The VLW Blog

If Richmond lawyer Christopher C. Spencer wants an adverse ruling set aside, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will have to do it, says U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon. Spencer contended that American Insurance Groups Inc. and its agents defamed him by asserting in a lawsuit that he was responsible for blowing an [...]

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Shenandoah County’s Fire and Rescue Association – struggling to deal with the closing of a member squad – postponed a widely-announced meeting because a news reporter attended, according to the Northern Virginia Daily. The county government last week pulled the plug on the Strasburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, apparently because of reliability issues.  A question-and-answer session [...]

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The man suing a Charlottesville weekly newspaper for defamation has parted ways with attorney James Creekmore of Daleville, reports the defendant publication, The Hook. Apparently, Garrett — a sort of would-be celebrity — changes lawyers the way some of us change socks.  The newspaper recounts a number of attorneys who have represented the publicist and [...]

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Richmond lawyer Ellis Baggs is making news out of the office. Baggs, who normally works on environmental issues for Hunton & Williams at the firm’s Richmond office, competes this week in the 2009 Monopoly U.S. National Championship in Washington.  Grand prize is $20,580 in real dollars, the same amount (in Monopoly money) assigned to the [...]

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An Ohio license agency employee goes on trial in Harrisonburg today accused of issuing hundreds of state identity cards to immigrants based on false credentials.  The government alleges the Ohio connection was part of a “criminal cottage industry” to provide required documentation for immigrants working at a Rockingham County meat packing plant. According to The [...]

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To me, the Peppermint Beach Club of Virginia Beach is forever linked to the sounds of Bill Deal and the Rhondels, who revved up tunes by the Tams (such as “I’ve Been Hurt”) and helped popularize the term “beach music” in the sixties. Nowadays the club features “hip-hop,” “punk rock,” “emo,” and “indie” music.  I [...]

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Georgia-based Troutman Sanders is looking for opportunity north of the border.  The firm has announced formation of a 19-member “Canadian practice team” to be led by Virginia Beach partner Tom Rose. Apparently, no Canadian office is planned, but Troutman hopes to represent Canadian businesses  in the areas of securities and corporate governance; mergers and acquisitions; [...]

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Despite the word from Chief Justice Leroy Hassell that the Supreme Court’s judicial evaluation program is in a “winding up” status, the chief says he still wants my opinion. That is to say, I have received another letter over Hassell’s signature, this one dated April 3, saying I have been selected to participate in the [...]

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The Supreme Court of Virginia did not issue opinions today in two of the most closely watched cases from its February session – the attorney general’s contention that a judge lacked the authority to commute a the death penalty of Daryl Renard Atkins for what he viewed as prosecutorial misconduct and the argument of handicapped [...]

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In Hampton Roads, more people are being cleaned out by thieves who learn the victims’ personal data. The Daily Press reports that identity theft complaints jumped 16 percent in a year in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Newport News metropolitan area. There were 1,519 complaints last year in the region, up from 1,310 the year before, said a [...]

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