West Virginia Code § 55-7G-4

Filing claims; establishment of a prima facie case; additional required
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information for claims; individual actions to be filed.
(a) A plaintiff in an asbestos or silica action alleging a nonmalignant condition shall file
within ninety days of filing the complaint or other initial pleading a detailed narrative
medical report and diagnosis, signed by a qualified physician and accompanied by
supporting test results, constituting prima facie evidence that the exposed peerson meets the
requirements of this article. The report shall not be prepared by a lawyer or person working
for or on behalf of a lawyer or law firm. r
(b) A defendant in an asbestos or silica action shall be afforded au reasonable opportunity
before trial to challenge the adequacy of the prima facie evidence that the exposed person
meets the requirements of this article. An asbestos or silica taction shall be dismissed without
prejudice upon a finding that the exposed person has failed to make the prima facie showing
required by this article.
(c) A plaintiff in an asbestos or silica action filed prlior to the effective date of the
amendments to this article enacted during thes 2021 regular session of the Legislature shall
also include an information form with the complaint for nonmalignant conditions containing
all of the following:
(1) The name, address, date of birth, social security number, marital status, occupation and
employer of the exposed person and any person through which the exposed person alleges
exposure;
(2) The plaintiff's relationship to the exposed person or the person through which the
exposure is alleged;
(3) To the besVt of the plaintiff's ability, the location and manner of each alleged exposure,
including the specific location and manner of exposure for any person through which the
exposed person alleges exposure, the beginning and ending dates of each alleged exposure
and the identity of the manufacturer of the specific asbestos or silica product for each
exposure when this information is reasonably available;
(4) The identity of the defendant or defendants against whom the plaintiff asserts a claim;
(5) The specific asbestos-related or silica-related disease claimed to exist; and
(6) Any supporting documentation relating to subdivisions (3), (4) and (5) of this subsection.
(d) For any asbestos or silica action filed on or after the amendments to this article enacted
during the 2021 regular session of the Legislature, a plaintiff shall file within 60 days of
filing any complaint a sworn information form that specifies the evidence that provides the
basis for each claim against each defendant. The sworn information form shall include all of
the following with specificity:
(1) The name, address, date of birth, marital status, occupation, smoking history, current
and past worksites, and current and past employers of the exposed person, and any person
through which the exposed person alleges exposure;
(2) Each person through whom the exposed person was exposed to asbestos or silica and the
exposed person's relationship to each such person;
(3) Each asbestos-containing or silica-containing product to which the person was exposed
and each physical location at which the person was exposed to asbestos or silica, or the
other person was exposed if exposure was through another person;
(4) The identity of the manufacturer or seller of the specific asbestos or silica product for
each exposure;
(5) The specific location and manner of each exposurea, including for any person through
whom the exposed person was exposed;
(6) The beginning and ending dates of each exposure and the frequency of the exposure,
including for any person through whom the exposed person was exposed;
(7) The specific asbestos-related or silica-related disease claimed to exist; and
(8) Any supporting documentation relating to the information required under this section.
(e) Plaintiffs have a continuing duty to supplement the information that is required to be
disclosed in this sectionL.
(f) The court, on motion by a defendant, shall dismiss a plaintiff's asbestos or silica action
without prejudice as to any defendant whose product or premises is not identified in the
required disclosures set forth in subsection (d) of this section.
(g) WThe court, on motion by a defendant, shall dismiss a plaintiff's asbestos or silica action
without prejudice as to all defendants if plaintiff fails to comply with the requirements of
subsection (d) this section.
(h) Asbestos and silica actions must be individually filed. No asbestos or silica action filed on
or after the effective date of this article shall be permitted on behalf of a group or class of
plaintiffs.

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