The VLW Blog

An employee contract clause calling for a $100,000 annual benefit for a surviving spouse is ambiguous, prompting the 4th Circuit to vacate judgment against the employee’s widow and send the case back for another look. When Hampton Roads music promoter David Williams went to work for Cellar Door Management, or CDP Inc., in 1994, he [...]

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A Newport News jury returned a $25 million verdict this morning against Exxon Corp. for a ship repair supervisor who contracted mesothelioma after working on the company’s ships from 1966-77. Rubert Minton, 72, of Isle of Wight County, was working for Newport News Shipbuilding at the time. Minton’s attorney, Bobby Hatten, said Minton worked in [...]

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Court business was on hold for a few hours Tuesday morning in Hampton, Portsmouth, and Newport News. State courts there were evacuated and searched in response to a telephone bomb threat directed at all three localities, reports the Daily Press. Apparently, no explosives were found. Courts reopened around midday. By Peter Vieth

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In what his attorneys say is an effort to stop the financial bleeding, former pro football quarterback Michael Vick filed for Chapter 11 protection yesterday in Newport News. Bloomberg has an account of the filing, and we have the petition and a motion to extend the time to file a statement of financial affairs. His [...]

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A Newport News federal district judge yesterday denied an ex parte discovery motion filed by music companies seeking to discover the names of seven Internet users at The College of William and Mary the companies allege violated copyright laws by Internet file-sharing. The group of plaintiff music companies includes BMG Music, Elektra Entertainment, Arista Records, [...]

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