Joseph Moriarty

Joseph P. Moriarty’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation, with an emphasis on product liability, premises liability and trucking. He also handles cases involving construction defect, intentional torts, defamation, and insurance coverage.

In these cases, he regularly defends catastrophic injury claims, including traumatic brain injury, burns, paraplegia, quadriplegia and wrongful death. Joe has served as both first-chair counsel and on trial teams at multi-day jury trials to verdict. More often, Joe is able to negotiate favorable results for his clients by telephone or at formal mediations and settlement conferences.

In several instances, he was able to reach pre-litigation settlements in serious personal injury and wrongful death claims by taking a proactive approach addressing the specific needs of the claim.

In litigation, Joe frequently conducts discovery and trial depositions and argues motions to state and federal courts. He is also called on to coordinate experts for emergency response investigations, including large fire and explosion losses, product liability incidents and tractor-trailer accidents.

Experience :

• Has represented Fortune 500 companies in defense of product liability claims, including coordinating fire and explosion investigations using NFPA 921 guidelines.
• Has represented target defendants in large fire/arson losses, including the largest fire loss in Richmond, Virginia history since the Civil War, the largest residential fire loss/arson in Maryland history, and the Georgetown Library fire in Washington, D.C.
• Has represented property management companies and owners in defense of premise liability claims at apartment complexes, office buildings and retail stores.
• Has represented national and regional brokers and trucking firms in defense of property damage lawsuits, including cargo claims.
• Virginia counsel for largest privately held passenger transportation contracting firm in U.S. in defense of personal injury and property damage lawsuits.
• Virginia counsel for North America’s largest tank truck hauler transporting fuel and chemicals in defense of personal injury and property damage lawsuits.
• As co-chair of the firm’s E-discovery Practice Group, he regularly advises clients on the best practices to handle their electronic discovery obligations in large-scale litigation.
• Former Intern, Virginia Circuit Court, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Fairfax County and Fairfax City.

Education :

• J.D., George Mason University, magna cum laude, Law Review (Editorial Board), 2004
• B.S., Christopher Newport University, cum laude, 2001

Memberships :

• Virginia State Bar
• Defense Research Institute (DRI),Trucking Law Committee
• Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association
• Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys

Admitted to Practice :

• Supreme Court of Virginia and all lower state courts
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
• United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Leadership :

• E-Discovery Practice Group, Co-Chair
• Technology Committee, Chair
• Summer Associate Program, Social Coordinator (2012-present)