Opinion ID: 1111486
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Nance

Text: Nance was exposed to asbestos while working in the Norfolk shipyards in Virginia between 1940 and 1945. In May, 1976, while living in Florida, a doctor diagnosed Mr. Nance as having asbestosis and mesothelioma. As a result of that diagnosis, Nance filed a personal injury action in April, 1980. Following Nance's death later that year, the personal representative of his estate was substituted as a party plaintiff and filed an amended complaint for wrongful death. The trial court entered summary judgment for the defendants based on the Virginia statute of limitations as applied by virtue of section 95.10. The appeal was heard en banc with the rehearing in Meehan v. Celotex Corp., 466 So.2d 1100 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985). Relying on the revised Meehan panel opinion, the district court reversed the summary judgment and remanded the cause for reconsideration under its Meehan decision because the record did not establish whether the last act occurred in Florida or Virginia. The Virginia statute of limitations provides a two-year limitation period for bringing a cause of action. Virginia does not follow a discovery standard. Virginia's two-year limitation period begins to run from the time plaintiff was hurt, which is different from the law of either New York or Florida. In Virginia, the time the plaintiff was hurt is to be established from available competent evidence, produced by a plaintiff or a defendant, that pinpoints the precise date of injury with a reasonable degree of medical certainty. See Locke v. Johns-Manville Corp., 221 Va. 951, 959, 275 S.E.2d 900, 905 (1981). In Virginia, the statute of limitations began to run when the cancer first occurred as established by medical testimony, rather than when the cancer was diagnosed. The limited record in Nance appears to establish that the significant relationships were with the State of Virginia, with the exception of the diagnosis of asbestosis. If the only relationship with Florida is the diagnosis, then section 95.10 bars Nance's cause of action in this state. Because of the limited record, we do not reach that conclusion and remand for a proper application of the significant-relationships test. Nance also contends that, regardless of the status of the personal injury claim, the wrongful death action was an independent cause of action brought within two years of Mr. Nance's death. The district court correctly rejected this argument, and we agree that a wrongful death action is derivative of the injured person's right, while living, to recover for personal injury. Variety Children's Hospital v. Perkins, 445 So.2d 1010 (Fla. 1983).