Sign In
Free Newsletter
Convicted of bilking investors, Nikola founder and Trump donor gets a presidential pardon
Trevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle startup Nikola who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud, was pardoned by President Donald Trump, the White House confirmed Friday. The pardon of Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison for exaggerating the potential of his technology, could wipe out hundreds of millions of […]
A federal judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing parts of President Donald Trump‘s executive orders aimed at curbing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts among federal contractors and grant recipients. Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois halted the Labor Department […]
Federal judge struggles with scope of relief for fired workers
BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland said Wednesday he will at least briefly extend a temporary order requiring the Trump administration to bring back federal workers who were fired as part of a dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, but the judge said he was struggling with the scope of a broad order. U.S. District […]
Judge orders a June trial for US government’s felony case against Boeing
A federal judge in Texas has set a June trial date for the U.S. government’s years-old conspiracy case against Arlington County-headquartered Boeing for misleading regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor did not explain in the scheduling order he issued on Tuesday why he […]
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[...]
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[...]
