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Mandatory attorney’s fees awarded in precedent-setting VFATA case – $243,684 Verdict
On March 8, 2013, a jury ruled in favor of an architect fired by the City of Alexandria, in the first case tried under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act’s anti-retaliation provisions, Va. Code 8.01-216.8 et seq. Plaintiff’s petition for an award of attorney’s fees and costs was granted. The total judgment entered was $243,684.62, […]
Plaintiff prevails in first case brought under amended VFATA – $208,100 Verdict
Plaintiff is a licensed architect with 35 years of experience in construction management and architecture. He was hired in January 2008 by the City of Alexandria to be the senior project manager for the new Alexandria police facility. The “APF” was and is the second-largest construction project ever undertaken by the city, with a total […]
Building a precedent
An architect fired by the city of Alexandria has won the first case under a new whistleblower law that allows state and local government workers to sue for retaliatory job actions under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act. Attorney Zachary A. Kitts of Fairfax is using the law, adopted in 2011, to seek more than […]
Website must identify ‘John Doe’ posters
An Alexandria Circuit Court says a Virginia carpet cleaning business may subpoena information on persons who posted anonymous complaints about the business on Yelp.com, a California-based social networking site. The court said it would enforce a subpoena served by the Virginia business on Yelp’s registered agent in Virginia, asking for information about three “John Doe” […]
Getting to the jury on ‘capacity’ for will
Call it a finger on the scale of justice. The law sometimes gives an advantage to one side in a lawsuit, allowing a legal “presumption” about some key fact in the case. Presumptions can be overcome, but how much weight it takes, who gets to make the call, and what happens afterward have been open […]
89-year-old killed in car crash had been healthy, active for her age – $525,000 Settlement
Decedent, an 89-year-old woman, was proceeding through an intersection on a green light. The defendant, a 90-year-old woman, traveling in the opposite direction, failed to yield and made a left turn immediately in front of decedent’ s car. The two vehicles collided. The defendant pled guilty to failure to pay full time and attention. The […]
Plaintiff’s damages claims contradicted his bankruptcy petition – Summary judgment granted
Defendant attorney represented plaintiff husband in divorce and custody proceedings from 2007 to 2011, which concluded with the wife being awarded full custody of the minor child, and limited visitation rights for the husband. Plaintiff husband sued his attorney, alleging that, because of the defendant’s malpractice: 1. Plaintiff lost custody of his child and as […]
Trust manager sues for fees, gets hit for $13M
An investment manager who sued to get his fees from two trusts not only lost his case, he was hit for more than $13 million on a counterclaim. After a six-day trial, an Alexandria jury found plaintiff John R. Erb liable for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud in his handling of […]
Trustee hit for fraud, breach of contract on counterclaim – $13,357,000 Verdict for Defendants
John R. Erb, the sole shareholder, officer and employee of the Alexandria investment management firm of de Teffé Capital Management, Inc., initiated the action by filing suit for trustee’s and investment management fees totaling approximately $1.5 million allegedly earned and deferred by him over the years for services rendered in connection with two irrevocable trusts […]
Driver admitted to texting before collision – $400,000 Settlement
Plaintiff was driving east on Franklin Street in Old Town Alexandria. Defendant, heading south on Route 1 in a GMC truck, was traveling at 35 mph according to the accident report (actual posted speed limit 25 mph). The defendant ran a red light and smashed into the plaintiff’s vehicle on the driver’s side. Plaintiff was […]
Lawyer mismanaged assets, is convicted of embezzlement
A Falls Church lawyer has been convicted of embezzlement after being ordered to reimburse more than $275,000 in excess fees she charged for management of an elderly couple’s assets, according the Virginia State Bar and court records. A 2009 report by the Fairfax County commissioner of accounts found Erin Weber Anderson, now known as Erin […]
Biker hit by car settles – $300,000 Settlement
A federal government security officer was injured while on a bicycle training ride near his home. His bicycle was struck by a car at a “Y” intersection when the defendant driver, without right of way, attempted to make a left turn. The impact threw the biker hit the defendant’s car roof on his way to […]
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
