Virginia Code 54.1-1123: Limitations upon recovery from Fund; certain actions not a bar to recovery
A. The maximum claim of one claimant against the Fund based upon an unpaid judgment arising out of the improper or dishonest conduct of one regulant in connection with a single transaction involving contracting is limited to $20,000, including any amount paid from a contractor‘s surety bond under § 54.1-1120.1, regardless of the amount of the unpaid judgment of the claimant.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-1123
- Act: means the Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Act. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Biennium: means a two-year period beginning on July 1 of an even-numbered year and continuing through June 30 of the next even-numbered year. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Board: means the Board for Contractors. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Claimant: means any person with an unsatisfied judgment involving residential construction against a regulant, who has filed a verified claim under this Act. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Contractor: means any person, that for a fixed price, commission, fee, or percentage undertakes to bid upon, or accepts, or offers to accept, orders or contracts for performing, managing, or superintending in whole or in part, the construction, removal, repair or improvement of any building or structure permanently annexed to real property owned, controlled, or leased by him or another person or any other improvements to such real property. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Fund: means the Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Improper or dishonest conduct: includes only the wrongful taking or conversion of money, property or other things of value which involves fraud, material misrepresentation or conduct constituting gross negligence, continued incompetence, or intentional violation of the Uniform Statewide Building Code (§ 36-97 et seq. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Judgment: includes an order of a United States Bankruptcy Court (i) declaring a claim against a regulant who is in bankruptcy to be a "Debt Nondischargeable in Bankruptcy" (ii) extinguishing a claim against a regulant who is in bankruptcy and for which claim no distribution was made from the regulant's bankruptcy estate but excluding any such claim disallowed by order of the bankruptcy court, or (iii) extinguishing a claim against a regulant who is in bankruptcy and for which claim only partial distribution was made from the regulant's bankruptcy estate. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Regulant: means any individual, person, firm, corporation, association, partnership, joint venture or any other legal entity licensed by the Board for Contractors. See Virginia Code 54.1-1118
B. The aggregate of claims against the Fund based upon unpaid judgments arising out of the improper or dishonest conduct of any one regulant involving contracting, is limited by the Board to $40,000 during any biennium. If a claim has been made against the Fund, and the Board has reason to believe there may be additional claims against the Fund from other transactions involving the same regulant, the Board may withhold any payment(s) from the Fund involving such regulant for a period of not more than one year from the date on which the claimant is awarded in a court of competent jurisdiction in the Commonwealth the final judgment on which his claim against the Fund is based. After this one-year period, if the aggregate of claims against the regulant exceeds $40,000, during a biennium, $40,000 shall be prorated by the Board among the claimants and paid from the Fund, less the amount of any applicable contractor’s bond, in proportion to the amounts of their judgments against the regulant remaining unpaid. Claims shall be prorated only after any applicable contractor’s bond has been exhausted.
C. Excluded from the amount of any unpaid judgment upon which a claim against the Fund is based shall be any sums representing interest, or punitive damages, or any amounts that do not constitute actual monetary loss to the claimants. Such claim against the Fund may include court costs and attorney fees.
D. If, at any time, the amount of the Fund is insufficient to fully satisfy any claims or claim filed with the Board and authorized by this Act, the Board shall pay such claims, claim, or portion thereof to the claimants in the order that the claims were filed with the Board.
E. Failure of a claimant to comply with the provisions of subdivisions B 1 and 2 and subsection C of § 54.1-1120 and the provisions of § 54.1-1124 shall not be a bar to recovery under this Act if the claimant is otherwise entitled to such recovery.
F. The Board shall have the authority to deny any claim which otherwise appears to meet the requirements of the Act if it finds by clear and convincing evidence that the claimant has presented false information or engaged in collusion to circumvent any of the requirements of the Act.
1980, c. 635, § 54-145.3:5; 1984, c. 270; 1987, cc. 555, 562; 1988, c. 765; 1990, cc. 437, 911; 1997, c. 885; 1999, c. 262; 2005, c. 252; 2015, cc. 409, 710; 2017, c. 572.