Ronda Harvey

Practice Areas

Ronda Harvey focuses her practice on employment litigation. She also advises clients on a wide variety of human resources issues.

A significant part of Ronda’s practice for the past 25 years has been defending employers in lawsuits brought by employees in both state and federal courts. She has successfully tried cases to verdict for employers, and represents them in administrative proceedings. She has successfully argued appeals to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission on behalf of employers. She currently provides representation to a state agency in claims involving retirement benefits.

Ronda works with employers in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, health care and energy. She understands that each client is unique, and works in partnership with her clients to fully understand their business and help them manage the regulatory minefield of employment issues. She frequently provides training to managers and supervisors on both human resource and safety issues.

Ronda also has represented defendants in mass tort and complex products liability civil actions. She has defended several national clients in product liability litigation, including pathology laboratories and manufacturers of medical equipment, aircraft, mining roof bolts, boom cranes and respirators. She successfully defended a manufacturer of cranes in mass hearing loss litigation in McDowell County, West Virginia.

Professional Memberships

•West Virginia Bar Association (President, 2007-2008; Executive Council, 2000-2007)

•Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

•Defense Research Institute

•Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, Employment Law Subcommittee

•Litigation Counsel of American Trial Honor Society (Fellow)

•Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Work Highlights

•Bowles Rice Executive Committee Member, 2017-2020

•Defending employers in litigation for over 25 years

•Lead counsel for major retail pharmacy

•Lead trial counsel in more than 200 deliberate intent lawsuits

•Lead trial counsel in products liability trial resulting in defense verdict and victorious counterclaim

•Successfully defended a crane manufacturer in mass hearing loss litigation

Experience

Ronda presented the oral argument in defense of Nationwide in the appeal of Lemasters v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co. (No. 12-0774) (2013), which established that lawyers for insureds may not recover their fees incurred while litigating an Unfair Trade Practice Act claim. The appeal of Gandee v. Allstate Indemnity Company, 208 W.Va. 697 (2000), reinforced the statutory requirements for insurance cancellation notices and in writing and arguing that appeal, Ronda convinced the Supreme Court that her clients’ cancellation notice met those requirements and cancelled the policy at issue. The appeal of Pennington v. Allstate Insurance Company, 202 W.Va. 178 (1998) set the standard for the renewal of a lapsed insurance policy.