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Release Of Joint Tortfeasors-Virginia Code Section 8.01-35.1 And Its Retroactive Application, Gary R. Allen

University of Richmond Law Review

This comment was prompted by the 1979 enactment of Section 8.01- 35.1 of the Code of Virginia, which changed the law in Virginia regarding the release of, and contribution among, joint tortfeasors. Contribution statutes such as section 8.01-35.1 provide an equitable remedy for the problem of unjust enrichment (or, more accurately, unequal punishment) whenever one of several joint tortfeasors pays more than his ratable share of a claim. There has been considerable debate concerning the retroactive effect of these statutes-that is, whether a newly promulgated contribution statute can be applied retroactively to affect a claim which arose before the statute …