Litigation
Medical Malpractice Defense
The backbone of our litigation practice centers on defending physicians, hospitals, nurses, nursing homes, and other healthcare providers in medical malpractice actions. The firm has multiple offices with professional liability defense teams, allowing the firm to provide broad geographic coverage within Virginia, a feature of particular interest to the firm’s insurance clients. HDJN also defends healthcare providers in the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
The firm has obtained defense verdicts that the Virginia Medical Law Report and the Virginia Lawyers Weekly have reported to be among the largest defense verdicts in Virginia in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
At HDJN, trial attorneys work in teams of directors, associates, and paralegals. As a result, when we represent a client, that client gets the benefit of not just one attorney, but a team of professionals. Our directors and associates have extensive experience in defending medical malpractice actions through trial and appeal, and their expertise in this complicated area of the law inures to the benefit of each client. Our paralegals and nurse paralegals have years of experience and understand how to obtain and organize medical records and facilitate expert witness reviews. We pride ourselves on involving our clients in the process so as to take full advantage of their expertise, and to ensure that each client stays fully informed regarding the litigation.
Commercial Litigation
Our attorneys have extensive experience representing and advising health systems, hospitals, physicians groups, and other healthcare providers with respect to a wide array of commercial disputes, including – contract issues; billing and payment disputes with managed care companies; business break-ups; business tort claims (such as defamation, tortious interference with contract, conspiracy, and others); and many others. Not only do we litigate these disputes for our clients, but we also provide them early and accurate guidance and advice (often pre-dispute) so that they can make the best business decision possible with respect to the situation presented.
Insurance Coverage Litigation
HDJN has trial attorneys with significant expertise in the area of insurance coverage litigation and counseling. HDJN has successfully represented clients in complex coverage litigation in numerous state and federal courts, including courts in Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. In addition, HDJN has handled matters involving a wide variety of insurance coverages, including professional liability, technology error and omissions liability, directors and officers liability, fiduciary liability, commercial general liability, property, as well as various specialty coverages. HDJN also advises clients faced with difficult coverage questions, and we have issued numerous coverage opinions.
Employment Litigation
HDJN’s attorneys routinely represent clients in federal and state courts and before state and federal regulatory agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor. We have successfully defended all types of claims, including employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, breach of contract and employment related tort claims.
General Tort, Insurance, and Product Liability Litigation
HDJN has attorneys with experience defending insured and uninsured entities, both independent of and through their insurance carriers, in a myriad of intentional and negligence tort claims, including product liability defense. This experience has proven effective in managing the defense of both simple and complex tort litigation. HDJN’s attorneys are committed to early assessment and evaluation of claims, the development of effective and justifiable defense strategies, and the effective trial of claims that should be tried on behalf of defendants and/or their insurers. In an effort to assist clients in avoiding claims, we also provide risk management counseling.
