The VLW Blog

The Bank of America is asking a federal judge to block Donald Trump’s claimed right-of-first-refusal to buy the embattled Albemarle House mansion near Charlottesville. Trump owns the front yard and other nearby properties formerly controlled by heiress Patricia Kluge, who has given up millions in assets after declaring bankruptcy in June. Trump says his claimed [...]

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The University of Virginia’s response to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s demand for information about global warming research is a petition to set aside the “civil investigative demands” served on the school. The Washington Post reports the motion was filed today in Albemarle County Circuit Court and posts a copy of the 10-page petition and [...]

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A violin performance in open court helped an Albemarle County judge decide to step aside from a case involving alleged death threats. Circuit Judge Cheryl Higgins was concerned she might have a conflict of interest. She had been assigned the case of Patrick Crider, a high school student accused of making threats of violence on [...]

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In a state that’s fond of nicknames, family names and compound names, how much latitude does a car-crash plaintiff get when she scrambles the defendant’s first and middle names? None, according to an Albemarle County Circuit Court. The plaintiff’s lawsuit listed “Maggie Walker” as the defendant. Her correct name was “Ann Maggie,” or “Ann Margaret [...]

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The jury deadlocked in an Albemarle County trial involving a killing 21 years ago. In 1988, Roger Lee Shifflett was robbed and shot to death at the convenience store he owned and operated, reports The Daily Progress. Less than a month after the shooting, defendant Alvin Lee Morris divorced his own wife, married Shifflett’s widow and [...]

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Denise Lunsford was elected Albemarle County commonwealth’s attorney last month, beating four-term incumbent Jim Camblos. As she prepares to take office, she has fired the county deputy commonwealth’s attorney, Richard Moore. The Daily Progress reports that Moore, who held the job for four years after serving in similar post in Charlottesville for more than eight [...]

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From yesterday’s election results… Two longtime commonwealth’s attorneys, one in Caroline County and the other in Albemarle, were defeated by opponents calling for change. In Caroline, Harvey Latney Jr. has been the top prosecutor for 30 years. But newcomer Tony Spencer got 60 percent of the vote, according to The Free Lance-Star. And The Daily [...]

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