Member Directory
Member Directory

Wesley Metheney

Metheney Law, PLLC
Wesley Metheney
Metheney Law, PLLC
Morgantown,
 WV

Wes Metheney is a native West Virginian and has been trying complex legal cases throughout the state and surrounding states since 1983. He handles civil and criminal cases at both the trial court level and appellate levels.

Wes is one of only nine lawyers in West Virginia who is Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy. Board Certification in this field is provided by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification, which is an American Bar Association accredited organization.

Wes Metheney has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 21st through 27th Editions of The Best Lawyers in America© in the practice of Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs for every year since 2015. Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. For more than three decades, Best Lawyers has been regarded-by both the profession and the public-as the most credible and definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. His peers have additionally recognized him as the “2017 Lawyer of the Year” for the Morgantown Area in plaintiffs’ personal injury litigation.

Wes has also received the highest rating from Martindale Hubbell, AV Preeminent, which is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that the lawyer’s peers and clients rate him at the highest level of professional excellence with very high ethical standards.

In 2014, Wes was chosen to be a Founding Member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel whose mission is to objectively recognize attorneys who elevate the standards of the bar and provide a bench mark for other lawyers. Only 100 lawyers in the United States were chosen for this honor and only one of two lawyers selected in West Virginia.

In 2015, Wes was selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, the Trial Lawyers Honorary Society, for excellence in the art of advocacy and the highest ethical standards and integrity.

In 2010, Wes was selected as a member of the National Trial Lawyers Association, a national organization composed of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers from each state. Membership is obtained through special invitation and is extended only to those attorneys who exemplify superior qualifications, leadership, reputation, stature, and profile as a trial lawyer for civil plaintiffs or criminal defendants.

Since 2007, Super Lawyers has listed Wes as one of the Top 5% of the lawyers in West Virginia. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and assessment.

Representative Cases

Medical Malpractice:

Loy v. UHC Hospital, et. al. – Strep B-fetal brain damage

Riggs v. WVU Hospitals, et. al., – hospital negligence; landmark infection case

Johnson, Lofton v. WVU Hospitals, et. al. – hospital negligence case; landmark exposure to AIDS case

Powell v. WVU Board of Governors, et. al. – failure to diagnose brain tumor in a young child

Futten v. University of WV Board of Trustees and WVU Hospitals – wrongful death of twin infants, failure to diagnose fetal distress and negligent failure to perform emergency C-Sections

In Re: Death of Baby Girl Myers – wrongful death of infant – failure to diagnose necrotizing gram pneumonitis

Snyder v. Weyrich and Reynolds Memorial Hospital – wrongful death, sinus surgery, brain perforation during surgery (Moundsville, WV)

Cady v. Jones and Monongalia General Hospital – hospital/physician negligence, spinal stenosis surgery, paralysis

Cortes-Vargas v. Lotshaw – physician negligence during hysterectomy resulting in multiple injuries, hemorrhage and paralysis

Motor Vehicle Accidents:

Scroggie v. Shipley Transport System, et. al. – negligent maintenance of tractor trailer rig, lost wheel and tire assembly impact with passenger vehicle, massive skull fractures, brain damage, and loss of familial consortium

McCormick v. Federal Express, et. al. – negligent operation of a delivery vehicle, driving left of center, injuries to multiple parties, including paralysis of five year old child

Weaver v. Lanham – wrongful death of mother and spinal cord injuries and paralysis of three minor children; negligent operation of vehicle crossing center line

Slavensky v. Monongalia County EMS, et. al., – negligent operation of ambulance; severe injuries to health care worker

Crooks v. Paul Thomas & Sons Trucking, et. al. – negligent operation of tractor trailer, chain reaction collision, multiple injuries to senior citizens in a passenger vehicle

Workplace Injuries:

Mearns v. Antero Resources Corporation, et. al. – Marcellus gas well, drilling site explosion; wrongful death of gas field worker

Phillips v. Moore Business Forms – loss of toes on loading dock, deliberate intent

Prater v. B & O Railroad, et. al. – wrongful death, negligent operation of train – FELA case

Defective Products:

Sonya Carl v. Piper Aviation Trust – inflight breakup of aircraft, wrongful death

Shroyer v. Boston Scientific – cardiac personal injury, negligent manufacture of cardiac cutting balloon

Wolfe v. Bechtel, et al. – wrongful death, negligent design of coal silo at electrical generating plant

Mayle v. Ahlstrom Pyropower, et. al. – defective design, manufacture and collapse of fly ash bin system resulting in severe burns and other injuries at electric generating plant

Sexual Abuse Cases:

Miller v. Monongalia County Board of Education – sexual abuse by a teacher

Vance v. Monongalia County Board of Education – sexual abuse by a teacher

Greulick v. Pocahontas County Board of Education – sexual abuse by teacher

Criminal:

State v. Frabutt – embezzlement

State v. Peddicord – arson

State v. Simms – murder

State v. Haller – rape

State v. Richter – wanton endangerment with firearm

Appellate Cases in Supreme Court:

Sellaro v. Sellaro – alimony; equitable distribution

Robinson v. Randolph County Commission – wrongful death; jail suicide

Spears v. Spears – appeal, child custody

In Re: Metheney – right to bear arms – concealed carry permit standards

Erika Miller v. Mon County Board of Education – wrongful dismissal of case/ sexual abuse by a teacher

Certified Legal Specialties

Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy

Bar Admissions

West Virginia, 1983

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia

U.S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia

U.S. District Court Northern District of West Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit

U.S. Court of Federal Claims

U.S. Supreme Court

Education

West Virginia University College of Law, Morgantown, West Virginia

Doctor of Jurisprudence – 1983

West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia

Bachelor of Science – 1968

Professional Associations and Memberships

American Association of Justice – AAJ

Sustaining Member, M Club

Outstanding State Delegate Award 1999 – 2000

West Virginia Association for Justice (West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association)

Board Member since 1983

Sustaining Member

President, 1995 – 1996

Member of the Year

President’s Award, 2000 – Present

Founding Fellow, Southern Trial Lawyers Association

  • West Virginia State Bar Foundation, Fellow

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