The VLW Blog

A soldier who prevailed in a dispute with his Arlington landlord won a significant victory for members of the armed forces in Virginia. According to a news release from the George Mason University School of Law, the soldier was ordered to move to military quarters, but his private landlord was not cooperative when the solder [...]

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The Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board has revoked the law license of Christiansburg attorney Gerard R. Marks. Marks, who faces trial on 21 felony counts related to his law practice, consented to the revocation, according to a VSB news release. The release says Marks admitted accepting client money without performing the work, issuing a purported [...]

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A Roanoke government gadfly who was tossed from a city council meeting after shouting from the back of the room has been granted an appeal by the Supreme Court of Virginia. E. Duane Howard was convicted of disorderly conduct under a city ordinance and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Now, the Supreme Court has agreed [...]

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The Virginia Forensic Science Board has decided against turning to private attorneys for help in locating and notifying felons of old biological evidence in their cases that could be retested, the AP reports. Board members reportedly decided instead to make the notification by certified letter because of questions of the legality of involving nongovernment entities [...]

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Arlington County Circuit Judge Joanne Alper ruled that there was no 4th amendment violation when, without a warrant, police attached a GPS tracking device to a suspect’s van and followed his travels around the community. According to the Arlington Connection, the judge will allow the GPS tracking data as evidence against a man charged in [...]

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The Virginia Department of Forensic Science has obtained its 5,000th hit to Virginia’s Offender DNA Databank, according to a news release from the governor’s office. A “hit” occurs when a DNA profile developed from any biological fluid, tissue, or hair recovered from a crime scene is matched to a DNA profile from an individual or [...]

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Federal authorities have accused an inmate in a Virginia federal prison of identity theft, possibly for the purpose of filing false claims for benefits intended for Holocaust victims and their descendants. According to an indictment, John Kenneth Leighnor Jr., 49, used his time at the Federal Correctional Institute in Petersburg to carry out an elaborate [...]

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Michael Vick’s dogfighting activities have been a godsend to animal rights organizations. Animal Planet is the latest group to use his federal conviction as a vehicle to promote its activities. This press release describes its documentary on the case as the first installment of a new series called “Animal Witness.” By Alan Cooper

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In a closely watched case that has tested Sarbanes-Oxley protection for corporate whistleblowers, the 4th Circuit has upheld a Southwest Virginia bank’s refusal to reinstate a CFO who filed one of the nation’s first whistleblower claims under the 2002 Act. David Welch claimed that Cardinal Bankshares – a holding company for the Bank of Floyd [...]

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A lawsuit filed by Virginia’s attorney general demands injunctive relief, consumer refunds and civil penalties from HomeSpun Home Fashions of Petersburg.  Attorney General Bob McDonnell claims the company failed to timely ship more than 100 orders.  McDonnell said that HomeSpun has generated 118 complaints to the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs and consumer losses reportedly [...]

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