Debra Tedeschi Varner

Debra Tedeschi Varner (Shareholder) 

Debra Tedeschi Varner is a Shareholder of McNeer, Highland, McMunn and Varner, L.C., working out of the firm’s Clarksburg Office. A member of the firm’s Litigation Department, Debra handles cases in both state and federal courts, in the areas of Insurance Coverage, Insurance Bad Faith, Insurance Defense and has tried cases in counties throughout the State of West Virginia. In addition to an active trial practice, Debra focuses on appellate practice and has argued cases before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  Debra is admitted in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. 

A member of the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), Debra currently serves as a Vice President in the organization.  Having previously served as the Chairperson of the Appellate Law Section, Debra is a member of the Amicus Committee, Insurance Coverage Section, Extra Contractual Section and the Professional Negligence Section.  In 2008, Debra was a co-recipient of the John Alan Appleman Award for outstanding substantive law section chair of the Appellate Law Section of the FDCC. She is active in the FDCC Leadership Institute. Debra serves as a faculty member of the FDCC’s Litigation Management College providing instruction in Appellate Practice. Debra is a member of the Counsel on Litigation Management, Defense Research Institute, the West Virginia State Bar and the Harrison and Randolph County Bar Associations. Debra is also licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

As a part of her practice, Debra routinely presents seminars and training sessions to insurance companies and corporate executives on claim handling and discovery throughout the country. Debra has also authored the following articles: FDCC Quarterly - Winter 2007, Institutional Bad Faith: "The Darth Vader of Extra-Contractual Litigation”; FDCC Quarterly - Fall 2006, "Developing Areas of Commercial Bad Faith; Constructing Defenses - He Who Ignores History Is Doomed To Repeat It" with James A. Varner and Natalie A. Givan; Co Author: "The Best Defense is a Good Offense - The Ultra Punitive Case - When the Facts Can’t Get Any Worse"; "Expert Witnesses: To Be or Not to Be"; "West Virginia’s Bad Faith: Tidal Waves in the Reflecting Pool"; "West Virginia’s Bad Faith: Antaxerxes Legend."

Debra has the following reported cases:  Ruckdeschel v. Falcon Drilling, et al., 693 S.E. 2d 815 (W. Va. 2010); Dunn v. Rockwell, 689 S.E.2d 255 (W. Va. 2009); Jennings v. Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, 687 S.E.2d 574 (W. Va. 2009); Strahin v. Sullivan, 647 S.E.2d 765 (W.Va. 2007); Brown v. City of Fairmont, 655 S.E.2d 563 (W.Va. 2007); Strahin v. Cleavenger, 603 S.E.2d 197; Dairyland Ins. Co. v. Conley, 624 S.E.2d 599 (W.Va. 2005); Clark v. Druckman, 624 S.E.2d 864 (W.Va. 2005); W.Va. Fire & Cas. Co. v. Stanley, 602 S.E.2d 483 (W.Va. 2004); Gulas v. Infocision Mgmt. Corp., 599 S.E.2d 648 (2004); Findley v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 576 S.E.2 807 (W.Va. 2002); Estate of Davis by Casey v. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., 533 S.E.2d 33 (W.Va. 2000); Mallet v. Pickens, 522 S.E.2d 436 (W.Va. 1999); Mulledy v. West Virginia Ins. Co., 495 S.E.2d 566 (W.Va. 1997); Self v. Queen, 487 S.E.2d 295 (W.Va. 1997); State ex. rel. Cavender v. McCarty, 479 S.E.2d 887 (W.Va. 1996); Cavender v. Fouty, 464 S.E.2d 736 (W.Va. 1995).

In 1999, Debra received a special appointment as the Family Court Judge, 21st Judicial Circuit, Randolph, Tucker and Grant Counties, West Virginia, and served until 2001.

A graduate of University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, Debra also earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from William Paterson College, having completed college in three (3) years.

In her free time, Debra is an avid golf fan and enjoys cooking, wine and shopping for shoes.

Contact Debra at our Clarksburg office.

E-mail: dtvarner@wvlawyers.com