The latest news and cases from the Supreme Court of Virginia
">Appeal granted for $8.47M asbestos verdict Posted in Writs Granted on Apr 23rd, 2013
The Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed to hear one causation issue arising out of a mesothelioma death case decided by a Newport News jury last February. The jury returned a $9.18-million verdict for the family of John Bristow, a retired shipyard worker who died from mesothelioma, the alleged result of working with asbestos gaskets [...]
">Review granted on p.i. plaintiff’s $4M summary judgment Posted in Writs Granted on Apr 24th, 2012
The Supreme Court will consider a $4-million summary judgment in a personal injury case based on the defendant’s acknowledgement of a debt on a bankruptcy form. When Jerrene Yeoman filed for bankruptcy, her lawyer sought to include a pending personal injury claim on her lists of debts. In three places on bankruptcy forms, she listed [...]
">Supreme Court to consider GPS tracking Posted in Writs Granted on Feb 29th, 2012
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that secret GPS tracking by police is a search that likely requires a warrant, the Virginia Supreme Court will consider the case of a Northern Virginia assault suspect who was caught after cops used a GPS to monitor his vehicle’s movements. The case of David Foltz [...]
">Writ granted on lawyer’s testimony against client Posted in Criminal Cases, Writs Granted on Dec 28th, 2011
The Supreme Court of Virginia has granted review in the case of Mario Turner, the defendant convicted with his former defense lawyer’s testimony. Turner’s case surprised some criminal defense lawyers last July, when the Virginia Court of Appeals approved the use of the lawyer’s testimony against his former client. In Turner’s malicious wounding trial in [...]
">Court to hear lawyer defamation claim Posted in Uncategorized, Writs Granted on Oct 27th, 2011
A lawyer who said he was defamed by allegations in a draft legal complaint will get a hearing from the Supreme Court of Virginia. Fairfax lawyer James M. Mansfield sued a Washington DC law firm and its client, saying he had been defamed by a description of him as “an unethical lawyer and a racist” [...]
">Court to review ruling on Dead Man’s Statute Posted in Writs Granted on Aug 26th, 2011
The Supreme Court of Virginia will review a Roanoke trial judge’s ruling that a physician’s medical notes provided corroboration for the physician’s testimony that he advised a patient to see an endocrinologist because he suspected the patient had Cushing’s syndrome. The patient’s widow alleged that he died from complications of the syndrome because the physician [...]
">Court could define ‘good cause’ in new appellate rule Posted in Writs Granted on Aug 23rd, 2011
The Supreme Court of Virginia will have the opportunity to define just what constitutes “good cause” to excuse missing the deadline for filing a transcript. The court recently granted writs for two criminal defendants who had their appeals dismissed in the court of appeals because they missed the filing deadline. The “good cause” exception of [...]
">Court grants writ on bid to increase ad damnum Posted in Writs Granted on Aug 8th, 2011
A woman who won a $3.1-million slip-and-fall verdict against a Richmond hotel only to see it capped at $500,000 will get to ask for the full award from the Supreme Court of Virginia. The court has granted a writ in the case of Ava Blount, who contended her broken ankle developed into chronic regional pain [...]
">Writs granted in family disputes Posted in Writs Granted on Jun 30th, 2011
A couple of family disputes are among the cases the Supreme Court of Virginia agreed to hear after its latest writ panel session. One, Russell Realty Associates v. C. Edward Russell Jr., Record No. 110380, might be in the category of “Dad loved you best.” It involves a successful real estate partnership a father set [...]
">Court grants med mal, business conspiracy writs Posted in Writs Granted on May 25th, 2011
A $1.95 million verdict for the family of a woman who died after undergoing plastic surgery and a $14.1 million judgment based in part on the Virginia Business Conspiracy Act are among the cases for which the Supreme Court of Virginia granted writs recently. In the medical malpractice case from Virginia Beach, Galumbeck v. Lopez, [...]
