Steve Korris News
Drug makers must warn patients of risks, Justices rule
Davis CHARLESTON – Drug companies cannot escape liability for harmful prescriptions in West Virginia by laying all responsibility on doctors, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled June 27.
Disciplinary board admonishes Mingo prosecutor
CHARLESTON - After the Lawyer Disciplinary Board told Mingo County Prosecutor Michael Sparks not to investigate county commissioners without a special prosecutor, his office served a subpoena for commissioner Halcy Hatfield's bank accounts.
Benjamin criticizes majority in Youngblood dissent
Benjamin CHARLESTON - Justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals who awarded a new trial to sexual assault suspect Denver Youngblood tried to sanitize him, Justice Brent Benjamin wrote in dissent.
Lose your license and lose some ATV rights, Justices rule
Albright CHARLESTON- Drivers of all terrain vehicles don't need driver's licenses to run on road shoulders, but according to the Supreme Court of Appeals those who lose driver's licenses lose the right to run ATVs on shoulders.
Starcher commends courage of convicted woman
Starcher CHARLESTON - Justice Larry Starcher of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals pleaded passionately for Valerie Whittaker, vouching not only for her innocence but also for her courage.
Justices side with insurer in Explorer wreck case
CHARLESTON – Terry Mace and Donald Mace sold a wreck to Liberty Mutual Insurance for scrap and then sued the insurer for scrapping it.
Court says judge needs to decide when plaintiff became sane
CHARLESTON -- To extend the statute of limitations for a man who suffered temporary mental illness, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals stretched the words "at the same time" to mean a few days.
Braxton magistrate won't get paid during suspension
Benjamin CHARLESTON- Braxton County Magistrate Carolyn Cruickshanks cannot draw her pay while on suspension for allegedly helping her son set up a jail inmate for retaliation, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled.
Justices order new trial in Mingo wrecker case
Starcher CHARLESTON – Mingo Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury rewarded wrecker Kenneth Cox for deceitfully holding a vehicle, according to a May 25 opinion of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Justices uphold man's conviction in child's death in hot car
CHARLESTON – Adonis Thompson, who slept while his two-year-old son died in a hot car, failed to convince the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that he did not commit a crime.
Justices grant new trial to rape suspect
Davis CHARLESTON – Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court convinced Justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to grant a new trial to rape suspect Denver Youngblood Jr.
Court back Putnam school board in fatal wreck case
CHARLESTON – Larry Jackson helped son Timothy break a travel rule of the Winfield High School show choir.
Retirement accounts belong to teachers, not board, Lees says
Lees CHARLESTON – Teachers who have managed their retirement accounts wisely and teachers who have managed their accounts poorly would receive the same benefits if the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board has its way, according to attorney Jim Lees of Charleston.
Judge biased jurors, Supreme Court rules
Starcher CHARLESTON – Circuit Judge Richard Facemire biased Clay County jurors against a defendant by acting like a prosecutor, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals unanimously ruled May 15.
Jurors didn't know full abuse story, Albright says in dissent
Albright CHARLESTON - Jurors who convicted Valerie Whittaker of killing Jerry Calvin Mills Jr. should have learned more about the abuse she suffered, according to a May 15 dissent from Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Joseph Albright.
Whanger, AG's office agree not to disparage each other
McGraw CHARLESTON – Chief Deputy Attorney General Fran Hughes, who called Deborah Whanger a rogue employee and a cancer in 2004, promises not to say things like that if anyone asks for references on Whanger.
Putnam judge should've awarded legal fees to couple, Supreme Court rules
CHARLESTON – Putnam Circuit Judge O. C. Spaulding did not understand the meanings of "must" and "any," all five Justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals agreed in a May 10 decision.
Personal gifts from lobbyists are OK, state rules say
Hughes CHARLESTON – In West Virginia, a lobbyist can give a state official the most extravagant gift on earth as long as they both call it personal.
Justices uphold dismissal of electrician's fireball case
Albright CHARLESTON – Electrician David Kyle cannot proceed with a lawsuit over a fireball that burned his face, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals decided May 15.
Burton sees BrickStreet audit as a compliment
Cline CHARLESTON – West Virginia insurance commissioner Jane Cline has asked workers compensation insurer BrickStreet Mutual to reimburse the state for a $555,763 computer system.