WV · rules
W. Va. R. Evid. 411
Liability Insurance
Evidence that a person was or was not insured against liability is not admissible to prove whether the person acted negligently or otherwise wrongfully. But the court may admit this evidence for another purpose, such as proving a witness's bias or prejudice or, if controverted, proving agency, ownership, or control. This evidence may be admissible against a party that places in controversy the issues of the party's poverty, inability to pay, or financial status.
History
COMMENT ON RULE 411 Rule 411 largely adopts the language of the federal rule, adding the "if controverted" phrase in the second sentence as an important clarifier. The third sentence is new and is not contained in the federal rule. It clarifies that evidence of liability insurance may be admissible if an opposing party presents evidence of inability to pay or places the party's financial status at issue in a trial.
Provenance
- Source
- courtswv.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- 2026-09-24
- Content hash
e92bd7851ba8c91a2681fbf794ab5cc7ff2ad5cb3f30adcbe0457b71568e6084
The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.
Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.