Virginia

New law firm caters to gun-toting Virginians worried about legal defense costs

Gun-toting Virginians worried about legal defense costs are being offered peace of mind by a new law firm formed by the state’s former attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli. The new firm, Virginia Self Defense Law, offers a monthly retainer as low as $8.33 a month, the Washington Post reports. For that…

Feb 28, 2014 2:10 PM CST

Virginia’s gay-marriage ban is struck down

Updated: A federal judge in Norfolk has struck down Virginia’s ban on gay marriage in a case argued by Theodore Olson and David Boies, the same lawyers who won a California gay-marriage case in the U.S. Supreme Court by challenging opponents’ standing. Judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled on Thursday, overturning…

Feb 14, 2014 1:15 PM CST

Judge reverses contempt citation for prosecutor who was late to court

A Virginia prosecutor who was held in contempt and fined $250 for being late to court in Norfolk won a reversal on Friday after appealing the conviction. Calling the case “unusual to say the least,” Circuit Judge Charles E. Poston reversed the Jan. 7 conviction of Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Catherine…

Feb 10, 2014 12:45 PM CST

Virginia bill would allow pets to be buried with people

A bill in Virginia would make clear that people and pets may be buried next to each other after their deaths. Virginia law defines cemeteries as places for the interment of human remains, the Washington Post reports. The bill introduced by Israel O’Quinn, a Republican member of the state House…

Jan 31, 2014 3:30 PM CST

Former Va. governor rejected plea bargain that would have spared his wife, WaPo reports

Former Va. Gov. Robert F. “Bob” McDonnell reportedly rejected a plea offer by federal prosecutors that would have spared his wife, Maureen, from prosecution. McDonnell was offered an opportunity to plead guilty to one felony fraud charge that had nothing to do with the corruption charges he and his wife…

Jan 27, 2014 10:14 PM CST

Virginia attorney general won’t defend state ban on same-sex marriage

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring will notify a federal court in Norfolk today that his office will no longer defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Herring believes the ban is unconstitutional, his spokesperson told the Associated Press. The Washington Post also has a story based on two anonymous sources.…

Jan 23, 2014 1:07 PM CST

Ex-governor of Virginia, a former state AG, is indicted with his wife in corruption case

In office as Virginia’s governor until earlier this month, Robert F. “Bob” McDonnell, a former state attorney general once considered a prospect for the White House, is now federally indicted along with his wife, Maureen, on corruption charges. The two are accused of accepting loans, gifts, vacations and the use…

Jan 21, 2014 11:15 PM CST

Yelp ordered to turn over identities of seven authors who wrote alleged fake reviews

A Virginia appeals court has ruled Yelp must turn over the identities of seven anonymous reviewers of a carpet cleaning business who did not appear to be actual customers. The Virginia Court of Appeals found no First Amendment violation when the business, Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, could not find customer records…

Jan 10, 2014 11:45 AM CST

Museum seeks dismissal of woman’s claim to stolen Renoir

The Baltimore Museum of Art is asking a federal judge to dismiss a Virginia woman’s claim to a tiny Renoir painting she says she bought in a “box of junk” at a flea market in 2009 for $7. The museum, in a motion for summary judgment Tuesday, says the 1879…

Dec 5, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Apparent suicide of lawmaker’s son after stabbing dad is likely to revive mental-health debate

A Virginia state lawmaker is continuing to recover after suffering stab wounds Tuesday in what law enforcement authorities have described as an attack at his home by an adult son who then shot himself to death. The condition of Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, who was hospitalized and had surgery after…

Nov 20, 2013 8:00 PM CST

Prominent Va. attorney and lawmaker stabbed by son in attempted murder-suicide, authorities say

A prominent Virginia attorney and state lawmaker was stabbed Tuesday morning by an adult son during an attack at his home, and is in fair condition after being airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, 55, was initially reported to be in critical…

Nov 19, 2013 4:50 PM CST

Top state court says Virginia Tech had no duty to warn students of gunman, nixes jury award

Overturning a jury verdict that originally awarded $4 million each to two families of victims slain in the April 16, 2007 shooting massacre at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the state’s top court held Thursday that the school had no duty to warn students of the danger posed by…

Oct 31, 2013 4:45 PM CDT

Granddaughter of lawman sets record straight on 1926 courthouse shooting

The way authorities and the local newspaper told the story at the time, two lawmen shot each other to death at a Virginia courthouse in 1926 because of a family feud. But years of research by a granddaughter of one of the men, state inspector James Sherman Mullins, shows that…

Oct 16, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

LeClairRyan acquires 11-attorney health care boutique, plants flag in two more states

A growing Virginia-based midsized law firm has expanded its footprint with the acquisition of an 11-attorney health care boutique. LeClairRyan has acquired Adelman, Sheff & Smith, which will continue operating in its existing offices, a Tuesday press release announces. Including the Adelman firm’s offices in Annapolis, Md., and Glenwood Springs,…

Oct 16, 2013 4:50 PM CDT

Defense lawyer says he didn’t call sentencing witness because of courtroom camera fear

Both the prosecution and the defense objected when a judge in Fairfax County, Va., allowed news media cameras in the courtroom during a recent murder trial. It was the first time cameras were allowed in a Fairfax County courtroom since 1994. According to the Washington Post, “No media circus ensued.”…

Aug 30, 2013 2:00 PM CDT