06-18-2026 Ask the Lawyer – Tom Peyton: New Supreme Court Justices, Historical Impeachment Drama, and Dog Bite Liability

Tom Peyton joins Dale Cooper fresh off his father Harvey's successful heart surgery in Cleveland to discuss West Virginia's recent judicial elections, including new Supreme Court Justices Flanagan and Kirkpatrick and the closely watched Intermediate Court of Appeals race won by family court judge Jim Douglas. The conversation turns to a look back at the West Virginia Supreme Court's "couch and clock" scandal and subsequent impeachment proceedings, with Peyton drawing parallels to the often unproductive nature of congressional hearings. The second half covers West Virginia's strict liability dog bite statute, the role of homeowner's insurance in animal injury claims, and the importance of documenting incidents at the time they happen to preserve a future legal claim.