Virginia

New Question About MERS Mortgage System: Does It Owe Money for Unpaid Fees?

In the latest challenge to a controversial nationwide method of registering mortgage ownership, a Virginia lawmaker is requesting an opinion from the state attorney general on whether Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems is required to pay a fee every time a home loan is transferred. MERS is the glue that holds…

Nov 1, 2010 11:15 PM CDT

Inmate’s Letter Seeking Forgiveness Didn’t Have Intended Effect

A jail inmate awaiting trial on sexual assault charges wrote an apology letter to the 87-year-old victim, asking her to forgive him and drop the case against him. The letter didn’t have its intended effect, the Virginian-Pilot reports. Instead it became another piece of evidence in the criminal case against…

Oct 6, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Fake Pizza Orders, Prank Calls, Website Attacks, and Now a Law Firm Bomb Threat

A Virginia law firm that has sued thousands of people for alleged illegal downloading was evacuated Thursday after receiving an e-mail bomb threat. Police didn’t identify the law firm, but Leesburg Today says it was Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver. The Leesburg law firm calls itself the U.S. Copyright Group and…

Oct 4, 2010 12:50 PM CDT

Former Arnold & Porter Associate Charged with 10 More Child Porn Counts

A former Arnold & Porter associate is facing additional counts of possessing child pornography after a police review of materials found in a search of his home. Joshua Gessler, 41, was accused last month of paying a 15-year-old girl for sex and photographing the encounter, the Washington Post blog Crime…

Sep 17, 2010 11:28 AM CDT

Judge Refuses Va. AG’s Request for Records of Global Warming Scientist

A Virginia judge has blocked an attempt by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to obtain records of a global warming scientist. Cuccinelli is a global warming skeptic, and he wanted the records as part of a probe into possible fraud in taxpayer-funded research on the issue by former professor Michael…

Aug 31, 2010 12:50 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer Gets 18 Months, Must Repay $628K in Mortgage Fraud That Earned Him About $14K

A 52-year-old former Virginia Beach real estate attorney has been sentenced to 18 months in a federal mortgage fraud case. William Timberlake, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wire fraud, also agreed to pay $628,000 in restitution, reports the Virginian-Pilot. He earned about $14,000 in fees…

Aug 26, 2010 4:58 PM CDT

Arnold & Porter Associate Charged in Child Porn Case Concerning Teen Girl

An online profile for a corporate and securities associate in the Northern Virginia office of Arnold & Porter was apparently removed from the law firm’s website around the time that news broke he had been charged with one count of production of child pornography and five counts of possession. The…

Aug 24, 2010 11:40 PM CDT

Va. AG Joins Immigration Debate, Supports Status Checks During All Cop Stops

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has issued a legal opinion that says police have the authority to check the immigration status of anyone lawfully stopped or arrested in the state. The opinion (PDF) says police in Virginia have the authority to make the same type of inquiries contemplated by the…

Aug 3, 2010 11:38 AM CDT

Judge Refuses to Toss Va. Challenge to Health Care Law

A federal judge in Richmond, Va., has refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the health care law signed by the president in March. U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson held that the court had jurisdiction to hear the challenge to the law requiring people to buy health care coverage or pay…

Aug 2, 2010 5:41 PM CDT

Legal Aid Groups Sue Prison Officials Over Ban on ‘Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook’

A free handbook prepared by legal aid groups explaining to inmates how they can assert their constitutional rights in federal court is a threat to prison security, officials in Virginia decided. So they banned it. Now the publishers of the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook (PDF) are fighting back. They have filed…

Jul 22, 2010 9:15 PM CDT

Judge Sanctions Lawyer, Realtor for ‘Frivolous Claims Supported by Wild Speculation’

A judge has ordered a Virginia lawyer and his client to pay a $272,000 sanction for filing “a combination of frivolous claims supported by wild speculation.” Judge Jonathan Thacher imposed the sanction on Alexandria, Va., lawyer Forrest Walpole and his client, saying they pursued litigation “after any legitimate prospect of…

Jul 14, 2010 1:34 PM CDT

King & Spalding Summer Associate Dies in Commuter Train Accident

A summer associate at King & Spalding with a seemingly bright future who was to start his third year of law school this fall died early Sunday in a Washington, D.C., commuter train accident. Joseph Doyle’s death was announced Monday in an online letter to the College of William &…

Jul 7, 2010 5:18 PM CDT

Super-Remorseful Attorney Gets Less Time for Mortgage Fraud

Stephen Gunther reportedly made less than $10,000 by closing four real estate deals on terms he didn’t disclose to the mortgage lenders. And now the Virginia real estate attorney is paying a high price after straw buyers defaulted on the loans. Lenders lost some $231,000, and Gunther must make restitution…

Jun 24, 2010 12:23 AM CDT

Rotunda Sex-Harass Suit Against George Mason Legal Clinic Exec Is Settled

A sexual harassment lawsuit filed against a George Mason University legal clinic executive director has been settled. Plaintiff Kyndra Rotunda, a former director of the clinic who is the wife of constitutional law scholar Ron Rotunda, has agreed to a confidential settlement of her claims against Joseph Zengerle. It involves…

Jun 8, 2010 6:49 PM CDT

New Law Firm Formed with 15 Lawyers from LeClairRyan

Fifteen lawyers form LeClairRyan are striking out on their own. The group is forming the law firm Murphy & McGonigle to advise financial services clients facing securities litigation, the Washington Post reports. One of the new co-founders, Thomas McGonigle, told the Post that he and five other lawyers in the…

Jun 7, 2010 11:59 AM CDT