Where a defendant had a duty to preserve relevant documents and failed to do so, because there was no evidence he willfully destroyed evidence, no sanctions were imposed. Background In 2018, Ronald Scearce, then a member of the Pittsylvania County ...

Tagged with: Judge Thomas T. Cullen Sanctions U.S. District Court - Western District

Where the record showed the former Richmond city school employee brought several lawsuits intended to harass their targets, she cannot file any more suits against them unless a judge first finds they have merit. Background This matter comes before the ...

Tagged with: Judge John A. Gibney Jr. Sanctions U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where an attorney refused to withdraw his client’s libel complaint despite being told the challenged communication was absolutely privileged, he and his client are liable for the $33,875 in attorneys’ fees. Background On May 5, 2021, the court orally granted ...

Tagged with: Judge Leonie M. Brinkema Sanctions U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where a software provider in a contract dispute over an agreement to provide services found CarMax allowed potentially relevant information to be wiped from laptops, thus depriving the software provider of discovery, it was awarded $96,975.70 in attorneys’ fees and ...

Tagged with: Judge Theresa C. Buchanan Sanctions U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Where an insurer was told that evidence from a fire needed to be preserved so the electrical company could conduct an inspection, but the insurer allowed the premises to be destroyed two months before the claim was made against the ...

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

A lawyer who sought to keep a divorce case from going dormant after the opposing party filed for bankruptcy has been hit with $6,050 in sanctions by a Richmond bankruptcy judge who concluded the actions of the lawyer and his ...

Tagged with: Bankruptcy Divorce Judge Keith L. Phillips Sanctions

Where a man sued for his alleged role in the “Unite the Right” rallies repeatedly failed to produce relevant information and documents going to the heart of the plaintiffs’ conspiracy claims, his conduct prejudiced the plaintiffs and he demonstrated that ...

Tagged with: Judge Joel Hoppe Sanctions U.S. District Court - Western District

Although the defendant made statements about mediation proceedings in a public filing opposing the plaintiff’s motion for leave to file another amended complaint, because the statements were broad, sufficiently general and referred to information already ascertainable from the public docket, ...

Tagged with: Judge Robert S. Ballou Sanctions U.S. District Court - Western District

State Sen. Chap Petersen and his litigation client together have been sanctioned for filing what a judge termed a “speculative” lawsuit over business losses by a franchisee. Retired Circuit Judge Joseph J. Ellis – sitting in Fairfax County – ordered ...

Tagged with: Fairfax County Judge Joseph J. Ellis Sanctions Sen. Chap Petersen

The owner of an Audi dealership in Arlington has been ordered to pay sanctions of $213,196.95 amid accusations of bad faith in its litigation against a former employee. Fairfax County Circuit Judge Dontaè L. Bugg denied a motion to reconsider ...

Tagged with: damages Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Dontae L. Bugg Sanctions