A termination suit brought by the CEO of a state agency was dismissed without prejudice because he failed to allege facts proving his filing of a whistleblower complaint charging waste and misuse of funds was the cause of his firing ...

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

ROANOKE — A “Bench and Bar Fund” in the federal courts of the Western District is designed to assist lawyers working on pro bono civil cases and to support court educational programs. The money will come from out-of-state lawyers. The program ...

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

Parties who claimed that sensitive and confidential personal information was at risk of being exposed in a suit brought by an insurer will not be allowed to intervene as defendants. Background RLI Insurance Company and Nexus Services Inc. entered into ...

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

Before a motion and documents are unsealed, an insurer has 14 days to show that less drastic alternatives to sealing are unavailable or would not provide sufficient protection. Background Plaintiff RLI Insurance Company filed a motion to seal its motion ...

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

Where an inmate claimed he was denied effective counsel because his lawyer met with him only twice, the court rejects the habeas writ  because there is no minimum number of meetings required of to provide effective representation. Other claims had ...

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

Virginia Tech’s ministerial acts in reporting the academic status of a student on an F-1 visa who was arrested for weapons possession did not violate the student’s due process rights. Background Yunsong Zhao came to the United States on an ...

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

In a case where motions to exclude both sides’ expert witnesses were denied, a jury should decide whether Hyundai is liable for the death of a woman crushed by its Santa Fe vehicle. Background Shannon Whitaker was crushed to death ...

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

The court granted a Republican Committee’s motion to vacate the stay of an injunction that had been guided by the public interest in mitigating confusion about the candidate selection process for the 2018 elections. Background This matter is before the ...

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

Because the plaintiff failed to sufficiently allege contact or connection between the owner of a debt collection agency and her FDCPA claim in the Western District, the court lacked personal jurisdiction. Background Betty West alleges that Americas Processing Center, Inc. ...

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

Defendant objected to plaintiff’s notice of voluntarily dismissal without prejudice, which plaintiff filed after defendant moved to dismiss the suit. Defendant argued its motion to dismiss was actually a motion for summary judgment because it relied upon additional documents. The ...

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