Federal Courts « Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Feds pursue suicidal vet

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 9, 2012
Tags: Criminal, Federal Courts

The federal government broke a promise, according to the lawyer for a Navy veteran facing criminal firearms charges after he called for help on what is promoted as a confidential suicide prevention hotline.
The government alleges the former petty officer from Blacksburg committed four felonies by making a homemade gun using a pipe and a [...]

Cruise disaster lawsuits face choppy seas in US

By The Associated Press
Published: February 6, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Maritime, Personal Injury

MIAMI (AP) While the parent company of the owner of the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship is based in Miami, passengers who want to file a lawsuit in U.S. courts over its disaster will likely face choppy seas.
That’s because of fine print on tickets purchased and signed by the 3,000-plus passengers before the ship capsized [...]

Three separate actions filed after shipyard explosion

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: February 6, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Judge Jerome B. Friedman, Million-Dollar Settlements, Norfolk Circuit Court, Personal Injury

In these companion cases, the three plaintiffs, all shipyard workers, were injured when an explosion ripped through a crew head and adjacent berthing area on the U.S.S. Leyte Gulf, while the ship was dry-docked at BAE Systems on Sept. 15, 2007. The defendant, Capitol Finishes Inc. (CFI), had been subcontracted to install a new deck [...]

Cruise out of Control

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 3, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Maritime

A Virginia Beach lawyer hopes to steer clear of legal obstacles as she navigates the claims of a honeymooning couple who had to leap off a railing to escape the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship when it ran aground off the coast of Italy Jan. 13.
Emily M. Brannon represents Robert and Megan Mauri of Lancaster, [...]

Earning capacity, future medicals contested in TBI case – $1,725,000 Settlement

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: January 23, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Judge Tommy E. Miller, Million-Dollar Settlements, Personal Injury

On June 11, 2009, plaintiff made a left turn onto Route 13 in Nassawadox. Approximately 900 feet north of where the plaintiff had turned, the defendant’s tractor-trailer slammed into the rear of the plaintiff’s Buick as both vehicles were traveling northbound. The impact caused severe damage to the plaintiff’s vehicle and left the front of [...]

Credit Repair Act claims are subject to arbitration

By Correy E. Stephenson
Published: January 17, 2012
Tags: ADR, Consumer Protection, Federal Courts, U.S. Supreme Court

Because the Credit Repair Organizations Act is silent on whether claims can proceed in arbitration, the Federal Arbitration Act mandates the parties’ arbitration agreement be enforced, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 10.
A group of consumers brought suit in federal court against CompuCredit, a company that marketed a credit card that purported to [...]

Family Dollar settles federal harassment suit

By The Associated Press
Published: January 12, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts

(AP) — A federal sexual harassment lawsuit against Family Dollar Stores of Virginia Inc. has been settled.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission says the discount retailer agreed to pay $45,000 to settle the lawsuit.
A consent decree filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Richmond also requires Family Dollar to provide harassment training to [...]

Titanic items to be sold 100 years after sinking

By The Associated Press
Published: January 9, 2012
Tags: Admiralty, Federal Courts, Judge Rebecca Beach Smith

(AP) Items as small as a hairpin and as big as a chunk of the Titanic’s hull are among 5,000 artifacts from the world’s most famous shipwreck that are to be auctioned in April, close to the 100th anniversary of the disaster.
Nearly a century after the April 15, 1912, sinking of the ocean liner [...]

Case of woman’s injury after broadside is mediated – $3,670,000 Settlement

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: January 9, 2012
Tags: Federal Courts, Million-Dollar Settlements, Personal Injury

Plaintiff was stopped on a bridge at 2:00 a.m. after spinning out on ice. A speeding tractor-trailer broadsided her.
Plaintiff suffered mild traumatic brain injury. She had a pre-existing arteriovenus malformation which defendants alleged was her true problem.
Defendants alleged that her negligence was the sole proximate cause of the crash.
[12-T-008]
Type of action: Personal injury – automobile [...]

Sanctions threat means a bigger fee

By Deborah Elkins
Published: January 6, 2012
Tags: Employment, Federal Courts, Judge Dennis Dohnal, Sanctions

An employment lawyer’s persistent threats to seek Rule 11 sanctions against opposing counsel backfired when the lawyer lost the case and had to pay extra attorney’s fees.
The judge who awarded fees to the winning Title VII plaintiff said his lawyer had to spend extra time and enlist another lawyer’s help to respond to the sanctions [...]

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