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Recent Articles from Correy E. Stephenson
Med-mal plaintiff gets $4M verdict
The case began at 2:22 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2010, Richmond attorney Stephanie E. Grana told the jury in her opening statement. That’s the time Sally Arbogast gave birth to a healthy baby girl. But it’s also the time when her pain and bleeding began – and didn’t stop – for several hours. After coding, […]
Till death do us part…or the housing market rebounds
McLean lawyer Joe Condo will never forget January 2009. Usually, the phone rings off the hook in family law practices after the holidays. But that year, there was an eerie silence. Worried, Condo began calling other practitioners and learned they were experiencing a similar phenomenon. The Great Recession was so bad couples were actually waiting […]
Individual or corporate trustee? Lawyers weigh in on the right choice for clients
Clients creating a trust face an important decision: Who should be in charge? While many clients might be inclined to pick a family member, that individual may lack the knowledge and expertise to manage a trust. A corporate trustee can provide the experience but clients may be concerned about cost as well as the lack […]
The VLW High Five: 5 Great Legal Quotations
From Shakespeare to Supreme Court justices to Johnnie Cochran, quotations about the law, lawyers and even specific cases are part of our daily vernacular. It was a challenge narrowing the list down to just five great quotations (apologies to Mark Twain, who had several great law-related comments including, “A good lawyer knows the law, a […]
HOA can’t recover tree removal costs
If a tree falls in a homeowner’s association, who pays for the removal? The association cannot recover the costs of removing a tree that fell from a common area onto a homeowner’s condominium, a Richmond Circuit Court judge has determined. The Townes at Grand Oaks Townhouse Association sought to recover the tree removal expenses from […]
Unwanted disclosure: New Chapter 11 rules require law firms to reveal all their fees
New guidelines for paying bankruptcy lawyers in Chapter 11 cases contain an unwanted surprise. In big-ticket bankruptcy cases, law firms not only must provide fee schedules for their bankruptcy attorneys; they must provide their fee schedules for all firm practice groups over the previous 12-month period. The rules, issued by the United States Trustee Program […]
Court denies certification for FLSA collective action
A group of drivers for a car service could not be certified as a collective class under the Fair Labor Standards Act because their claims require individual factual inquiries, according to a federal judge in Alexandria. The case – which involved the drivers seeking unpaid wages and overtime under the FLSA – provides an important […]
‘Innovative’ class responds to changes in legal market
Law schools have taken a lot of hits lately. Students and alumni have criticized educational institutions for a failure to respond to the changing legal marketplace, rising tuition and a lack of practical preparation for students turned new lawyers. The University of Richmond law school decided to do something about it. Last semester, UR offered […]
Jury awards $98K for race-based harassment
It all began with a three-foot strip of grass. An African-American man in his 40s wanted to mow the grassy area between his home and the next home in a townhouse complex in northern Virginia. In an attempt to be friendly to his new neighbors, he pulled up the stakes dividing the two property lines […]
Changes to diagnostic manual will impact litigation
Changes in the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual are likely to have an impact in the courtroom. The fifth iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – better known as DSM-5 – updated existed diagnoses, including a broadened definition of post-traumatic stress disorder; added new diagnoses; and eliminated […]
Whistleblower wins $950,000
A whistleblower seeking protection under the anti-retaliation provision of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act won $950,000 in what is believed to be the first trial under the statute in the state. After reporting intentional or fraudulent actions by employees at Midlothian-based SouthPeak Interactive, chief financial officer Andrea Gail Jones was terminated. Jones’s attorney, James B. Thorsen [&hell[...]
Estate settles texting-and-driving suit for $800,000
Distracted drivers – talking, texting, e-mailing, or playing “Words with Friends” – are increasingly causing serious accidents and finding themselves targets for lawsuits. Jay Tronfeld of Richmond said his firm sees cases “all the time,” particularly involving younger, texting drivers. “We had a case where people were texting each other from the front seat to […]
Verdicts & Settlements
- Driver struck twice in rear-end collision at red light — $350,000 settlement
- Drunken driver strikes vehicle on interstate — $200,000 settlement
- Trip and fall on mat leads to knee replacement surgery — $1.5M verdict
- Woman suffers permanent injury in broadside crash — $2.325M settlement
- Teacher injured in accident during morning commute — $1.5M settlement
- Woodshop incident leads to amputation of fingers — $1.3M settlement
- Motorcyclist’s foot amputated in collision — $7M settlement
- Contractor rear-ended on interstate on way to wedding — $825,000 settlement
- Man suffers back injury in crash with out-of-state driver — $530,000 settlement
- Driver crossed center line, struck 89-year-old’s vehicle — $1.2M settlement
- Jury returns defense verdict in favor of gastroenterologist
- Teens killed in T-bone collision with officer — $3.1M settlement
Opinion Digests
- Court silent on if ALJs were constitutionally appointed
- Homeowner’s lawsuit barred by res judicata
- Uncertainty over service prevents default judgment
- No stay of case pending resolution of motion
- Man’s unlawful search, seizure claims dismissed
- Amazon shows patent claim is ineligible abstract idea
- Geographical separation dooms trademark claim
- ‘Narcotics trafficker’ defense rejected
- Litigant’s suit against courts, judges dismissed
- Body cam footage properly admitted
- Motion to withdraw pleas properly denied
- Evidence supports murder, conspiracy conviction
