West Virginia

Top Court Hears Judicial Influence Case, Leans Toward Stricter Recusal Standard

At least the public knew who was spending the money in a high-profile judicial influence case that packed the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments today. But in many other situations, the financial backing that helps judges win elections isn’t the subject of widespread news reports, points out the Grand…

Mar 3, 2009 9:57 PM CST

High Court to Decide if Big Judicial Contributions Trigger Recusal

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the Constitution required the recusal of a West Virginia Supreme Court justice who received more than $3 million in contributions from a coal mining executive. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted the case on Friday. The New York Times, Legal Times and…

Nov 17, 2008 1:42 PM CST

Pledging to Restore Integrity, Democrats Win W. Va. High Court Seats

Voters sent two Democrats to the West Virginia Supreme Court yesterday after a controversial justice accused of vacationing with a litigant was defeated in the primary. Defeated Chief Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard was defeated in May after photos surfaced showing him vacationing in Monte Carlo with the CEO of Massey…

Nov 5, 2008 2:14 PM CST

Court Asked to Rule in 3 Disputes over Fairness of W. Va. Justice System

The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to decide this week whether the Constitution required the recusal of a West Virginia Supreme Court justice who received more than $3 million in campaign contributions from the chief executive officer of a corporate litigant. The case is one of three before the court…

Oct 13, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

W.Va. Lawyer Accused of Hiring Legal Fees Collection Strongarm

A West Virginia lawyer who is seeking election as a county prosecutor is facing potential discipline for allegedly hiring a convicted felon to collect legal fees—using threats and even actual physical force to do so, if necessary—and asking him to help him get a “throw away” gun. Attorney Mark Blevins…

Aug 26, 2008 6:45 PM CDT

W. Va. Governor Reportedly Got DuPont’s Help Before Filing Amicus Brief

DuPont lawyers accommodated a request by West Virginia’s governor by supplying two draft briefs that he could use for the state’s amicus brief urging the state supreme court to hear a case involving the company, the New York Times reports. The brief urges the supreme court to hear an appeal…

Aug 13, 2008 3:15 PM CDT

Cert Petition Claims Campaign Contributions Required Judicial Recusal

A cert petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court claims West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin was required to recuse himself in a business interference case because of $3 million in campaign contributions made by a litigant. Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson filed the petition on behalf of the…

Aug 4, 2008 12:26 PM CDT

Law Firm Sues Over Yellow Pages Ad

The partners of a prominent Charleston, W.Va., law firm have sued the company that produces Verizon phone directories, saying that a mistake in its Yellow Pages ad is costing Neely & Callaghan legal business. Idearc Media Corp. allegedly ran the wrong copy for the firm’s ad in the Charleston edition…

Jun 12, 2008 4:31 PM CDT

Urged By Law Profs to Resign, W. Va. U Prez, Michael Garrison, Will Step Down

The president of West Virginia University has agreed to step down after a controversy over an award of an MBA degree to the daughter of the state governor even though she had not completed enough credits. The situation came to light after a newspaper reporter made a routine inquiry about…

Jun 6, 2008 6:36 PM CDT

Lawyer Suspended for E-Mail Snooping

A West Virginia lawyer has been suspended for two years for accessing the e-mail of his wife and eight other lawyers at least 150 times over a two-year period. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals imposed the sanction against Charleston lawyer Michael Markins in an opinion issued Friday, the…

May 28, 2008 11:56 AM CDT

W. Va. Law School Gets $8M in Unclaimed Settlement Money

West Virginia University’s law school will get $8 million in unclaimed settlement proceeds from a class-action lawsuit against H&R Block. The money is the largest gift ever made to the law school, the Charleston Gazette reports. Judge Duke Bloom suggested giving the money to the law school. Lawyers from both…

May 6, 2008 2:54 PM CDT

Big Coal Co. Wins in Recusal Dustup; ABC Claims CEO Scuffled With Producer

The West Virginia Supreme Court has once again overturned a $50 million verdict against the nation’s fourth largest coal company, but that apparently didn’t stop the winning company’s chief executive officer from getting into a parking lot scuffle with an ABC producer. The state high court decided to rehear the…

Apr 4, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Legal Thriller Author Bashes Judicial Elections, to Chagrin of Newspaper

An editorial writer at the Wall Street Journal is taking legal thriller writer John Grisham to task for supporting merit selection of judges over judicial elections. Grisham backs merit selection of judges, as do retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the American Bar Association (PDF). The method,…

Mar 20, 2008 1:02 PM CDT

W. Va. Top Court Rehears Coal Case, Without Two Justices

West Virginia’s top court heard a dispute between two coal companies, one defunct and the other the nation’s fourth-largest, for a second time yesterday. This time, though, two justices have recused themselves amid allegations that the CEO of the bigger company wielded too much influence on the court. Novelist John…

Mar 13, 2008 6:05 PM CDT

Two Florida Lawyers Accused of Making ‘Sham’ Claims for Credit Card Holders

Two Florida lawyers and their affiliated firms are accused in a lawsuit of making “sham” claims on behalf of consumers seeking to avoid payment of credit card debt. The suit by Chase Bank claims the lawyers falsely tell customers that the credit card company violated the federal Fair Credit Billing…

Mar 6, 2008 1:42 PM CST