The VLW Blog

A dog trainer who claimed he was defamed by online accusations of animal abuse was entitled to tell a jury how many people “liked” the offending Facebook page, a federal judge has ruled. Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge James Cacheris said the jury’s “grossly excessive” $60,000 punitive damages verdict in favor of the dog trainer should [...]

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An employer did not defame a nurse supervisor when it noted in her employment records that she had been terminated for misconduct related to her reports that she had been cursed at by someone she supervised on a healthcare call-in line. The nurse supervisor, Shirley Shaheen, appealed dismissal of her defamation claim to the 4th [...]

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A Botetourt County man was jailed without bond after refusing to comply with a judge’s order to respond to a deposition question in a civil suit. Danny H. Goad was charged with contempt of court after a hearing Thursday in Botetourt County Circuit Court. According to The Roanoke Times, Goad refused to comply with Circuit [...]

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Gloucester County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Hicks issued a formal apology today to four current or former county supervisors who have sued him for libel. Hicks also announced that he will not seek reelection to a post that he has held for 17 years. He had run as an independent in earlier races but unsuccessfully sought [...]

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One defamation trial could lead to another as a Richmond circuit judge is seeking $1.35 million against a newspaper that allegedly accused the judge of playing politics with lawyers. Judge Melvin Hughes filed suit last week against the publisher of “The Richmond Voice” in Chesterfield County Circuit Court. At issue was an article in the [...]

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An effort to get legal commentary on the cheap has backfired on West Publishing Corp., The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Two law professors had split $10,000 for providing an annual update on Pennsylvania criminal procedure for the legal publisher. But when the West suggested reducing that to $2,500 each, they decided to stop work on the [...]

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Two Northern Virginia businessmen and their fledgling solar energy business have filed a defamation lawsuit against the town of Front Royal and three of its leaders alleging they were defamed by allegations of bribery. The lawsuit by Donald Poe and Gregory Horton seeks $30 million from the town and three members of the town council. [...]

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A $1-million defamation suit against a leading advocate of child vaccination was dismissed yesterday by Alexandria U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton who ruled the physician’s statement “she lies,” in reference to an anti-vaccination advocate, was not actionable. The lawsuit pitted two high-profile leaders in the controversy over vaccinations. The plaintiff, Barbara Arthur, is acting [...]

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We have reported on how the new ‘Twiqbal’ standard has raised the bar for pleading a federal complaint. The latest word on appellate review of the heightened pleading standard finds the 4th Circuit agreeing with Alexandria U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee’s dismissal of an auto dealership’s defamation claim against a Web site that posted [...]

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If Richmond lawyer Christopher C. Spencer wants an adverse ruling set aside, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will have to do it, says U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon. Spencer contended that American Insurance Groups Inc. and its agents defamed him by asserting in a lawsuit that he was responsible for blowing an [...]

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