After an initial stay pending appeal, the district court reinstated the revocation of privileges for UpRight Law LLC and related entities to practice before the bankruptcy court. Revocation was based on the defendants’ unethical business practices that preyed on bankruptcy ...

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

The Roanoke Times is asking a judge to force former Times sports reporter Andy Bitter to give up his use of a Twitter account. The owner of the paper has sued in Roanoke federal court claiming it is the rightful ...

Tagged with: U.S. District Court - Western District

In arranging a site visit from a competitor, a cooking-oil refinery’s attempt to safeguard its technology via prior agreement was only partially successful. Though largely unenforceable, the agreement demonstrated the plaintiff’s desire and reasonable efforts to maintain its technology as ...

Tagged with: Business Law Contract Judge Norman K. Moon U.S. District Court - Western District

Tipped employees at Macado’s stated a claim for unpaid wages related to untipped “side work” they were required to do. Rather than alleging a specific amount of time they spent on side tasks, it was sufficient to allege they spent ...

Tagged with: Administrative Employment Judge Norman K. Moon U.S. District Court - Western District Wage & Hour

Rain-induced sediment flows that have overcome Mountain Valley Pipeline’s erosion controls might not recur in the future, especially in light of heightened oversight by state and federal agencies. Therefore, preliminary injunctive relief is not appropriate. Background The Plaintiffs are landowners ...

Tagged with: Environmental Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon Real Estate Real Property Tort U.S. District Court - Western District

In trade-secret litigation concerning a disputed international patent for a sugar substitute, a defendant’s attempt to “join” related counter-defendants was procedurally improper under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13(h). Background Sugar tastes good. But it’s unhealthy. So companies and scientists ...

Tagged with: Arbitration Business Law Civil Procedure Contract Judge Norman K. Moon Tort U.S. District Court - Western District

A woman and her mother sufficiently alleged defamation by a Golden Corral server, who publicly accused them of hiding food in their purses. But the court dismissed their claim for contract interference on account of their race and also struck ...

Tagged with: Civil Procedure Civil Rights Defamation Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon Tort U.S. District Court - Western District

A Blacksburg bank says it lost $2.4 million to Russian hackers and its insurance company is refusing to cover the loss. The National Bank of Blacksburg sued Everest National Insurance Co. in Roanoke federal court seeking a declaration as to ...

Tagged with: Banking Judge Glen E. Conrad U.S. District Court - Western District

A detective seeking to clear his name in connection with several criminal cases presented no countervailing interest to the public right of access to exhibits he had attached to an earlier public filing. The exhibits contained his personal employment records, ...

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

A former federal prosecutor is named along with a deputy sheriff in a $10.5 million civil rights lawsuit filed by a one-time drug defendant who claims he lost nearly three and a half years serving time on a trumped-up conspiracy ...

Tagged with: Judge Norman K. Moon U.S. District Court - Western District