Are General Maritime Cases Now Removable to Federal Courts Absent Diversity of Citizenship or Another Independent Basis for Jurisdiction? Ask maritime plaintiffs' attorneys which forum they would rather be in, and they'll say state court 9 times out of 10. In...
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By Marissa M. Henderson, Ventker & Warman PLLC Writing an employee dress code that complies with Title VII has become trickier than ever. On May 6, 2014, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a fact sheet and a set of...
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By: David Ventker In our first discussion of non-compete clauses in Virginia, we talked generally about the costs and implications of such clauses even when they are unenforceable. Now we have an example of a case where a court found...
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By Marissa Henderson The difficult-to-pronounce doctrine of uberrimae fidei is alive and well in marine insurance. Translated “utmost good faith,” it means the insurance company has the right to assume the applicant has disclosed all facts material to the risk. Those purchasing...
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Dave Ventker We are often asked to provide advice to clients about whether a clause in an employment contract that purports to limit the right or ability of an employee to “compete” with a soon-to-be former employer is valid and...
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Marissa Henderson Norfolk federal Judge Mark S. Davis could have given the prosecution what they wanted—5 to 6 years of incarceration for the chief engineer on the PAPPADAKIS who was found guilty of violating numerous federal pollution-related laws. Weighing heavily...
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Marissa Henderson On December 5, 2013, Norfolk federal judge Mark Davis sentenced the defendants who were found guilty last August for using a “magic pipe” aboard the M/V THETIS. United States v. Diana Shipping Services S.A. et al., No. 2:13-cr-40...
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Dave Ventker Jennifer Taylor was a senior sales executive for Republic Services, Inc., a national waste management company. She made a series of complaints that a number of high ranking executives had made sexual advances towards her, and that others...
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David VentkerAs the costs of financial transactions mount, and as technology marches on, more and more employers have turned to the use of electronic payroll cards to pay their employees. The justification is that it significantly reduces the administrative cost...
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