Recent Articles from The Associated Press
US appeals court slams federal prosecutors in NC
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal appeals court said it is concerned by what appears to be a pattern of federal prosecutors in eastern North Carolina failing to fully turn over evidence that defendants should be aware of in advance of a trial. The three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, […]
Va. inspector general probes AG office actions
BRISTOL (AP) — Virginia’s inspector general is investigating whether one of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s assistants improperly offered legal advice to two energy companies, including a subsidiary of a corporation that has donated more than $100,000 to Cuccinelli’s gubernatorial campaign. Cuccinelli refused to answer questions about the investigation at a news conference on[...]
Lawsuit seeks mom’s ashes amid murder case
MANASSAS (AP) — For years, Joseph Velez endured the grief of his mother’s 2008 death and the frustration that, in his mind, it had been wrongly ruled a suicide. Then earlier this year, he was hit with another indignity: learning that his estranged brother had stored their mother’s cremated remains in a rented storage locker. […]
Ignition interlocks in wide use with new law
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The number of drunk drivers ordered to install breathalyzers in their vehicles has risen 75 percent in Virginia over the last year as a result of a new law. About 8,500 drivers convicted of a DUI were enrolled in Virginia’s ignition interlock program during the first 11-month period after the enactment […]
McDonnell keeps lawyering up, with Brownlee latest hire
(AP) Gov. Bob McDonnell added former Virginia U.S. attorney John Brownlee to the private legal team he’s assembling to cope with state and federal investigations into gifts to him and his family from the head of a troubled nutritional supplements maker. John Brownlee, appointed chief federal prosecutor for the Western District of Virginia from 2001 […]
Sexual battery charge dropped for military officer
ARLINGTON (AP) — Virginia prosecutors on Thursday dropped a sexual battery charge against an Air Force officer who once led that branch’s sexual assault response unit. Right before the misdemeanor trial was set to begin against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos said the sexual battery charge will be dropped and […]
Charges dismissed in voter registration case
HARRISONBURG (AP) — A judge has dismissed misdemeanor charges against a Pennsylvania man accused of throwing away Virginia voter registration forms. Colin Small, 23, of Phoenixville, Pa., was charged in October 2012 with four misdemeanor counts of destroying voter registration forms, eight related felony counts of disclosing Social Security numbers and misdemeanor obstruction of justice. Media[...]
Prosecutor finds no foul by Va AG for late reports
(AP) A Richmond prosecutor has cleared Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli of criminal wrongdoing for failing to promptly report thousands of dollars in personal gifts he had received years earlier, including a vacation and a catered Thanksgiving dinner. Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Herring said Thursday there is no evidence that Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for governor, [&hell[...]
Gay marriage ruling will help many veteran spouses
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Stewart Bornhoft, who completed two tours of duty in Vietnam, the Supreme Court’s decision granting federal benefits to married, same-sex couples means that he and his spouse, Stephen McNabb, can one day be buried together at Arlington National Cemetery. For Joan Darrah, who served nearly 30 years in the Navy and […]
AG pushes for settlement money to fund mental health training
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Police officers could be better trained to deal with the mentally ill if the federal government would release $800,000 of Virginia’s share of a national Medicaid fraud settlement, according to state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. In a letter earlier this week, Cuccinelli’s office asked the Treasury office to release the money […]
Jackson fined for late loan disclosure
(AP) The State Board of Elections has fined Republican lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson for waiting too late to disclose a $25,000 loan to his campaign. Charlottesville lawyer Donald Lee Woodsmall gave Jackson the loan on May 8. Jackson reported it on June 3. State law requires that candidates report contributions or loans of $5,000 […]
US magistrate judge shocked by AAG’s role in lawsuit
A federal magistrate judge has expressed shock that an assistant Virginia attorney general has been assisting two natural gas companies that are being sued by landowners who allege the companies bilked them out of natural gas royalties. In an opinion issued June 5, U.S. Magistrate Judge Pamela Meade Sargent said the relationship was revealed in […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Jury reaches defense verdict in $4M med mal action
- Dental hygienist tripped, fractured right wrist, foot — $190,000 settlement
- Couple contracted Hepatitis A after dining at restaurant — $5.5M settlement
- Elderly man suffers hip fracture after attack by neighbor’s dog — $350,000 settlement
- Motorcyclist injured when vehicle abruptly changed lanes — $300,000 verdict
- Passenger ejected from car in high-speed chase crash — $685,000 settlement
- Defense verdict reached in fraud suit
- 8-year-old killed in crash involving tractor-trailer — $1,100,000 settlement
- Plaintiff conceived child after vasectomy — $250,000 settlement
- Delay in diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy led to surgery — $283,432.18 settlement
- Golfer stepped in sinkhole, fractured ankle — $442,000 verdict
- Jury sides with woman injured in rear-end collision — $300,000 verdict
Viewpoint
- The promise and peril of artificial intelligence in patent law
- Keys to becoming an unfrazzled lawyer
- Confused about federal COVID-19 emergencies ending? You’re not alone
- Generative AI in law: New survey of lawyer perspectives and plans
- Four misconceptions about appeals
- Font choice exposes fabricated document
- USPTO launches first-time filer expedited exam pilot program
- In times of crisis, the ‘tug of war’ is over
- The ever-evolving Fourth Circuit
- Federal protections for pregnant, nursing employees coming
- It’s time for employers to embrace the ‘Big Quit’ and adapt
- Tell the whole truth? I’ll do better than that