Will a prior felony conviction affect my recovery in a Virginia personal injury case?

Answer:

Maybe. The rule in Virginia is that if you ahve been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving “moral terpitude,” then that conviction can be introduced at trial to allow a jury to infer that you are being less than truthful. Crimes of moral terpitude are those that involve lying, cheating or stealing. So that shoplifting conviction that you have from when you were a teenager might come back to haunt you at trial in a Virginia auto accident case.

The only way to avoid this coming up at an embarrassing (and costly) moment at trial is to be absolutely honest with your lawyer from the very beginning of your case and throughout the discovery process. Remember that insurance companies have deep pockets and tons of money to spend protecting those funds. As a rule of thumb, if it is out there, you can expect the insurance company’s research to turn it up.