The VLW Blog

While standing by his contention that he lacks the authority to ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as a matter of overall state policy, Gov. Bob McDonnell made it clear this afternoon that he will not tolerate such discrimination in the state’s executive branch.
“Discrimination based on factors such as one’s sexual orientation [...]

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Unhappy with a published report about settlement talks and tawdry comments on a radio show, Richmond’s Williams Mullen law firm had a judge impose a gag order on the parties and their lawyers in a sexual harassment lawsuit against the firm.
The plaintiff’s lawyer agreed to the order in the case of former WM staffer Hahn [...]

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Virginia Tech says two cases alleging unequal treatment for women are so similar they should be combined for trial.
According to The Roanoke Times, both suits allege that women who worked as university fundraisers were harassed or were not paid as much as men who did the same work. The school denies all claims.
A [...]

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Wythe County officials have promised to issue public apologies and reform handling of housing matters in order to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the state attorney general.
When a group home for up to eight children with mental disabilities was proposed in the county, the supervisors told citizens they would do whatever it took to [...]

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South Hill’s John Boyd has earned a reputation as the voice of black farmers on Capitol Hill.
After nearly losing his farm due to discriminatory lending practices, Boyd has spent the past eight years driving to Washington and speaking to numerous politicians on behalf of the National Black Farmers Association.
For the past few weeks, Boyd has [...]

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The city of Portsmouth has settled with the Justice Department in a lawsuit that claimed a written exam discriminated against African-American firefighter applicants.
According to the Justice Department, as of Oct. 7, 2008, Portsmouth employed about 226 firefighters. Just over 12 percent are African American, while the city’s civilian labor force is more than 45 percent [...]

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