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Pregnant woman hit driving over bridge – $100,000 Verdict
Plaintiff was driving over the Berkley Bridge toward Chesapeake when the defendant crossed multiple lanes of traffic and violently struck the plaintiff, forcing her car onto and almost over the jersey wall at the crest of the bridge. The plaintiff, 14 weeks pregnant at the time, was trapped for close to 30 minutes while her […]
Passenger gets one driver’s limits, gets defense verdict from other – Defense Verdict
Plaintiff was a passenger involved in a two-car collision. One driver settled for her policy limits. The remaining driver and defendant denied liability and brought the case to trial. Following the presentation of testimony and evidence, the jury returned a defense verdict. [18-T-083] Type of action: Personal Injury Injuries alleged: Neck, back, and knee injuries, […]
Officer Indicted for Murder Can Exclude Evidence
In this prosecution of a Portsmouth police officer for first-degree murder of a suspected shoplifter, the Portsmouth Circuit Court says the commonwealth must provide defendant with the date, time and location of the offense for which he is charged and the court will exclude reference to a 2011 shooting for which defendant has not been […]
Three-way battle erupts over courthouse security
Portsmouth officials are trying to deflect blame as a conflict between an elected sheriff and a budget-cutting city council threatens to leave judges in an insecure courthouse. Recurring tension between leaders at city hall and the independent sheriff led to a city budget that would cut $1 million from the sheriff’s office. In response, the […]
Assembly gets judges’ sentencing numbers
When legislators meet Friday, Dec. 12, to interview judges seeking re-election, expect to hear about numbers. The circuit judges’ compliance rates with Virginia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, to be exact. Members of the Courts of Justice committees of the Senate and the House of Delegates will convene Dec. 12 to determine if judges merit another term […]
Medical practice was liable, doctor was not
The Supreme Court of Virginia has reinstated a jury verdict against a Portsmouth medical practice for alleged sloppy management in the case of a 24-year-old patient who died of pneumonia. The trial judge ruled the $3.5-million verdict had to be set aside because the jury made inconsistent findings – exonerating the doctor, but finding the […]
Court Sets Aside $3.5M Med-Mal Award
A Portsmouth Circuit Court sets aside a $3.5 million med-mal award because the verdict form showed the jury did not find the doctor liable, but found the doctor’s practice group liable, and there was no evidence that the practice group was independently liable for alleged failure to communicate a diagnosis of pneumonia to decedent. The […]
Jury verdict creates issue of respondeat superior – Plaintiff’s Verdict Set Aside
The estate of a 24-year-old decedent alleged at trial that the defendant doctor and his group were liable for the failure of the doctor to timely advise the decedent of the presence of pneumonia as evidenced by a chest X-ray. The jury returned a $3,500,000 verdict (later reduced to $1,850,000 pursuant to the medical malpractice […]
Portsmouth judge sets aside $3.5 med-mal award
A Portsmouth judge has set aside a $3.5 million verdict against a medical practice group because the verdict exonerated the employee-physician who the plaintiff alleged was negligent. The doctor’s office allegedly dialed the wrong phone number, then failed to follow up, to let a man know that test results showed pneumonia, not an upper respiratory […]
Man dies from pneumonia before learning of diagnosis – $3,500,000 Verdict
The 24-year-old decedent went to the defendant doctor with chest pain and a cough. He was diagnosed with chestwall pain and prescribed a narcotic pain reliever. The decedent returned the next day with complaints of increased chest pain and spitting up blood-stained sputum. He was perspiring and vomiting in the doctor’s waiting room. He was […]
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
