The Virginia Appellate Lawyer’s Court of Appeals of Virginia Blog

With only one published opinion today and nary an unpublished opinion, the Court of Appeals of Virginia is sending 2021 out with more of a whimper than a bang.  Even the one opinion, Kionne L. Pulley v. Commonwealth, does not deal with any new or earthshattering issues. Mr. Pulley was imprisoned in the Augusta Correctional Center and was permitted to make phone calls including several made to Cherie Kemper.  Now, for those who may not be aware of it, corrections officers and

The Court of Appeals issued a single opinion today, and with it delivered an early Christmas present to the appellant in Michael B. Yourko v. Lee Ann B. Yourko.  At least until the Court of Appeals starts hearing estate and trust cases, you can probably guess by the case style that this is a domestic relations case. The issue is whether the husband could seek to modify a final decree, equitable distribution order and division of military pension order under the trial court’s

At this season of the year with the joy of religious celebrations and festivities for the coming of the New Year, it is unfortunate — but also perhaps necessary — that we will inevitably be reminded of the harshness of the world.  Whether it is the tragedy of the recent natural disaster of unseasonable tornados, the need to provide for the poor who will not have a holiday meal, or the continuing pandemic and the political rancor that it has engendered, we are at once reminded

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that the one topic quicker to put your humble correspondent off his feed than any other is Administrative Law.  It’s just not his cup of tea and never has been.  So naturally when I saw that the appellant in today’s one published opinion from the Court of Appeals of Virginia was Virginia Manufacturers Association, Et[] Al., I was prepared for a big ol’ yawn fest.  The VMA was suing, let’s see . . .Ralph S. Northam, Governor

The sole published opinion from the Court of Appeals today is from cross-appeals in a dissolution of marriage case.  I am guess that the parties in John Stark v. Firouzeh Dinarany did not share Thanksgiving dinner last week.  Stark objected to the circuit court’s admission of a post-nuptial agreement into evidence and its equitable distribution, while Dinarany objected to court’s rulings on support, equitable distribution and attorney’s fees (there was also an issue of child