The VLW Blog

Former Lynchburg Bar Association president Randy Nelson was named this morning to fill the unexpired city council term of Del. Scott Garrett. Nelson is appointed to serve until June 30, when Garrett’s term would have expired, reports The News & Advance.
Meanwhile, Roanoke lawyer Ray Ferris formally announced his candidacy for city council Thursday. One of [...]

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A man charged with murder and hit-and-run in the death of Roanoke lawyer Tom Farrell goes on trial today.
The defendant, Jeffrey Young, has a long history of mental illness, reports WDBJ.
Young is also the defendant in another case where he’s accused of hitting a woman in a Floyd County grocery store parking lot just two [...]

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A former Roanoke councilman hit with a civil fine for election law violations will not face parallel criminal charges.
A judge dismissed two misdemeanors against Brian Wishneff at the request of both defense attorney John Lichtenstein and special prosecutor John Alexander, reports The Roanoke Times.
The charges stemmed from a newspaper ad that attacked a [...]

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A driver’s answer to an officer’s “incidental” question in a convenience store parking lot can’t come into evidence, a Roanoke City Circuit Court says.
In Commonwealth v. Fuller, a uniformed, shield-wielding officer pulled his patrol car up beside Lloyd Jasper Fuller and saw he was not wearing a seat belt.
“Fuller’s face registered considerable surprise, [...]

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A California jury returned a $36 million verdict against a Roanoke company accused of misusing trade secrets related to medical robotics.
Luna Innovations was ordered to pay $26 million in lost profits, $10.2 million for unjust enrichment and $95,815 in damages, reports the The Roanoke Times.
The jury found that Luna not only breached a contract it [...]

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The law-abiding get a first hand look at the inside of a jail tomorrow as the new Western Virginia Regional Jail offers free tours.
Between 1 and 4 p.m. visitors will be escorted through the jail’s minimum, medium and maximum security areas, massive kitchen area, medical facilities and warehouse.
According to The Roanoke Times, the [...]

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The U.S. Supreme Court summarily overturned an embezzlement conviction for a client of Roanoke attorneys Tony Anderson and Melissa Friedman.
Anderson and Friedman’s client, former Burruss Co. President John Jackson, was charged with embezzling from an employee pension fund when he and the company’s CFO withheld money from it, reports The Roanoke Times.
Defense counsel [...]

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Taboada v. Daily Seven, the premises liability case that greatly expanded the potential liability of hotel operators, has been settled. The case is perhaps better known for the intemperate petition for a rehearing filed by a Roanoke attorney that earned him a contempt citation and a fine from the Virginia Supreme Court.
The Roanoke Times has [...]

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Two big names in Roanoke’s legal community have changed addresses.
Frank Flippin and Doug Densmore, late of the firm that bears their names – LeClairRyan Flippin Densmore – have joined Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore LLP.
Both attorneys were founding members of Flippin Densmore Morse & Jessee, which was established in 1996. That firm merged [...]

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A Roanoke general district judge has given 30 days in jail to a guy accused of ordering, then not paying for, a bowl of chili at the Texas Tavern.
The Texas Tavern is the only 24-hour restaurant in downtown Roanoke.
The tab for the chili was $1.66. The accused man, Charles B. Ogle, testified that [...]

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