Where a police officer received a report at 2 a.m. that students were “fleeing” from a high school where they had been attending an all-night graduation party, sovereign immunity bars a negligence claim by a motorist who was injured when ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Negligence Virginia Circuit Courts

Devona Johnson, 45, collapsed at home. When she came to, she had a vision field cut and mental confusion. EMS brought her to a Primary Stroke Certified hospital where the stroke protocol was activated and she was evaluated by an ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Medical Malpractice Million-Dollar Verdicts

The defendant, a convicted sex offender on probation, could not use the Fifth Amendment as an excuse for lying to his probation officer about criminal conduct. Background On April 21, 2014, the defendant was indicted for feloniously using “a communications ...

Tagged with: Criminal Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Virginia Circuit Courts

A “husband” whose nine-year marriage was negated because the couple’s Washington wedding was at odds with their Virginia paperwork cannot save the union by labeling it a common law marriage under D.C. law. The Court of Appeals of Virginia ruled ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Judge Rosemarie Annunziata Virginia Court of Appeals

A capital murder defendant who sought forensic testing of certain evidence was entitled to present his argument to the court ex parte under Code § 9.1-1104. But the statute does not authorize ex parte status for the resulting order as ...

Tagged with: Criminal Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Virginia Circuit Courts

A vehicle owner served with a notice of violation, which cited a no-stop right turn on red with photo and video evidence, did not show that her constitutional rights were violated either by the city red-light-camera ordinance or its authorizing ...

Tagged with: Constitutional Due Process Equal Protection Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Municipal Traffic Virginia Circuit Courts

A capital murder defendant moved to exclude evidence of physical damage to the victim occurring after he disposed of her body in a lake. The court declined, in part because such evidence was probative of the manner of disposal. Background ...

Tagged with: Criminal Evidence Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Virginia Circuit Courts

This case arose from a T-bone car accident on June 10, 2015. Plaintiff was proceeding through an intersection with a green arrow, when the defendant ran his red light and struck plaintiff on his driver’s side. Defendant claimed contributory negligence. ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Personal Injury Verdict

A Yelp reviewer who successfully defended against defamation claims couldn’t claim attorneys’ fees under Va. Code § 8.01-223.2 because 2017 amendments weren’t retroactive, a Virginia circuit court held. Background Defendant Jeremiah Jones retained Plaintiff Will Nesbitt Realty LLC to assist him in renting a ...

Tagged with: Attorneys Fees Business Law Civil Practice Contract Defamation Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows Tort Virginia Circuit Courts

A lawsuit that misidentified an auto accident defendant may have suffered from a mere misnomer, but an accident victim was still out of court, a Fairfax County judge ruled last month. The case serves as a reminder for plaintiffs’ lawyers ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows