A Roanoke federal judge has upheld penalties against two Virginia lawyers who teamed up with a short-lived, Chicago-based national bankruptcy firm accused of high-pressure sales tactics and litigation misconduct. U.S District Judge Michael F. Urbanski refused to undo $5,000 sanctions ...

Tagged with: Bankruptcy Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Where a trial against prisoner transportation companies had already been bifurcated into a liability/compensatory portion and a separate punitive damages portion, the first phase of trial will not be further bifurcated because it would inconvenience the parties, the witnesses, the ...

Tagged with: Civil Practice Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Where the plaintiff filed suit in the Western District alleging he and a nationwide class of workers were misclassified as independent contractors, his motion to change venue to Texas was rejected because defendants and documents are located here, and Texas ...

Tagged with: Employment Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Although the government argued that the defendant should be sentenced based on the amount of cocaine for which he was found responsible under the Presentence Investigation Report, or PSR, the defendant qualified for a sentence reduction under the First Step ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Although the defendant qualified for sentence reduction under the First Step Act of 2018, the seriousness of his offense and his long history of drug dealing resulted in a reduction from 322 months to 216 months, instead of the 160 ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Although the defendants argued the court should stay the trial in order to allow them sufficient time to explore discrepancies in interviews of a witness conducted by the police, the request was denied because the defendants had 40 days before ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Where an employee of a government contractor failed to plausibly suggest he suffered religious discrimination or retaliation, his claims were dismissed. And because the Fourth Circuit does not recognize a claim for discrimination based on sexual orientation and in any ...

Tagged with: Employment Discrimination Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Although a defendant challenged charges for allegedly smuggling contraband into the Roanoke City Jail, including that the facility fell outside the scope of the criminal statute, there was nothing inherently vague about the statute that would lead to arbitrary enforcement or ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

The failure of the Danville commonwealth’s attorney’s office to disclose state grand jury testimony before a gang violence trial was “gross negligence,” a federal judge has ruled. In a sanctions ruling citing prosecutorial misconduct, U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski ...

Tagged with: Danville Commonwealth's Attorney Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District

Where a man who unsuccessfully attempted to blow up the building where his ex-wife worked is scheduled to be released from jail because his 30-year mandatory, consecutive sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution, victims and possible victims are ...

Tagged with: Criminal Judge Michael F. Urbanski U.S. District Court - Western District