West Virginia Governor Signs Comparative Fault Legal Reform Bill

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has signed a bill changing legal protections when multiple parties are deemed at fault in a lawsuit.

The Democratic governor approved a comparative fault bill passed by the Republican-run Legislature on Thursday.

Currently, if a party can’t pay its share of damages and another party was deemed more than 30 percent responsible, the second entity may be required to cover all remaining damages.

The new law would scale back how much other entities have to pay for some damages the insolvent party can’t cover. The amount would depend on how much the entity was deemed at fault.

Tomblin also vetoed a medical malpractice reform bill, but referenced only technical errors.

Both measures are part of a legal reform push by the GOP this legislative session.