LeClairRyan’s Recent Trial Victories
LeClairRyan’s attorneys pride themselves on being ready, willing and able to go to trial. Here are some of our victories over the past six months.
Business Litigation:
- Defense of business in Albemarle County Circuit Court for alleged fraud and breach of contract in the sale of real estate. Defense verdict after two-day jury trial. (Tom Wolf)
- Temporary injunction awarded by Henrico County Circuit Court in favor of purchaser of business against sellers for violation of a non-compete agreement. (Tom Wolf)
- Defense of a coal company in Buchanan County Circuit Court against suit for injunction alleging numerous grounds to shut down operations of largest coal mine in the state. Defense verdict after two-day trial. (Buddy Allen, Vern Inge & Charles Sims)
Construction Litigation:
- Plaintiff owner sued design-build contractor in construction dispute. After eight-day jury trial in Albemarle County Circuit Court, plaintiff prevailed on virtually every issue. (Bob Yates)
- Defense of tort litigation. The plaintiff sustained permanent nerve damage as a result of burns received when the roof guardrail installed by the defendant failed, causing him to fall into a pit of 500 degree tar. Evidence confirmed that the guardrail failed to meet building code requirements. The defense argued on the grounds of contributory negligence and failure to wear necessary safety equipment. Jury in Petersburg Circuit Court deliberated less than an hour before returning a defense verdict. (Charlie Meyer & Yvette Ayala)
- Representation of power plant owner against general contractor for breach of contract and defending against $50 million in counterclaims. After ruling for owner on every issue last year, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond Division) recently awarded owner $2.5 million in attorney’s fees and costs. (Tom Wolf, John Craddock & Rob Best)
Medical Malpractice Defense Verdict:
- Wrongful death action on behalf of a 41-year-old wife and mother prescribed Flecainide, an antiarrhythmic medication. After a three day trial in Richmond Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict for defendant. (Tracy Taylor Hague)
NASD Arbitration (Defense):
- A customer alleged that his investment company failed to provide him with timely information regarding redemption of his preferred shares of stock. Following a two-day hearing, the arbitration panel denied the claims in their entirety. (Cameron Matheson)
Tax Disputes:
- Represented a company in a tax dispute with the City of Alexandria where the Tax Commissioner incorrectly calculated and assessed their taxes, resulting in an overpayment by the company of over $1 million. The court ruled in favor of the company, resulting on a refund of over $1 million. (N. Pendleton Rogers, R. Scott Caulkins and Tara L. Elgie)
Tort Defense:
- Defense of bus driver in Prince William County Circuit Court against claims of a minor injured in a bus accident. LeClair Ryan attorneys argued that the accident was unavoidable, caused by another motorist for which the bus driver was not responsible. Jury deliberated less than 40 minutes before returning a defense verdict. (Charlie Meyer & Sarah Moffett)
Trust and Estate Litigation:
- The plaintiff sought to set aside virtually every transfer to our client’s family for the seven years preceding their mother/grandmother’s death on the grounds of lack of capacity and undue influence. The deceased mother/grandmother’s estate (including the challenged transfers) totaled in excess of $4 million. After a two-week trial in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, the jury returned a verdict for our clients. (Buddy Allen & Steve Faraci)
- Plaintiff grandchildren of now living, but mentally incompetent, creator of trust, sued trustee for breach of fiduciary duty. After eight-day trial in Virginia Beach, court ruled in favor of our clients on every issue. (Charles Sims & Michele Burke)
About LeClairRyan:
Founded in 1988, LeClairRyan is a full service law firm with approximately 150 attorneys in offices in Virginia, the District of Columbia and New York. For more information about LeClairRyan’s practice groups and attorneys, please visit: http://www.leclairryan.com.