Virginia

Law firm worker survives carjacking, police chase, being shot in head during lunch break

A lunch break for two workers at a Richmond, Virginia, law firm turned tragic on Monday when they stopped for gas at a station less than a mile from BrownGreer and the driver was held up at gunpoint, authorities said. After the victim said he had no money, the would-be…

Nov 18, 2015 12:20 PM CST

SCOTUS to consider Virginia redistricting suit; do GOP lawmakers have standing?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider a Virginia redistricting case challenging the state’s only congressional district with a majority-black population. The Virginia case, Wittman v. Personhuballah, was brought by Mark Elias, the general counsel to the Clinton presidential campaign, the Washington Post reports. Funding was provided by…

Nov 16, 2015 8:00 AM CST

Fraternity files $25M defamation suit over retracted Rolling Stone story about campus rape claim

A fraternity has filed suit over a retracted Rolling Stone article that initially claimed Phi Kappa Psi members had been involved in a gang rape at its house on the University of Virginia. Two independent investigations—by police and a journalism school dean—have found no evidence that any such rape occurred.…

Nov 9, 2015 3:25 PM CST

Lawyer is reprimanded for belittling opposing counsel and his case during deposition

A Virginia lawyer has been reprimanded for calling the case against his client “crap” and belittling the opposing counsel during a deposition. The lawyer, John George Crandley, was publicly reprimanded without terms in an agreed disposition. The Legal Profession Blog has a story. According to the Oct. 13 reprimand (PDF),…

Nov 5, 2015 7:59 AM CST

Let go after 74 years, law firm sues client to regain representation

For 74 years, a Portsmouth, Virginia, law firm represented the city’s housing authority. But in September the authority decided to award a legal services contract to another local law firm. Now, after protesting the award administratively to no avail, Cooper Spong & Davis is suing the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing…

Oct 30, 2015 11:45 AM CDT

Lawyer is reprimanded for fourth time, this time over deposition conduct

A Virginia lawyer has been reprimanded once again for sarcastic behavior, this time over his conduct in a deposition. The lawyer, John “Jack” Crandley of Virginia Beach, was publicly reprimanded on Oct. 1 in an agreed disposition for his actions at a May 2014 deposition, the Virginian-Pilot reports. According to…

Oct 26, 2015 7:00 AM CDT

Better lawyering has caused drop in death sentences in Virginia, study author says

Capital sentencing hearings in Virginia are getting longer and the number of death sentences is getting lower. The author of a study released Monday suggests the two developments are linked, the Associated Press and UVA News report. University of Virginia law professor Brandon Garrett compared 21 capital murder trials held…

Oct 22, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Virginia inmate is executed after judge rejects claim execution drug could be ineffective

A Virginia inmate was executed on Thursday after a judge rejected his claims about the efficacy of one of his execution drugs. Alfredo Prieto, who was convicted of three murders and linked to six others, had an “utterly painless death,” the Washington Post reports. In his last statement, Prieto thanked…

Oct 2, 2015 6:40 AM CDT

Judge delays Virginia execution amid questions about execution drug

A federal judge in Virginia on Wednesday stayed the execution of Alfredo Prieto to allow time to consider his claim that one of the lethal injection drugs could cause “gratuitous and unnecessary pain.” U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga of Alexandria temporarily enjoined Prieto’s execution, scheduled for today, in this order…

Oct 1, 2015 11:46 AM CDT

Lawyer gets 4 months for stealing from law firm, is ordered to pay $160K

A Virginia attorney who reportedly stole from his law firm was sentenced Tuesday to serve four months in federal prison and ordered to pay $160,647 to his former employer. Tony Michael Hutchinson, 52, had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the Abingdon case, WJHL reports. Hutchinson, a bankruptcy practitioner,…

Sep 1, 2015 4:40 PM CDT

Alleged ‘office creeper’ charged in law firm burglary and other thefts

Ameenah Franks isn’t discussing the latest burglary cases in which she is charged, including a break-in at a Norfolk, Virginia, law firm. But the 30-year-old, who has previously served time for stealing in workplace settings, did offer some perspective on the reasons behind her past actions during a three-hour jailhouse…

Aug 28, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

Judge has public defender handcuffed, but gives him a break at contempt hearing

Warned by the Virginia judge hearing a motion in a second-degree murder case to stop arguing after the court had already ruled, an assistant public defender said a few words too many. That prompted Circuit Judge Johnny E. Morrison to hold attorney Dennis McCarthy in contempt and have him taken…

Aug 25, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Former governor may lose pension under measure he signed into law

While still serving as governor of Virginia, Robert F. “Bob” McDonnell signed legislation that strips pensions from government workers convicted of a felony due to official misconduct. Now he himself is feeling its sting. Based on his 2014 corruption conviction, McDonnell should lose his pension under the law, the state’s…

Jul 31, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

NFL team’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated by loss of disparaging trademarks, judge rules

A federal judge has rejected constitutional claims by Washington’s NFL team in a suit challenging cancellation of six trademarks for its name. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board had canceled the trademark registration in June 2014 because the trademarks were disparaging to Native Americans. In a decision on Wednesday, U.S.…

Jul 8, 2015 11:26 AM CDT

Once-mighty real estate boutique files for bankruptcy, a year after claimed $30M embezzlement

A real estate boutique whose attorney roster has shrunk to a small fraction of the 150 lawyers it once listed has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Atlanta-based Morris Schneider Wittstadt made the filing early this week in Richmond, Virginia. It says the firm has approximately $10 million in assets and…

Jul 7, 2015 10:10 AM CDT