The VLW Blog

Yesterday a Harrisonburg U.S. District Court approved a $9.95 million settlement in a consumer protection class action against Bank of America under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. U.S. District Court Samuel G. Wilson also approved over $1.8 million in attorney’s fees and costs to the attorneys for the plaintiff class, led by Newport News lawyer [...]

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The Virginia State Bar has promoted Kathryn  Montgomery to the No. 2 position in its system for regulating lawyers suspected of violating legal ethics. Montgomery succeeds Harry Hirsch, who retired last month after 27 years with the agency, as deputy bar counsel. A native of Danville and a graduate of the University of Virginia and [...]

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W. Carrington Thompson, a former delegate, senator, circuit judge and justice of the Supreme court of Virginia, died Saturday at his home in Chatham. He was 95. Justice Thompson was appointed to the court in 1980 at age 64. He resigned three years later citing personal reasons. He told the Richmond Times-Dispatch when he resigned [...]

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Is Virginia ever going to get two new Supreme Court justices? Here is where we stand, as of our report (log-in required) last month: There are two seats open, due to the retirement of Justice Lawrence Koontz and the death of Justice Leroy Hassell. Republicans in the House want Appeals Court Judge Elizabeth McClanahan to [...]

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Sharon D. Nelson, a Fairfax lawyer and president of a computer forensics and information security company, wants to be president of the Virginia State Bar in 2013-14. Nelson is a member of the VSB Council and its executive committee, and she said current and past officers of the agency have encouraged her to seek the [...]

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G. Paul Nardo was unanimously elected as clerk of the House of Delegates yesterday. Immediately after his election, Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Cynthia D. Kinser administered the oath of office, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Nardo has served as chief of staff to Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, since 2002. He [...]

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As we noted in our Dog Law feature last year, finding insurance to cover damage from unruly canines can be a tough assignment. In the twisting tale of Pauline Dabney’s dog bite claim, the Supreme Court of Virginia opened a door Tuesday. Dabney was attacked and injured by two dogs in 2002. With help from [...]

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Want to know where the cops are checking for drunken drivers? There’s an app for that. Or at least, there was. Apple has put the kibosh on mobile applications that identify DUI checkpoints unless the checkpoints have been publicly announced. The existence of such apps led a gaggle of U.S. Senators to send letters to [...]

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The Virginia General Assembly will be in town today and could fill two vacancies on the Supreme Court of Virginia, but key players in making that happen say any action is very unlikely. The primary reason for the one-day session is the realignment of congressional districts. The Senate and the House of Delegates have different [...]

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President Barack Obama says  he plans to appoint University of Richmond law professor Azizah al-Hibri to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Members of the independent, bipartisan, federal commission are appointed by the president and leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Their principal responsibilities are to review the facts and [...]

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