now be filed in Virginia General District Court. The previous limit was $15,000. Personal injury plaintiffs can now take advantage of the shorter time to get a trail date that the district court offers. For smaller cases, it is an option worth looking at as there is also a right of appeal to circuit court if the judge does not make an award that is satisfactory to the plaintiff.For instance, in Albemarle County, a case filed in General District Court will usually be tried within 2 to 3 months. To obtain a jury trial date in circuit court can take a year or longer.

Francis P. Hajek
Wilson & Hajek, LLC, a personal injury law firm Experienced Injury and Accident Lawyers Serving Virginia, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Staunton, Waynesboro