June 1, 2020
Comments Off on Drive-through service: Beach clerk uses old bank to work during pandemic
Under pressure to maintain in-person services for people seeking concealed carry permits and marriage licenses despite COVID-19 restrictions, one Virginia court clerk hit on a novel solution. She adapted an unused bank building to allow drive-through services behind the building’s ...
Tagged with: Coronavirus
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June 1, 2020
Comments Off on Federal assistance may prolong bankruptcy filings
With businesses closed, employees furloughed and sales plummeting, there will almost certainly be an increase in bankruptcy filings as a result of the pandemic. But with the recent outpouring of federal financial support, attorneys say the uptick in “COVID-caused” bankruptcy ...
Tagged with: Bankruptcy Business Coronavirus
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June 1, 2020
Comments Off on Lawyer falsely claimed coverage
A lawyer who allowed his client’s personal injury lawsuit to be tossed out of court for failure to serve process – and who falsely claimed to have malpractice coverage – has been suspended from Virginia practice for a year and ...
Tagged with: bar discipline Legal Malpractice
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June 1, 2020
Comments Off on Virginia firm helps score $40.5M class action settlement
A Richmond-based law firm is part of a legal team that won a $40.5 million settlement against insurance companies accused of improperly jacking up premiums for existing life insurance policies. Geoff McDonald & Associates and three other firms represented policyholders ...
Tagged with: Class Action Insurance
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June 1, 2020
Comments Off on 4th Circuit allows evidence for foreign arbitration
Teeing up a circuit split, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a party to private arbitration in the United Kingdom can obtain testimony from residents of South Carolina for use in the arbitration. ...
Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Arbitration Judge Paul V. Niemeyer
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June 1, 2020
Comments Off on Lawyer avoids sanctions after battle with ex-firm
A lawyer penalized last year for his alleged connection to a deceptive corporate registration scheme has been released from a sanctions award of $86,697.50 by a ruling from the Supreme Court of Virginia. August McCarthy of Warrenton denied participation in ...
Tagged with: Attorney discipline Justice William C. Mims Sanctions
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May 25, 2020
Comments Off on Local option: Face masks not required in all Virginia courts
As Virginia courthouses reopen, jurisdictions disagree on whether or not face masks will be required upon entry. The Supreme Court of Virginia issued guidance stating that court officials are expected to take “reasonable steps” to protect public health as local ...
Tagged with: Coronavirus
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May 25, 2020
Comments Off on Courts ease back into operation
Taking things a step at a time, Virginia trial courts have again opened their doors to in-person hearings for non-emergency matters, to generally good reviews by lawyers around the state. Courthouse halls were quiet as files continued to pile up ...
Tagged with: Coronavirus
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May 25, 2020
Comments Off on Judge approves fee award in franchise fight
An Alexandria federal judge has approved a nearly $129,000 fee award in a battle over franchise rights for a Herndon doctor and his urgent care clinic. The fee ruling came after the doctor lost his legal team following a failed ...
Tagged with: Business Judge Leonie Brinkema U.S. District Court - Eastern District
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May 25, 2020
Comments Off on Court says prosecutor has exposure to defamation claim
A newly elected commonwealth’s attorney who allegedly maligned a former staffer at a public gathering does not have prosecutorial immunity to the staffer’s defamation claim, the Supreme Court of Virginia decided this month. The justices’ ruling revives a lawsuit against ...
Tagged with: Defamation Justice William C. Mims Personal Injury Supreme Court of Virginia
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