Behrens: West Virginia Adopts Substantial Civil Rules Changes

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has published amendments to the West Virginia Rules of Procedure that are set to take effect on January 1, 2025. While most of the revisions are not substantive, the amendments to Rule 26, which governs discovery, are significant, Shook Public Policy Practice Group Co-Chair Mark Behrens wrote in an article for The Federalist Society.

In the article, titled “West Virginia Adopts Substantial Civil Rules Changes,” Behrens cited a justice who said the court's goal was to simplify and improve each rule without changing the meaning of the rule, noting that many rules were simply revised to standardize the time to act.

“Nevertheless, some of the revised rules are substantially different from the existing West Virginia rules and will change civil practice in West Virginia,” Behrens said. “The revised rules bring West Virginia’s civil rules much closer to the federal rules.”

Read the article at The Federalist Society >>