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Recent Articles from The Associated Press
Assembly approves most of governor’s amendments
(AP) The Republican-controlled General Assembly accepted amendments Wednesday by Gov. Bob McDonnell that bar insurers in the federally run health insurance exchange that will operate in Virginia from covering abortion. Lawmakers also cut some costs from the transportation funding measure that will likely be his legislative legacy. They also affirmed his amendments tightening the operational [&hell[...]
Petition seeks removal of Albemarle supervisor
CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP) An Albemarle County resident has submitted a petition to circuit court seeking the removal of a county supervisor who pleaded guilty to sexual battery. Media outlets report that Earl Smith of Keene gave the petition to the circuit clerk’s office on Tuesday. Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins has 10 days to […]
Judge rejects death row inmate’s appeal
(AP) — A federal judge has rejected an appeal by a Virginia death row inmate convicted of killing four people in Norfolk. Anthony Juniper was sentenced to death for the 2004 murders of ex-girlfriend Keisha Stevens, her two children and her brother, Ruben Harrison III. U.S. District Judge John Gibney in Richmond said Friday that […]
Drug sale facts did not support felony murder conviction
(AP) — The Virginia Court of Appeals has reversed the felony murder conviction of a Danville man who sold the drug that led to a fatal overdose. Timothy Woodard sold 10 to 15 ecstasy pills that caused Kayla Beame’s death in November 2010. Virginia law allows a felony murder conviction when a person unintentionally kills another […]
Judge dismisses much of torture suit against CACI
ALEXANDRIA (AP) A federal judge has dealt a severe blow to a long-running torture lawsuit filed against military contractor CACI by four Iraqis who say they suffered abuse at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. At a hearing in U.S. District Court March 8, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee tossed out claims that CACI conspired […]
State won’t privatize sex offender program
(AP) Virginia has rejected bids by two companies to operate a state facility that detains violent sex offenders for treatment after their sentences are completed. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that state officials who evaluated the proposals thought Florida-based GEO Group focused too much on incarceration and not enough on treatment. Pennsylvania-based Liberty […]
Two Arlington execs plead guilty in $30M fraud
ALEXANDRIA (AP) Chief executives at two Arlington contracting firms have pleaded guilty to more than $30 million in contract fraud by falsely presenting a company as a minority-owned business. Dawn Hamilton, the nominal president and CEO of Security Assistance Corp., pleaded guilty March 15 in federal court in Alexandria. Keith Hedman, CEO of Protection Strategies […]
4th Circuit to consider whether inmates have right to visitation
(AP) The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to consider whether prisoners have a constitutional right to visitation. A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit was to hear oral arguments in a South Carolina case March 19. Jerome Williams’ visitation privileges were suspended for two years based on the suspicion that a visitor […]
Tax suit raises conflict questions for Cuccinelli
(AP) — A lawsuit against the state of Virginia by a nutritional supplement maker whose stock comprises Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s total investment portfolio is raising questions about the Republican’s potential conflicts of interest. Henrico-based Star Scientific Inc. sued Virginia’s Department of Taxation in Mecklenberg Circuit Court in July 2011 over a $700,000 tax dis[...]
Appeals court strikes down Virginia anti-sodomy law
(AP) The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Virginia anti-sodomy law that remains on the books a decade after a similar Texas statute was invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 2-1 ruling March 12, a panel of the 4th Circuit declared that Virginia’s law against oral and anal sex violates […]
Virginia’s death row population down to 8
(AP) Virginia’s death row population has dwindled to eight from a peak of 57 in 1995, and it’s not just because of the state’s efficiency in carrying out capital punishment. A couple of death sentences have been erased recently — one because of the inmate’s mental health issues, another because a star witness changed his […]
Judge: Vet must appeal again for license plate
CHESAPEAKE (AP) A Chesapeake judge says an Iraq war veteran must start anew to get personalized license plates that include a term deemed offensive by some Arab-Americans. Sean Bujno’s plate reads: “ICUHAJI,” which can be read to state: “I See You, Haji.” Some Arab-Americans object to that phrase. Bujno’s attorney says the use of the […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Plaintiff injured in crash with oncoming vehicle — $235,000 settlement
- Driver killed in rear-end collision with tractor-trailer — $1.5M settlement
- Man died from pancreatic cancer after delayed response — $1.8M settlement
- Worker fell off roof, rendering him a paraplegic — $1.25M settlement
- Driver sustained permanent hearing loss after traffic collision — $240,000 settlement
- Plaintiff suffered concussion in rear-end collision — $81,000 verdict
- Builder misrepresented home status to buyers — $675,000 verdict
- Low potassium led to cardiac arrest, death of patient — $1M settlement
- Excessive propofol caused death in dialysis patient — $850,000 settlement
- Pedestrian struck in crosswalk in hit-and-run incident — $300,000 settlement
- Navy veteran killed in collision with box truck — $1.85M arbitration award
- Motorcyclist ejected from bike in collision with SUV — $1.5M settlement
Opinion Digests
- Company owner dodges breach of contract suit
- Employee’s own allegations doom minimum wage claim
- Federal government defeats former employee’s claims
- Principal wasn’t entitled to exclusively remote work
- USPTO properly redacted info in responsive documents
- Untimely lawsuit allowed to proceed
- Engineering consultant dismissed from suit
- Rule 60 motion was filed too late
- Nonprofit directors immune from ex-employees’ claims
- City, employees immune from whistleblower claims
- Experts excluded in condemnation damages suit
- Judgment entered against company for horse’s death
