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Judge rules DOGE’s USAID dismantling likely violates the Constitution
WASHINGTON (AP) — The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency likely violated the Constitution, a federal judge ruled Tuesday as he indefinitely blocked DOGE from making further cuts to the agency. The order requires the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all employees of USAID, in[...]
Martinsville doctor found guilty of 460+ counts of opioids distribution
A federal court jury in Abingdon found Dr. Joel Smithers, who previously practiced in Martinsville, guilty of 466 federal counts of illegally prescribing Schedule II controlled substances, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western Virginia announced Dec. 31, 2024. He was also found guilty of one count of maintaining a place for the purpose of illegally […]
Owens & Minor sues Anthem, accusing insurer of mishandling claims
Mechanicsville-based Fortune 500 health care logistics and supply company Owens & Minor filed a federal lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield this week, claiming that the Henrico County insurer mismanaged funds for Owens & Minor’s employee health insurance plan and allegedly violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. According to the […]
All eyes on noncompetes
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Aug. 20, a federal judge in Texas ruled against the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements, which was scheduled to go into effect Sept. 4. In striking down the FTC’s pending rule, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown called it “arbitrary and capricious” and an “unlawful agency action.” An FTC spokesperson said […]
Former Siemens exec charged in Dominion bid-rigging case
A retired Siemens Energy executive is facing a felony charge in an alleged conspiracy to steal its competitor’s trade secrets, helping the German energy company prevail in a winning bid to build a gas turbine “peaker” plant in Chesterfield County for Dominion Energy in 2019. John Gibson, of Winter Park, Florida, was charged in U.S. […]
Falwell Jr. lawsuit targets Prevo, Liberty board members
A legal complaint filed last week by former Liberty University President and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. alleges that President Emeritus Jerry Prevo and members of Liberty’s executive committee received in excess of $1 million from the university “through a series of questionable self-dealing transactions that have the appearance of kickbacks.” Filed in the U.S. District [&helli[...]
Steampunk wins pregnancy discrimination lawsuit
A federal jury ruled on Friday that a McLean-based IT federal contractor did not discriminate against a former employee on the basis of pregnancy or retaliate against her. The eight-person jury’s decision was unanimously in favor of Steampunk Holdings and its subsidiary, Steampunk Inc., after a five-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the […]
Ex Chesterfield pharma CEO pleads guilty in federal opioid treatment investigation
Shaun Thaxter, former CEO of Chesterfield County-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Indivior PLC, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Abingdon to a misdemeanor criminal charge related to the U.S Justice Department’s probe into the marketing of Suboxone, Indivior’s opioid addiction treatment drug. Thaxter pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmeti[...]
Two Va. lawyers plead guilty in $200M extortion plot
Two Virginia lawyers have pleaded guilty to an extortion plot targeting a multinational chemicals company with demands for $200 million in “consulting fees,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Lawyers Timothy Litzenburg of Charlottesville, and Daniel Kincheloe of Glen Allen, both pleaded guilty June 19 in Charlottesville federal court. They face up […]
