Free Newsletter
Appeals – Appellant’s informal brief forfeited appellate review
Tremel Marquis Rosser forfeited appellate review by failing to challenge district court dismissals in his informal brief in the 4th Circuit EDVA.
Civil Rights – Officer denied immunity in fatal shooting case
Officer Kevin Davis was denied qualified immunity for fatally shooting J.R., a high school senior, violating Fourth Amendment rights in South Carolina.
Civil Rights – No qualified immunity on excessive force police K-9 claim
The 4th Circuit vacated qualified immunity for Chesterfield County officer Hagen on a Fourth Amendment excessive force claim involving police K-9 deployment.
Damages – Court reduces bill of costs
The Western District of Virginia court partially denied defendants' bill of costs in Frye v. Omni Charlottesville Virginia Corporation, excluding certain deposition and private process server fees.
Civil Rights – Excessive force claim against two officers is reinstated
The 4th Circuit reinstated Patrick Nichols's excessive force claim against officers Bumgarner and Schmidt, emphasizing procedural errors and factual disputes.
Prisons – Former federal inmate’s Bivens’ action is dismissed
The 4th Circuit affirmed dismissal of Mandriez Spivey’s bivens claims against federal prison employees for inadequate medical care and excessive force.
Civil rights – Officer denied immunity in fatal shooting case
A virginia officer was denied qualified immunity in a fatal shooting case for violating the Fourth Amendment by using excessive force against Charles Byers.
US Supreme Court guts key provision of Voting Rights Act
The U.S. Supreme Court restricted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, impacting minority voting power in Louisiana's congressional redistricting ahead of elections.
DOJ reaches first settlement tied to civil rights fraud initiative
The U.S. Department of Justice reached a $17 million settlement with IBM under its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative addressing false claims act violations.
Prisons – Complaint containing ‘collective allegations’ of deliberate indifference is dismissed
The 4th Circuit reversed dismissal of a complaint alleging deliberate indifference by detention officers to opioid withdrawal in Maryland custody.
Civil Rights – Court reinstates excessive force claims against police officer
The 4th Circuit vacated summary judgment dismissing excessive force claims against Sergeant Joshua Moser in a shooting in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Federal appeals court rules against Fairfax County in police shooting
The Fourth Circuit ruled that Fairfax County police officer Joshua Moser may have violated Jeffery Payne’s constitutional rights in a 2022 shooting.
Verdicts & Settlements
- Motor Vehicle Negligence Rear-seat passenger injured when car hits telephone pole
- Motor Vehicle Negligence- Car crash after back surgery causes additional injuries
- Medical Malpractice – Jurors side with cardiologist over treatment of strokes
- Negligence and Tort- Ice pack use during tattoo removal causes frostbite
- Workers’ Compensation Struck by metal door at workplace, plaintiff sustains subdural hematoma
- Motor Vehicle Negligence Woman struck by vehicle loses senses of taste, smell
- Motor Vehicle Negligence – Pedestrian struck by car while in parking lot
- Motor Vehicle Negligence- Driver fractures right leg in tractor-trailer collision
- Motor Vehicle Negligence- Motorcyclist hit by car suffers two broken wrists
- Medical Malpractice – Young patient commits suicide while on psychoactive drugs
- Motor Vehicle Negligence- Art teacher’s hand injured in collision
Opinion Digests
- Criminal – Sentence for ‘unusually heinous’ conduct is affirmed
- Criminal – Sentence wasn’t unreasonable despite deportation consequences
- Appeals – Waiver in plea agreement forecloses most arguments on appeal
- Appeals – Appellant’s informal brief forfeited appellate review
- Employment – Failure to exhaust administrative remedies dooms Title VII suit
- Jurors – Dishonest juror didn’t violate defendant’s Sixth Amendment rights
- Criminal – Motion to suppress backpack denied where defendant abandoned item
- Civil Rights – Officer denied immunity in fatal shooting case
- Civil Rights – No qualified immunity on excessive force police K-9 claim
- Criminal – Probable cause includes dog’s positive alert for narcotics
- Criminal – Evidence supports obstruction of justice conviction
- Search & Seizure – Inventory search exception applies to warrantless search
