4th Circuit Court

George Mason, Law Dean Win Bench Dismissal of Rotunda Sex-Harass Suit

Ruling from the bench, a federal judge in Virginia has dismissed all claims against George Mason University and its law school dean in a high-profile sexual harassment suit. Brought by Kyndra Rotunda, who is a former director of a law school legal clinic for members of the military and the…

May 24, 2010 6:39 PM CDT

4th Circuit Says Judge Erred By Cutting $6M Fee PI Firms Sought to $600K

Reversing and remanding a trial court’s ruling on the appropriate legal fee for plaintiff’s personal injury lawyers who negotiated a $18 million settlement, including $6 million in attorney’s fees, a federal appeals court sent the case back along with detailed instructions for a do-over. In a written opinion yesterday (PDF),…

May 20, 2010 12:47 AM CDT

2 Weeks from JD, Law Student Notches 4th Circuit Appellate Win

Dean Razavi hasn’t yet received his juris doctor degree, let alone started practice at Katten Muchin Rosenman. But the soon-to-be graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law has already scored his first major litigation victory, winning an ineffective assistance of counsel case in which he made the oral…

May 5, 2010 11:29 PM CDT

After ‘Affront to Justice’ Testimony, Ex-SEC Lawyer Gets 8 Years in ‘Pump & Dump’

Calling a former Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement attorney’s testimony an “affront to justice” and “one of the biggest pack of lies I’ve ever heard,” a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., today sentenced Phillip Offill Jr. to eight years in prison. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady said he would have…

Apr 23, 2010 11:58 PM CDT

Former Blackwater Gen’l Counsel, 4 Other Ex-Execs Indicted in Weapons Case

Five former executives of a private security company that made headlines over its involvement in a 2007 Baghdad shooting incident that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead are now under indictment, facing apparently unrelated charges that they illegally stockpiled automatic weapons at Blackwater Worldwide’s headquarters in North Carolina and filed false…

Apr 17, 2010 12:06 AM CDT

Wells Fargo Settles With NAACP, But 2 Cities File New Fair Lending Suits

Wells Fargo has just settled a fair housing lawsuit brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. But the bank’s court battle over its alleged discriminatory lending practices isn’t over yet. Two cities filed amended federal fair housing complaints against Wells Fargo this week, in which they…

Apr 8, 2010 11:22 PM CDT

Lawyer’s Computer Virus Doesn’t Excuse Missed Dismissal Motion, 4th Circuit Says

A federal appeals court has upheld dismissal of a wrongful termination case granted after the plaintiff’s lawyer experienced computer problems and never got e-mail notice of a motion for summary judgment. Lawyer Charles Everage of Charlotte, N.C., said his computer was afflicted by a malware virus and other problems. As…

Apr 5, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

After Fainting During 4th Cir. Hearing, Law Student Goes On to Make Great Argument

Stephen Rawson knew he should have eaten more protein for breakfast. But as he felt himself beginning to pass out during oral arguments before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., last week there wasn’t much the hypoglycemic third-year Duke University law student could do but faint.…

Mar 31, 2010 8:42 PM CDT

Son of Former NYC Mayor Giuliani Loses Suit Over Duke U Golf Team Dismissal

A lawsuit filed by the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani over his elimination from the Duke University golf team has been dismissed by a federal judge in North Carolina. Andrew Giuliani failed to establish that there was an enforceable contract between himself and Duke, held U.S.…

Mar 30, 2010 10:14 PM CDT

4th Circuit Hears ‘Fatal Vision’ Appeal

A federal appeals court is considering today whether to grant a new trial to a former Army doctor who claims drug-crazed hippies killed his wife and two daughters 40 years ago. The Fatal Vision book and miniseries were based on the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, who cites new evidence in…

Mar 23, 2010 4:11 PM CDT

Litigant’s Situation Goes from Bad to Worse as E-Mail to Judge Results in New Conviction

Apparently angry over what he perceived as a federal judge’s delay in ruling on his civil suit over an alleged unlawful arrest and incarceration, a Virginia man sent the South Carolina jurist a number of e-mails expressing his negative view of the situation. Now Stephen Rosenberg is awaiting sentencing in…

Mar 22, 2010 6:10 PM CDT

US Appeals Court Reinstates Suit Claiming Injury from Exploding, Hot Sandwich

A federal appeals court has reinstated a $2 million lawsuit that claims a Florida carnival operator was injured by a McDonald’s chicken sandwich that was so hot it exploded with hot grease. Plaintiff Frank Sutton claims the grease from the sandwich purchased at a Virginia truck stop burned his lips…

Mar 1, 2010 1:18 PM CST

Spam—a Lot

Networking sites spur another look at bogus e-mails

Mar 1, 2010 9:49 AM CST

Wielding Sealed TRO, Microsoft Shuts Down 270+ Web Addresses in Ex Parte Botnet Battle

In a litigation tactic that reportedly has never been tried before to combat a global malicious software attack, Microsoft Corp. won a sealed temporary restraining order in an ex parte “John Doe” federal court action in Virginia this week. It allowed the company to shut down, without prior notice to…

Feb 25, 2010 9:47 PM CST

Attorney in Federal Wire Fraud Case Allegedly Didn’t ID Buyers at Closings

A Virginia attorney has been federally charged with wire fraud after allegedly failing to disclose to lenders at real estate closings that third parties were involved in four home sales in 2006. Court papers made public today in U.S. District Court in Norfolk contend that mortgage lenders lost over $200,000…

Feb 24, 2010 9:37 PM CST