{"id":1678,"date":"2017-05-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/what-did-the-defendant-tell-the-insurance-company\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T13:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:32:15","slug":"que-le-dijo-el-acusado-a-la-compania-de-seguros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/es\/blog\/what-did-the-defendant-tell-the-insurance-company\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfQu\u00e9 le dijo el demandado a la compa\u00f1\u00eda de seguros?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the days following an automobile collision, it is common for the at-fault driver to provide a recorded statement to his or her insurance company, describing how the incident occurred. \u00a0The insurance company can then use this statement in deciding how to handle the matter, if and when the not-at-fault driver makes a claim for damages sustained in the collision.<\/p>\n

Once the injured party asserts his or her claim, the insurance company has no obligation to share the recorded statement of the at-fault driver, and typically it has no reason to do so. \u00a0This is the case even though the defendant\u2019s account of the incident may be vitally important to both sides, particularly where there is a dispute over who was to blame for the collision.<\/p>\n

Once a lawsuit has been filed in court, however, the question of whether the liability insurance company must share with the plaintiff the recorded statement previously taken from the defendant becomes much more complicated. \u00a0Fortunately, there are several rules which guide the analysis an experienced personal injury attorney can use in arguing to the court that the defendant\u2019s statement should be disclosed.<\/p>\n

In general, during the discovery process in civil litigation, all materials which are \u201creasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence\u201d must be produced to the opposing party prior to the trial. \u00a0One important exception to this rule is the \u201cwork product doctrine,\u201d under which materials prepared in anticipation of trial by a party or his or her attorney or other representative are protected from disclosure.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, when the plaintiff requests the defendant\u2019s recorded statement given to liability insurance company during the discovery phase of litigation and the defendant objects, the court must decide whether or not this statement was made in preparation for trial, and therefore is protected.<\/p>\n

There is no controlling authority from the appellate courts in Virginia providing a clear answer to this question. \u00a0One federal court has explained that the answer depends on whether the statement was gathered in the insurance company\u2019s \u201cregular course of business,\u201d or whether the circumstances of the statement were such that the probability of litigation was already \u201csubstantial and imminent\u201d or \u201cfairly foreseeable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Virginia circuit courts have interpreted this language in particular cases and issued written opinions, which has provided general guidelines as to whether the defendant\u2019s statement must be produced in any given case. \u00a0For example, the courts look to the some of the following factors: \u00a0[1<\/a>] whether the insurance company had been placed on notice of a claim by the plaintiff\u2019s attorney prior to the date the statement was given; [2<\/a>] how long after the collision the statement was taken; and [3<\/a>] the severity of the plaintiff\u2019s injuries. \u00a0The court interprets these factors in connection with the specific facts of the case before it will control whether or not the defendant will be ordered to produce his or her recorded statement in the discovery process.<\/p>\n

Particularly in situations where there is a dispute between the parties on the issues of negligence and\/or contributory negligence, the account given by the defendant to the insurance company shortly after the collision occurred can be a critical piece of information. \u00a0For this reason, it is important to have an experienced personal injury on your side who is knowledgeable and committed to obtaining all discoverable evidence in your case.<\/p>\n

\n

For a comprehensive guide on how to purchase insurance, and what to do if you’re involved in an accident, download our free\u00a0All About Insurance eBook,\u00a0<\/strong>featuring hand-selected expert articles written by Allen & Allen attorneys.<\/p>\n

Download the eBook<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>[1] Va. S. Ct. R. 4:1(b)(1).<\/p>\n

<\/a>[2] Id., at 4:1(b)(3).<\/p>\n

<\/a>[3] State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. v. Perrigan, 102 F.R.D. 235 (W.D. Va. 1984).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

En los d\u00edas posteriores a una colisi\u00f3n automovil\u00edstica, es com\u00fan que el conductor culpable proporcione una declaraci\u00f3n grabada a su compa\u00f1\u00eda de seguros, describiendo c\u00f3mo ocurri\u00f3 el incidente\u2026.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","import-complete"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Did the Defendant Tell the Insurance Company?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the days following an automobile collision, it is common for the at-fault driver to provide a recorded statement to his or her insurance company,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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