The VLW Blog

Not to be left behind by the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has used a photograph to illustrate the subject of a North Carolina zoning dispute in a new opinion. While the Virginia court has offered images of weapons, the federal judges included a photo of a house [...]

[Read more →]

A couple fighting city hall in Roanoke over the condemnation of their property has decided to end the battle and accept a $2.2 million valuation of their property set by a jury in March. The Roanoke Times reports Jay and Stephanie Burkholder decided that financial considerations outweighed their desire to take the hotly disputed issue [...]

[Read more →]

Over protests from homeowners, Chesapeake Circuit Judge Randall D. Smith has validated a jury’s determination that the owners were not entitled to any damages as a result of airport noise. A jury found no evidence of damage to the value of a home near the Chesapeake Regional Airport in a March trial, despite a judge’s [...]

[Read more →]

The Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed to hear Montgomery County’s appeal of a circuit court decision allowing public funding for a Norfolk Southern rail yard project. County supervisors are fighting the proposed freight yard near Elliston by attacking the state funding plan on state constitutional grounds. Richmond Circuit Judge Melvin R. Hughes Jr. rejected [...]

[Read more →]

Orange County Circuit Judge Daniel Bouton has refused to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at blocking a Walmart-based shopping center near a historic Civil War battlefield. In the 10-page opinion, available here, Bouton finds local citizens have standing to challenge the project and rules that a hearing on the merits is required to resolve critical claims. [...]

[Read more →]

A William & Mary law professor used legal “mumbo jumbo” to undermine the authority of the Kingsmill Community Services Association, accused the group’s lawyer in a letter delivered by police . The professor fires back, saying the tactic is a “bush-league attempt at intimidation.” The battle of legal letters has erupted as residents of James [...]

[Read more →]

We hate to miss obvious opportunities for expert commentary, especially when they’re right under our nose. We wrote last year about legal battles over the burgeoning wine industry in what used to be known as Northern Virginia’s “horse country.” Who knew that Washington & Lee University had its own Wine Law Society? According to this [...]

[Read more →]

The Supreme Court of Virginia may get a say on whether the Virginia Constitution allows the use of public money for a Norfolk Southern rail project planned for Montgomery County. The county supervisors, who oppose the proposed freight yard, are fighting the project by attacking the state funding deal.  Richmond Circuit Judge Melvin Hughes rejected [...]

[Read more →]

The Roanoke landowner whose property was condemned, presumably for expansion of a privately-owned medical complex, is asking a judge to reconsider a key ruling in the case. After Roanoke Circuit Judge William Broadhurst ruled against the owner last month, word came that neither the medical business nor the city had any real interest in the [...]

[Read more →]

A Roanoke-based healthcare business says, contrary to assumptions, it really doesn’t want a piece of land the city condemned as part of an effort to boost a bio-medical complex.  The lack of interest comes as news to the owners’ lawyer, who has battled the city over its right to take the property. As we reported [...]

[Read more →]