News from March 2009
Legislature to weigh public financing of SupCo elections
Kessler CHARLESTON - Jeff Kessler, chair of the West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, thinks public financing of Supreme Court elections may help avoid the unwanted attention the Court has received recently.
Panel debates state's 'Hellhole' status
Williams CHARLESTON -– It wasn't hard to see the ideological division between the plaintiff and defense bars during a panel discussion over whether West Virginia deserves to be called a "judicial hellhole."
Former beBetter CFO files racial discrimination suit
CHARLESTON -– The former chief financial officer of beBetter Networks claims racial harassment cost him his job.
Johnson & Johnson pays $4.475M for drug statements
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – Thanks to a case filed by West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw in 2004, Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $4.475 million for making false statements to West Virginia physicians.
Company says Glasgow lawsuits off the mark
CHARLESTON – Glasgow residents suing RJ Recycling over damage from scrap operations picked the wrong target, according to the company.
Daughters claim hospital neglect killed father
HUNTINGTON -- Two Fayette County women are suing a Huntington hospital, its foundation and its parent company because they say their father was mistreated while a patient and died as a result.
Carper bombs
Chesapeake Energy made it official last week: the company is pulling up stakes and leaving West Virginia.
Asbestos suits offer X-ray vision
Harron JACKSON, Miss. – Just as X-rays allow patients to see through skin, X-ray lawsuits allow Americans to see through asbestos litigation that swallowed profits of American corporations and carried away their assets through bankruptcy courts.
Supreme Court to hear arguments at WVU
CHARLESTON -– The West Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments March 10 in the Lugar Courtroom at the West Virginia University College of Law.
Despite suspension, Cookman still faces contempt charges
CHARLESTON - Despite his recent disbarment, Donald P. Cookman still faces contempt charges for failing to abide by the terms of a previous disciplinary order.
Hampshire attorney consents to disbarment
CHARLESTON -- In the midst of both ethical and criminal charges filed against him for embezzling money from former clients, a suspended Hampshire County attorney has voluntarily surrendered his law license.
Supreme Court suspends license of Morgantown attorney
CHARLESTON - The state Supreme Court has suspended the license of a Morgantown attorney after finding her in contempt for violating the terms of a previous order disciplining her for misconduct.
McGraw's tobacco plan won't work, lawyer argues
McGraw CHARLESTON – America doesn't have enough retired federal judges to arbitrate tobacco tax disputes the way West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw proposes to do it.
Digitek plaintiffs face thorough fact sheets
Goodwin CHARLESTON – Individuals who sued manufacturers of heart medicine Digitek will feel more like patients than plaintiffs when they fill out fact sheets for a federal judge.
Mother, son suing South Charleston over impaled foot
CHARLESTON -- A mother and her minor son are suing the city of South Charleston over an alleged mishap at the Little Creek Country Club swimming pool.
Man claims he bought property that already had been sold
CHARLESTON -- A man is suing three individuals, a lawyer and a bank over a piece of property he said he bought only to find out it had already been sold.
Asphalt company wants land sold to settle debt
CHARLES TOWN -- An asphalt company wants a Jefferson County judge to sell off a piece of land in order to settle a $33,106 debt it says it's owed by a construction company.
THIS JUST IN: Kanawha County
Feb. 13
THIS JUST IN: Putnam County
Feb. 24
THIS JUST IN: Cabell County
Feb. 17