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 Posted on March 17, 2020 in Uncategorized

On March 16, 2020, the Virginia Supreme Court suspended nearly all court proceedings for the next three weeks in the district and circuit courts in Virginia in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and to protect the health and safety of court employees, litigants, judges and the general public.  The Virginia Supreme Court’s Order follows a statewide ban issued by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam prohibiting public gatherings of more than 100 people.

The order provides, in part:

This Order shall be in effect from today, Monday, March 16, to Monday, April 6, 2020, and it is hereby ORDERED that NON-ESSENTIAL, NON-EMERGENCY court proceedings in all circuit and district courts be and hereby are SUSPENDED and all deadlines are hereby tolled and extended, pursuant to Va. Code § 17.1-330(D), for a period of twenty-one (21) days, and all circuit and district courts shall implement the following measures absent a specific exception as listed below:

1. Continue all civil, traffic and criminal matters, including jury trials, subject to a defendant’s right to a speedy trial, with the exception of emergency matters, including but not limited to, quarantine or isolation matters, arraignments, bail reviews, protective order cases, emergency child custody or protection cases, and civil commitment hearings. Judges may exercise their discretion with regard to proceeding with ongoing jury trials, and in cases where the defendant is incarcerated.

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 Posted on February 07, 2020 in Uncategorized

Merrick Brock, PLLC, recently filed a lawsuit on our client’s behalf for malicious prosecution against Rimtyme Custom Wheels seeking $850,000.00 in the City of Richmond Circuit Court. The case is pending against Viola Leasing, Inc., d/b/a Rimtyme Custom Wheels and Tires of Richmond VA, Case No. CL19-5130, and alleges that Rimtyme improperly initiated and cooperated in a criminal prosecution against our client in an effort to collect money that it claimed to be due after leasing rims and tires. Our client was charged with a felony, which was eventually nolle prosequi (dismissed) by the Commonwealth’s Attorney. The lawsuit seeks $500,000.00 in compensatory damages for the shame, embarrassment, humiliation, and reputational damage suffered by our client, as well as $350,000.00 in punitive damages that are designed to punish a defendant for callous and malicious conduct and also serve as an example to other businesses who abuse the criminal system for their own pecuniary gain.

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 Posted on December 10, 2019 in Faq

It’s a simple question, but the answer is complicated. Like most legal questions, the answer is:  it depends. In even the simplest cases, there are multiple factors to consider – some working together and others working against each other. The primary factors are typically (1) Liability – whether the other person / company is at fault, and (2) Special Damages – the dollar amount of your medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and any other financial expenses. The settlement value of any case will fall somewhere on a spectrum, but the range of that spectrum will depend on numerous factors, including but certainly not limited to:

• Severity of the injuries. Naturally, the severity of your injuries is a driving factor in determining the value of your case. Objective findings that can be documented in diagnostic films (like broken bones) usually carry more weight than subjective findings (like soft-tissue injuries). To a large extent, the severity of injuries will directly correlate with the amount of your medical bills, but that’s not always the case.

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