The Virginian-Pilot 
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, February 1, 1995            TAG: 9502010418
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY FRANCIE LATOUR, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Short :   42 lines

JUDGE SAYS SUIT AGAINST GOP FACTIONS WILL BE TRIED IN SUFFOLK

A $20 million lawsuit against four Republican Party organizations in Virginia will be tried in Suffolk, a judge ruled Tuesday.

The decision is the first legal victory for state, congressional-district and local GOP groups that have been scrambling to remove all but one of the party organizations from the list of defendants.

``The fairest trial can take place in Suffolk,'' said Richard Cullen, a Richmond attorney representing the Republicans.

Thomas M. Williams Jr., a veteran fiddler who has worked on the sound tracks of several movies, is suing Republicans for injuries he suffered when scaffolding collapsed on him as he performed at an Oliver North rally in 1992 in Suffolk.

In his ruling, Richmond Circuit Judge T.J. Markow said that trying the lawsuit in Suffolk would put the case where the accident occurred and would avoid asking many Suffolk witnesses and medical experts to travel to Richmond to testify.

Gary R. Hershner, a Richmond attorney representing the plaintiff, argued that the case should be tried in Richmond because state GOP offices and bank accounts were headquartered in the capital.

After the hearing, Hershner said he didn't think the location of the trial would influence whether his client wins the suit.

``I plan on winning the case in either place,'' Hershner said. ``The reason for Richmond is it has a better history for granting more money and larger verdicts in these kinds of cases.''

A Suffolk court will rule on the second motion filed by Republicans, which asks that the Virginia GOP, the 4th Congressional District GOP and the Republican-backed fund-raising group Victory '92 be removed from the lawsuit.

If that motion is granted, only two defendants will remain in the case: the Suffolk GOP and Webb Transportation Co., a trucking company owned by former Suffolk GOP chairman Kit Webb. by CNB