West Virginia Attorney
Daniel L. Fitch

Daniel L. Fitch concentrates his practice in the areas of civil litigation, with an emphasis on intellectual property, product liability, and construction matters. He has five years active military service; he served with distinction as an officer in the 82d Airborne Division and 7th Special Forces Group. He graduated first in his Green Beret qualification course, is a master parachutist, combat diver and Army Ranger. Dan is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 1982. Registered patent attorney before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. AV Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America; Virginia Business Magazine, Legal Elite. Regional trial practice, including trials in the state and federal courts. First chair trial counsel in over 90 significant jury trials since 1986, including product liability, patent, construction, fraud, trade secret, environmental, automobile liability, trucking accident, fire, insurance coverage, premises liability, architect and engineer professional liability, unfair business competition, idea submission, and property and casualty cases. Regional intellectual property practice for individual and business clients. Drafted and prosecuted patent and trademark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office; prosecuted and defended utility and design patent infringement actions throughout Virginia. Regional construction practice for individual and institutional clients. Drafted and negotiated hundreds of construction agreements for individual and corporate owners, architects, and contractors for projects in scope of up to $200M. Prosecuted and defended construction claims throughout the region.

Education:

• U.S. Military Academy at West Point (B.S., 1978) (Nuclear Engineering; Distinguished Cadet – top 2% of class)
• University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1986)

Admissions:

• Virginia, 1986
• West Virginia, 2003
• Colorado, 2004
• Wyoming, 2004
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2005

Areas of Practice:

• Business Litigation
• Construction
• Environmental Law
• Hospital Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Real Estate Law

Books, Publications, and Articles:

• Authored “Construction Law,” 23 University of Richmond Law Review 541, 1989

Memberships & Awards:

• Virginia’s Legal Elite, Virginia Business Magazine
• Best Lawyers in America
• Super Lawyers Magazine
• AV Rated with Martindale-Hubbell
• Admitted to the Virginia, West Virginia, Colorado, Wyoming and United States Patent & Trademark Bars
• Harrisonburg-Rockingham Bar Association (President, 1998-1999)
• Virginia Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors, 1995-1998; Vice-Chairman, 1997-1998)
• Virginia Agribusiness Council (Board of Directors, 1994-1996)
• Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
• Fellow, Virginia Law Foundation
• Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference (Permanent Member)
• Past Faculty Member, Virginia State Bar Professionalism Course for the Newly Admitted Attorneys
• Board of Governors, Virginia State Bar Construction Law Section
• Attended Wyoming Trial Lawyers’ College in 1996 (an intensive 31-day trial advocacy program)
• Finisher, Inaugural Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, 1981

Notable Cases and Reported Decisions:

• Honua Securities Co., Ltd. et als. v. SMI Hyundai Corporation, et als., 1:10-cv-00785 (E.D. VA 2011) ($96.4 Million Jury Verdict was the 19th largest in the nation in 2011 according to “The National Law Journal”, March 12, 2012)
• McKay Consulting, Inc. v. Rockingham Memorial Hospital, 2010 WL 3200061 (W.D. VA 2010);  aff’d 2011 WL 5110234 (4th Cir. 2011)
• McMonigle v. Walton, 2007 WL 1231435 (W.D. Va. 2007)
• Stowe Woodward v. Sensor Products, Inc., 230 F.R.D. 463 (W.D. Va. 2005); 2005 WL 1922566 (W.D. Va. 2005)
• Dean, et als. v. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., 395 F. 3d 471 (4th Cir. 2005)
• Hamilton v. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., 100 Fed. Appx. 907 (4th Cir. 2004)
• Miller v. Augusta Mutual Insur. Co., 335 F. Supp. 727 (W.D. Va. 2004); aff’d, 157 Fed. Appx. 632 (4th Cir. 2005)
• Roberts v. Forrester v. Fox, 2003 WL 22902142 (W.D. Va. 2003); 2003 WL 22228305 (W.D. Va. 2003)
• Francis v. Ingles, 1 Fed. Appx. 152 (4th Cir. 2001)
• National Fruit Product Co., Inc., v. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co., et als., 178 F.3d 1285 (4th Cir. 1999)
• Romero v. Boyd Bros. Transp. Co., Inc., 1994 WL 507475 (W.D. Va. 1994); 1994 WL 287434 (W.D. Va. 1994)
• Rubbermaid Comm. Products, Inc. v. CONTICO, 836 F. Supp. 1247 (W.D. Va. 1993)
• Wharton v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 993 F.2d 1541, 1993 WL 192515 (4th Cir. 1993)
• Leake v. Wharton, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20092 (W.D. Va. 1991)
• Rocco Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Continental Casualty Co., 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15833 (W.D. Va. 1991); 702 F. Supp. 596 (W.D. Va. 1988)
• Citizens for Clean Air v. Rockingham Poultry, Inc., 13 Va. App. 430, 412 S.E.2d 715 (1991)
• Environmental Defense Fund v. Rocco Farm Foods, 12 Va. App. 456, 404 S.E.2d 728 (1991)