Legal luminaries from across the commonwealth came together for Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Influential Women awards program. The Class of 2022 honorees were celebrated at a recognition awards event on May 25 at the John Marshall Ballrooms in downtown Richmond. The ...
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Unreasonable restraint: Political ad ban doesn’t pass constitutional muster 
A public transit system had a legitimate interest in avoiding some politically charged advertisements, but its lack of a formal definition of “political” or written guidelines clarifying how its prohibition on political ads was to be applied doomed its policy ...
Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Constitutional Judge Julius N. Richardson
Read More »Officer’s retaliation claims survive 
A Richmond police officer’s allegations that he was retaliated against after complaining about being denied a promotion for discriminatory reasons have survived the city’s motion to dismiss. The Eastern District of Virginia found the officer had sufficiently alleged a violation ...
Tagged with: Employment Discrimination Employment Law Judge John A. Gibney Jr. U.S. District Court - Eastern District
Read More »High court: Harmless error doctrine limited by VAPA 
The Supreme Court of Virginia has asked the state health commissioner to re-evaluate an application for a certificate of public need, or COPN, from Chesapeake Regional Medical Center for a new open-heart surgery service and cardiac catheterization equipment. The decision ...
Tagged with: Justice Lawrence L. Koontz Jr. Justice Stephen R. McCullough Supreme Court of Virginia
Read More »Emotional distress claim vs. accuser survives dismissal 
A doctor who claimed he was arrested twice on false charges of stalking and domestic violence can sue his accuser for intentional infliction of emotional distress, or IIED. A federal trial court denied the accuser’s motion to dismiss, holding that ...
Tagged with: Emotional distress Judge Robert E. Payne U.S. District Court - Eastern District
Read More »Massey Cancer Center names internship for Richmond attorney 
When Richmond attorney Rudene Mercer Haynes first learned that Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center was establishing a summer internship in her honor, she said she was completely surprised. “I was like ‘What? You must be confused,’” Haynes said. “It ...
Read More »Authority exceeded: Supreme Court orders city employee’s reinstatement 
The Virginia Supreme Court has reversed a circuit court’s refusal to implement a city grievance panel’s unanimous decision reinstating and awarding back pay to a former city employee. After the plaintiff’s reinstatement was ordered, the city manager refused to reinstate ...
Read More »Former public defender can sue federal judiciary 
While sovereign immunity will limit her claims, a former federal public defender in North Carolina can pursue claims against the judiciary for failing to take immediate and effective action regarding her sexual harassment complaints, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of ...
Read More »Presenting Virginia’s Go-To Lawyers for employment law 
Virginia Lawyers Weekly is pleased to announce the “Go To Lawyers” for employment law. Now in its third year, the “Go To Lawyers” program recognizes leading lawyers from across the commonwealth in a particular field of law. We’ve showcased top ...
Read More »Warranty disclaimer not sufficiently conspicuous 
Even though the owner’s manual for a pressure cooker contained a written disclaimer of the implied warranty of merchantability that stated all required text, a federal court has found the disclaimer was not conspicuous as a matter of law. “A ...
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