November 1, 2019
Comments Off on Wildlife center loses funding over legal dispute
In a civil complaint, two sets of neighbors, including a current candidate for local office, accused the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke of using social media to defame them. The lawsuit, filed June 25, said the center posted false ...
Tagged with: Land Use & Zoning
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October 31, 2019
Comments Off on Lawsuits raise question of duty to prevent suicide
An increasing number of lawsuits seek to hold college and university officials liable for student suicides even as schools struggle to address the rising demand for counseling services. Two lawsuits filed this year accuse Washington & Lee University of falling ...
Tagged with: Civil Litigation Colleges & Universities Suicide Prevention
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October 30, 2019
Comments Off on Clinic didn’t know of suit, is stuck with big judgment
A judge has refused to undo a $2.3 million medical malpractice judgment against a former Salem medical clinic that didn’t know it was being sued because its registered agent did not forward the suit papers. A former patient obtained a ...
Tagged with: Judge Designate William N. Alexander lawsuit
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October 29, 2019
Comments Off on Judicial branch asks Assembly for more court staff
The administrative office of the Virginia Court System says the district court support system has been reduced to a crawl in many courthouses because of staff shortages, and the situation is taking a toll on the workforce. The top administrator ...
Tagged with: Law Clerks Virginia Court System
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October 28, 2019
Comments Off on A piece of judicial history
Every judge has a story behind his or her robe. Last month, two legal organizations joined together to ensure that the tales behind former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall’s are told. “There are just some inspiring artifacts that give ...
Tagged with: John Marshall Preservation Virginia
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October 28, 2019
Comments Off on Bar pass rate highest since 2011
The success rate for those taking the Virginia bar exam this summer was the highest since 2011, the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners reported. Of the 637 who sat for the bar exam in Roanoke in July, 479, or 75.20%, ...
Tagged with: Virginia Bar Exam Virginia Board of Bar Examiners
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October 28, 2019
Comments Off on $1.25M awarded for surgical pad left inside cancer patient
A Staunton jury has awarded a $1.25 million verdict to a colon cancer patient in a medical malpractice suit against a surgeon and radiology group. The plaintiff, Waverly Adcock, underwent a colon resection in August 2016 at Augusta Regional Medical ...
Tagged with: Medical Malpractice Staunton Circuit Court
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October 25, 2019
Comments Off on Judge strikes state’s marriage race question
Despite the state’s effort to avoid the constitutional implications of a Virginia law requiring couples to disclose their race when seeking a marriage license, a federal judge emphatically declared the law unconstitutional in an Oct. 11 ruling. Requiring the betrothed ...
Tagged with: Constitutional Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. U.S. District Court - Eastern District
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October 23, 2019
Comments Off on Revisions could change practices at depositions
Two proposals now blessed by the Advisory Committee on Rules of Court could affect who sits in at Virginia depositions and what objections are raised during the questioning. One change would establish a pre-set list of those permitted to attend ...
Tagged with: Deposition Rules of Court
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October 22, 2019
Comments Off on Panel: Time to banish ‘shall’ from Virginia Rules
The call to eliminate use of the word “shall” in Virginia law is growing louder. The Advisory Committee on Rules of Court has joined the Boyd-Graves Conference in unanimously endorsing removal of the term from the Virginia Rules. Legal commentators ...
Tagged with: Rules of Court Shall
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