No Virginia Jurisdiction Over Japanese Company

Nursing home patient broke arm, femur in unwitnessed fall – $6,500,000 Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: April 30, 2012
Tags: Judge Charles N. Dorsey, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Negligence, Personal Injury, Roanoke Circuit Court

An 84-year-old nursing home patient sustained an unwitnessed fall in her bedroom. Plaintiff claimed the fall was caused by the nursing home’s failure to apply and monitor a fall alarm in her bed, which was required by the patient’s care plan. The nursing home staff claimed the bed alarm was used and sounded just before [...]

Nursing home fall nets $6.5M verdict

By Peter Vieth
Published: April 27, 2012
Tags: Judge Charles N. Dorsey, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Negligence, Personal Injury, Roanoke Circuit Court

A Roanoke City jury returned verdicts totaling $6.5 million for an 84-year-old woman injured in a fall at a nursing home. With an award of $5 million in punitive damages, the jury evidently sought to punish the owner of the home for a policy that discouraged the use of bed alarms to signal when a [...]

Injured railroad worker sought wage loss recovery under FELA – $4,500,000 Verdict

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: February 27, 2012
Tags: Judge Jonathan M. Apgar, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Personal Injury, Roanoke Circuit Court

On June 13, 2008, Kirk Davis was working as a Remote Control Operator (RCO) in the Roanoke Material Yard when he tripped on a railroad tie, severely twisting his right ankle. His accident was not witnessed. The tie on which he tripped was supporting a stack of rail that was being stored next to the [...]

Railroad employee wins $4.5M for foot injury

By Peter Vieth
Published: February 22, 2012
Tags: Judge Jonathan M. Apgar, Million-Dollar Verdicts, Personal Injury, Roanoke Circuit Court

A Roanoke jury awarded $4.5 million this month to a 43-year-old former railroad worker who claimed his on-the-job foot injury led to permanent pain and disability. The Feb. 17 verdict came at the end of a five-day trial in Kirk Davis’ suit against the Norfolk Southern Railway in Roanoke City Circuit Court. Davis was a [...]

Nursing home negligence alleged in patient fall – $200,000 Settlement

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: February 13, 2012
Tags: Negligence, Roanoke Circuit Court

In August 2010, a Southwest Virginia resident was sent to a local skilled-care nursing facility after a knee replacement to receive physical therapy. Upon admission and assessment, nursing staff determined she required a two-person assist on all transfers, and a two-person assist in the bathroom. Notwithstanding the order, one nurse took the plaintiff into the [...]

Hotel Employees Must Answer ‘Safety’ Questions

By Deborah Elkins
Published: December 13, 2011
Tags: Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr., Negligence, Roanoke Circuit Court, Virginia Circuit Courts

In a lawsuit against a long-term care facility that allegedly lost track of a resident who fell down a flight of stairs during a “field trip” to the Homestead Hotel and died 10 days later, a Staunton Circuit Court says two hotel employee must respond to plaintiff’s questions relating to safety policies and procedures at [...]

Family can ask hotel about safety policies

By Paul Fletcher
Published: December 9, 2011
Tags: Judge Humes J. Franklin Jr., Personal Injury, Roanoke Circuit Court, Wrongful Death

The family of a woman who got separated on a care facility “field trip” to The Homestead and died after a fall down some stairs there can ask hotel personnel about the resort’s safety policies and procedures, a judge sitting in Roanoke has ruled. Christopher W. Stevens, The Homestead’s lawyer, directed two resort employees not [...]

No Comp Lien on Med-Mal Award

By Deborah Elkins
Published: October 21, 2011
Tags: Judge Clifford R. Weckstein, Roanoke Circuit Court, Virginia Circuit Courts, Workers’ Comp

An employee who collected workers’ comp for a broken leg, and then won a $988,500 jury award for his treating physician’s medical malpractice leading to lung damage from a pulmonary embolism, does not have to pay the employer $22,945.77 on its workers’ comp lien filed in the med-mal suit, says a Roanoke City Circuit Court. [...]

No comp lien on med-mal award

By Deborah Elkins
Published: October 20, 2011
Tags: Judge Clifford R. Weckstein, Medical Malpractice, Roanoke Circuit Court, Workers' Comp

An employer who paid for treatment of an employee’s broken leg cannot collect on a workers’ comp lien on the nearly $1 million medical malpractice award the employee later won from a Roanoke jury. Michael W. Thompson broke his right leg on the job at Bentech Manufacturing in Roanoke. In 2003, he sought workers’ compensation [...]