Where investors alleged JUUL and Altria engaged in a scheme to allow the continued marketing of e-cigarettes to minors while publicly denying JUUL’s intention of targeting youths in an effort to avoid further litigation or regulation that could curb its ...

Tagged with: Judge David J. Novak Securities U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a man’s second wife alleged that his four adult children and a Henrico county police officer conspired to kick her out of her home and take her personal items, three of the children and the officer were unable to ...

Tagged with: Judge David J. Novak Tort U.S. District Court - Eastern District

A Henrico County judge will remain as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging he and two siblings abused the protective order process to temporarily banish their father’s second wife from her home. A Henrico County police officer also is named ...

Tagged with: Judge David J. Novak Judge John Marshall U.S. District Court - Eastern District

A former employee’s claim for defamation based on her prior employer’s statement to her new employer that she was terminated for “insubordination” may proceed. The statement can be proven true or false and suggested the employee lacked integrity in performing ...

Tagged with: Judge David J. Novak Tort U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a convicted serial killer moved for a stay of execution under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, arguing his intellectual disability precluded his execution, and he had previously made this claim in a prior § 2255 petition, his successive § 2255 ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge David J. Novak U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where officers speaking to a man in his parked car drew no weapons, used nonthreatening language, never touched the driver and made no attempt to physically block his departure, a reasonable person would have felt free to leave. The officers ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge David J. Novak U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a Chesterfield county police officer executed a closed-handed strike to a driver’s face during a traffic stop, the driver’s excessive force claim survived the motion to dismiss as the crime was a misdemeanor, the driver posed no immediate threat ...

Tagged with: Civil Rights Judge David J. Novak U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Although the Virginia Supreme Court has yet to recognize a post-sale duty to warn, the court held a manufacturer is liable for failing to warn about dangers discovered after selling a product if it was reasonable to provide such warnings. ...

Tagged with: Judge David J. Novak Products Liability U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a Black guest at a Hilton hotel alleged that while waiting in the lobby he was asked to produce identification and a room key when white guests were not similarly harassed, he plausibly stated claims for discrimination under federal ...

Tagged with: Civil Rights Judge David J. Novak U.S. District Court - Eastern District

A Black customer of the Hilton Downtown Richmond hotel can proceed with his discrimination lawsuit over alleged harassment by a security guard, even though he was never denied room accommodations. That was the ruling Dec. 4 by U.S. District Judge ...

Tagged with: discrimination Hilton Downtown Richmond Judge David J. Novak