West Virginia Code 14-2A-16 – Evidence
(a) There is no privilege, except the privilege arising from the attorney-client relationship, as to communications or records that are relevant to the physical, mental or emotional condition of the claimant or victim in a proceeding under this article in which that condition is an element.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 14-2A-16
- Claimant: means any of the following persons, whether residents or nonresidents of this state, who claim an award of compensation under this article:
(1) A victim, except the term "victim" does not include a nonresident of this state where the criminally injurious act did not occur in this state. See West Virginia Code 14-2A-3
- Criminally injurious conduct: means conduct that occurs or is attempted in this state, or in any state not having a victim compensation program, which poses a substantial threat of personal injury or death and is punishable by fine or imprisonment. See West Virginia Code 14-2A-3
- 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.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Victim: means the following:
A person who suffers personal injury or death as a result of any one of the following:
(A) Criminally injurious conduct. See West Virginia Code 14-2A-3
(b) If the mental, physical or emotional condition of a victim or claimant is material to a claim for an award of compensation, the commission or a commissioner may order the victim or claimant to submit to a mental or physical examination by a physician or psychologist, and may order an autopsy of a deceased victim. The order may be made for good cause shown and upon notice to the person to be examined and to the claimant and the claim investigator. The order shall specify the time, place, manner, conditions and scope of the examination or autopsy and the person by whom it is to be made, and shall require the person who performs the examination or autopsy to file with the clerk of the West Virginia Legislative Claims Commission a detailed written report of the examination or autopsy. The report shall set out the findings, including the results of all tests made, diagnosis, prognosis and other conclusions and reports of earlier examinations of the same conditions. On request of the person examined, the clerk of the West Virginia Legislative Claims Commission shall furnish him or her a copy of the report. If the victim is deceased, the clerk of the West Virginia Legislative Claims Commission, on request, shall furnish the claimant a copy of the report.
(c) The commission, or a commissioner thereof, may order law-enforcement officers employed by the State or any political subdivision thereof to provide it or the claim investigator with copies of any information or data gathered in the investigation of the criminally injurious conduct that is the basis of any claim to enable it to determine whether, and the extent to which, a claimant qualifies for an award of compensation.
(d) The commission or a commissioner thereof, may require the claimant to supplement the application for an award of compensation with any reasonably available medical or psychological reports relating to the injury for which the award of compensation is claimed.
(e) The commission or a commissioner thereof, or the claim investigator, in a claim arising out of a violation of article eight-b, chapter sixty-one of this code, shall not request the victim or the claimant to supply any evidence of specific instances of the victim’s activity, or reputation evidence of the victim’s sexual activity, unless it involves evidence of the victim’s past sexual activity with the offender, and then only to the extent that the judge, the commissioner or the claim investigator finds that the evidence is relevant to a fact at issue in the claim.
(f) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary relating to the confidentiality of juvenile records, the West Virginia Legislative Claims Commission, or a commissioner thereof, or the claim investigator shall have access to the records of juvenile proceedings which bear upon an application for compensation under this article. The West Virginia Legislative Claims Commission, or a commissioner thereof, and the claim investigator, shall, to the extent possible, maintain the confidentiality of juvenile records.