Trump Town owner found not guilty of assault, indecent exposure
A judge Monday found Donald “Whitey” Taylor, owner of Boones Mill’s Trump Town retail store, not guilty of misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure and assaulting three store employees. “It was very rewarding,” Taylor said of the verdict. “These ladies were just looking for money.” Requests for comment from the Franklin County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney and to [&hellip[...]
Woman accused of running high-end brothels in Northern Virginia and near Boston set to be sentenced
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts woman accused of operating a high-end brothel network with wealthy and prominent clients in that state and the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia is set to be sentenced. Han Lee and two others were indicted last year on one count of conspiracy to persuade, entice and coerce one or […]
Ben & Jerry’s alleges parent company Unilever removed its CEO over social activism
Ben & Jerry’s says its CEO was unlawfully removed by its parent company, Unilever, in retaliation for the ice cream maker’s social and political activism. In a federal court filing late Tuesday, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever. Ben […]
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[...]
Kaufman & Canoles names executive director
Chris Smythe has been named executive director of Kaufman & Canoles, the Norfolk-headquartered law firm announced Monday. In the role, Smythe will oversee the day-to-day operations of the firm and report directly to Jason R. Davis, its president and CEO. Previously, Smythe was president of Tycon Medical Systems, a Norfolk home medical equipment and complex […]
Judge orders Trump to reinstate probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco ordered President Donald Trump‘s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies, blasting their tactics Thursday as he slowed the new president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that [&hell[...]
Whistleblowers in Sentara insurance investigation revealed
UPDATED MARCH 18 The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia has unsealed a whistleblower complaint against Sentara Health that accused the Hampton Roads health care system of improperly inflating local insurance rates in 2018 and 2019. On Feb. 14, the court revealed the plaintiffs are Sara Stovall, Ian Dixon and Karl Quist […]
Virginia Supreme Court to hear appeal of reversal of $2B judgment for Appian
The Supreme Court of Virginia has agreed to hear a petition from software company Appian, asking to reinstate a 2022 judgment worth about $2.04 billion in a trade secrets verdict against a competitor. It’s the latest turn in the battle between Appian, which is based in Fairfax County’s McLean area, and rival Pegasystems. In 2022, […]
2025 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: Rahni N. Jenkins
Jenkins has led the Geller Law Group’s operations and human resources since 2023, but she worked with the firm as a contract consultant beginning in 2020. Before that, Jenkins held leadership roles at the March of Dimes and advised Microsoft and other organizations. She holds DEI credentials from Cornell and is a doctoral candidate at […]
Va. to receive $107.4M in updated opioids settlement
Virginia stands to receive up to $107.4 million in a multistate settlement proposed by OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Thursday. The defendants in the federal case have offered to pay $7.4 billion to 14 states to settle claims that under the leadership of the […]
Va. Bar Association elects 2025 president
A Richmond attorney who leads the family law practice group at FloranceGordonBrown in Richmond will serve as the 2025 president of the Virginia Bar Association, the professional organization announced earlier this month. President of FloranceGordanBrown, Kimberlee Harris Ramsey joined VBA in 1989 and is a past chair of the association’s domestic relations section. Additionally, the […[...]
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 […]