State reaches $39.3M settlement with defunct Keysville tobacco company
Twenty-three years after the landmark Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was reached, defunct Keysville tobacco company S&M Brands Inc. has settled with Virginia for nearly $40 million, the attorney general’s office announced Wednesday. S&M Brands, the makers of Bailey cigarettes and other products, closed in 2019. It was started in 1995 by father and son Mac […]
Virginia, other states sue Augusta County company Nexus Services
Updated 3:30 p.m. Feb. 22 Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring joined Massachusetts and New York in suing Virginia-based bonding company Nexus Services Inc., alleging in the suit that its Libre by Nexus subsidiary “preys on consumers held in federal detention centers by offering to pay for consumers’ immigration bonds to secure their release.” In exchange […]
Court upholds state GOP’s May convention plan
The Republican Party of Virginia is clear to move forward with its plans for a May 1 convention, after a Richmond Circuit Court judge on Friday tossed out a lawsuit filed by state Sen. Amanda Chase to force the party to hold a primary election to choose its candidates for governor, attorney general and lieutenant […]
State GOP seeks dismissal of Chase lawsuit
The Republican Party of Virginia is asking the Richmond Circuit Court to toss out a lawsuit by state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, that seeks to force the party to hold a primary election instead of a nominating convention. In papers filed this week by Washington, D.C., attorney Lee Goodman, the Republican Party of Virginia filed […]
Yorktown consulting firm sues SCHEV over VMI probe contract
A Yorktown-based consultancy is suing the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the firm conducting an investigation into Virginia Military Institute’s racial attitudes and practices, a contract the plaintiff unsuccessfully bid on last year. In a civil suit filed Feb. 11 in Richmond Circuit Court, the Center for Applied Innovation LLC (CAI) seeks […]
Va. State Senate seeks dismissal of Chase civil rights suit
In a response to state Sen. Amanda Chase’s lawsuit claiming her civil rights were violated by her political censure last month, attorneys representing the Virginia State Senate and its clerk filed documents Monday seeking the suit’s dismissal under sovereign and legislative immunity protection of the defendants. Chase’s attorney, Tim Anderson of Virginia Beach, filed suit [&helli[...]
Chase sues Virginia GOP to halt nominating convention
Claiming that the Republican Party of Virginia has “held the process hostage,” state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, a GOP gubernatorial hopeful, has filed suit against the state GOP over its decision to hold a convention in May instead of a primary to select its 2021 candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Chase’s attorney, […]
Former executive sues New Peoples Bank for discrimination
Mary Trigiani, a marketing consultant and native of Big Stone Gap, has sued Russell County-based New Peoples Bank for discrimination and wrongful termination. She was employed as senior vice president of strategic planning and development at the community bank from 2017 until 2019, when her position was eliminated. In a suit filed Jan. 1 with […]
Liberty University sues state over tuition assistance cut for online students
Liberty University, the large, private nonprofit Christian school in Lynchburg, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam and the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), alleging that amendments to the 2020 state budget “wrongly exclude Virginia students who access higher education through online content” from receiving the Virginia Tuition […]
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Liberty University, saying in a statement Thursday that he has decided “to take a timeout” from the suit while keeping his options open. Falwell sued his former employer Oct. 28 in Lynchburg Circuit Court, claiming that the university made defamatory statements about him in the wake […]
Falwell sues Liberty University, claiming defamation
Jerry Falwell Jr. filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Lynchburg against Liberty University, claiming his former employer made defamatory statements about him. He also alleges in the lawsuit that his former business partner, Giancarlo Granda, who had a highly publicized affair with Falwell’s wife, has conspired against Falwell with “politically motivated backers,” including the political[...]
Petersburg hotel operator files $28M claim in LeClairRyan bankruptcy case
Virginia hotel operator Petersburg Regency LLC filed a $28 million claim in the LeClairRyan bankruptcy case Thursday in Richmond, according to the federal court filing. Petersburg Regency is seeking relief from an automatic stay in LeClairRyan’s handling of an insurance dispute from 2003’s Hurricane Isabel. An automatic stay ensures equality of distribution by preventing one […]