The VLW Blog

A Newport News circuit judge has entered judgment for $8.47 million in an asbestos case against defendant John Crane Inc. In February, a jury handed down a $9.18 million verdict to the family of John Bristow, a retired shipyard worker who died from mesothelioma. The plaintiff claimed that Bristow contracted mesothelioma from working with John [...]

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Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney Gary Close has announced he is resigning in the wake of harsh criticism from a federal judge of his handling of a capital murder case against a teenaged suspect. U.S. District Judge James C. Turk criticized both Close and police detectives who prepared the case against Michael Wayne Hash, who was [...]

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Wrapping up judicial interviews this morning, legislative committees have voted to certify all but one of the candidates who interviewed this week. The full House has again postponed a vote on judges. Only Halifax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberley S. White was left off the list approved by the Senate courts committee. White ran into questions [...]

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VALS … the association for legal professionals, is celebrating its Golden Anniversary at its annual convention in Fredericksburg from April 26 through 29. To mark its 50th anniversary, the association has adopted the theme of using the footprints of the past to build a foundation for the future. The annual meeting features continuing legal education, [...]

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Once again, the House and Senate have put off judicial elections for a day as budget negotiations continue. Del. Ben Cline, R-Amherst, said discussions continue with the Senate. “They are doing their best to work out an agreement to proceed. We want to give them that time,” he told the House. Judicial elections now are [...]

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Sands Anderson PC has elected L. Lee Byrd as president of the firm, according to M. Pierce Rucker, immediate past president. Byrd is the former chair of the business and professional litigation practice at Sands Anderson and a member of the firm’s board of directors. He is also active in the government group at the [...]

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Both the Virginia House and Senate agreed to delay election of judges until Thursday as budget wrangling continues. The schedule for the General Assembly session required a vote on an extension of time if agreement was not reached on the filling of judicial vacancies by today. Explaining the delay, Sen. Tommy Norment, R-Williamsburg, said there [...]

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The number of lawyers in the General Assembly continues to decline, and the president of the Virginia State Bar is urging attorneys to help change the trend. Only14 of the 40 Senators and 25 out of 100 Delegates are lawyers, according to the Assembly’s clerks’ offices. Combining the numbers, about 28 percent of the state [...]

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A long running court battle over claims of race discrimination and breach of contract in a Danville public construction project is headed for a third trial in the wake of a hung jury last month. The case of Carnell Construction and its claim of mistreatment by the Danville housing authority brought a $3.17-million jury verdict [...]

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The joint House and Senate Courts of Justice Committees will meet this afternoon to conduct interviews of judicial candidates. In addition to the nine candidates for the vacancy in the Virginia Court of Appeals created by the retirement of Judge James W. Haley Jr., candidates for a long list of vacancies and potential vacancies will [...]

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