Senate committee holds bill to raise Virgin Islands government tort cap after AG urges aggregate cap and other changes

A bill to increase the maximum judgment amount available against the Government of the Virgin Islands was presented and held in the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on June 12.

Senator Alma Francis Heidegger introduced Bill No. 36‑0042, which would amend Title 33, subtitle 3, chapter 118, section 3411 to raise the statutory cap that currently limits recoveries against the territorial government. "The $25,000 figure has been on the books since the early 1970s," Sen. Francis Heidegger told the committee, and she said lawmakers should update the cap to reflect current costs and allow injured residents greater recovery.

Attorney General Gordon C. Ray appeared as the committee’s invited testifier and recommended a more detailed approach than a simple numeric increase. Ray said courts have interpreted the current statute in a way that allows multiple recoveries from a single incident — multiplying government exposure when there are several plaintiffs.…