An appeal of a case we reported in August involving a nursing home contract is among the first group of cases to get a writ after the Supreme Court of Virginia’s writ panel session on Dec. 7. In Inova Health ...
Read More »Nursing home gets writ in contract case
Changes proposed for ethics rules on referrals 
“Running and capping” sounds like a gangland crime. It is in fact prohibited by a Virginia statute, but it’s a prohibition that applies to lawyers. Virginia Code § 54.1-3941, bars running and capping, or improperly partnering with nonlawyers to win ...
Tagged with: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli Ethics Virginia State Bar
Read More »Delegates probe for judicial philosophy 
Delegates David B. Albo and Bill Janis tried to explore the judicial philosophy of Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth A. McClanahan, but McClanahan deflected the effort and did so in a way that left the delegates looking sheepish for making ...
Read More »Hudson is first to strike down health care law 
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson struck down a key part of the nation’s new health care law last week, becoming the first judge to rule that Congress exceeded its powers by requiring individuals to have health insurance or pay ...
Tagged with: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli Constitutional Federal Courts Heath Care Act Judge Henry E. Hudson
Read More »Assembly interviews 57 judges up for reelection 
Like unhappy families, every unhappy party in a divorce is unhappy in his own way. Some parties are unhappy with how a judge decided a divorce or custody case, and they are eager for a forum to complain. Who should ...
Tagged with: General Assembly Judgeships
Read More »Thawing the judicial freeze may be hard 
Lobbyists know that legislators pay attention to pain. There’s plenty of pain to go around these days, as members of Virginia’s General Assembly gird their loins for the start to the 2011 legislative session. Lawyers who want to get legislators’ ...
Tagged with: General Assembly Judgeships Virginia Bar Association Virginia State Bar Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
Read More »Supreme Court affirms grant of summary judgment 
You can win a case on summary judgment and have the Supreme Court of Virginia affirm your victory after all. The high court apparently wasn’t anxious to publicize its decision, however, because it came down yesterday in an unpublished order ...
Read More »Judges to rookies: Be aware of your reputation 
Rookie lawyers begin building their reputations the moment they set foot in the courtroom. A lawyer can reassure his client by looking like he knows his way around. Before you appear in front of a particular judge, talk to a ...
Tagged with: Judge Gary Hicks Judge Harold W. Burgess Jr. Practice Tips Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
Read More »Doctor who was attacked gets $5.35M from hospital
A Virginia Beach psychiatrist who suffered a brain injury after an attack by a patient has recovered $5.35 million from the hospital on a claim of inadequate security. The attack took place on March 21, 2007, after the patient approached ...
Tagged with: Million-Dollar Verdicts Norfolk Circuit Court Personal Injury
Read More »Valuing injunction keeps claim in federal court 
A lawyer can pass the $75,000 threshold for diversity jurisdiction and keep a case in federal court by adding the value of an injunction to a claim for damages, under a recent decision from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of ...
Tagged with: Civil Procedure Federal Courts Judge Diana Gribbon Motz
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