The Library

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiff This was a products liability case arising out of an industrial accident in which plaintiff’s hair became entangled in an unguarded glue roller and drive shaft, which resulted in a degloving of her scalp from the base of her skull past her eyebrows. Defendant manufacturer testified that the machine was designed to incorporate safety panels to prevent access from where plaintiff was standing. The panels were removed from the machine prior to shipment and were not installed by the machine installer.

Roanoke Federal Court Gentry Locke partner, David Paxton, in connection with Alabama attorneys Tony Davis, Trey Wells, and Ben Presley, secured a jury verdict in favor of a multinational corporation against one of the three largest railroad companies in the United States. The dispute involved a long-term contract for rail transportation. The railroad claimed that it was owed over $40 million, in addition to the more than $35 million it had already been paid under the contract, so we filed an action for a declaratory judgement and equitable relief.  After a six day trial in Roanoke Federal Court, the jury […]

Gentry Locke for the Defense In August of 2019, Gentry Locke attorneys successfully resolved two commercial vehicle overweight citations by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for two different clients operating trucks on state highways. Both of the citations were in excess of $13,000. After developing legal strategies for defending the citations, each of the cases was negotiated for reductions in the amount of the citations — over ninety percent in one case, and over seventy percent in the other, thereby saving the clients significant expense. If you need assistance in a matter involving the DMV, especially commercial overweight vehicle […]

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiff Augusta County Circuit Court The Defendant, an oral surgeon, removed our client’s wisdom teeth when she was 12 years of age. During that surgery, the Defendant completely severed the left lingual nerve and perforated the lingual plate. This has caused numbness, hypersensitivity, discomfort, and pain to the left side of our client’s mouth that she will suffer until the day she dies. The Defendant refused to accept responsibility for her surgical negligence, so we proceeded to trial to hold the Defendant accountable and prevent this from happening to another person. An Augusta County jury unanimously […]

Gentry Locke for the Defense Roanoke City General District Court Our client, a national restaurant chain, was sued by a creditor seeking garnishment of an employee’s wages to satisfy the employee’s debt. When a creditor receives a judgment against a person, the creditor will send a garnishment summons to the employer, resulting in the employer paying a portion of the employee’s wages to the court. In this case, the Restaurant did not have to pay any of the employee’s wages into the court because under the garnishment statute, the employee did not make enough money. The creditor then tried to include tips […]

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiff Bedford County Circuit Court On Mother’s Day in 2015, our client learned that her husband had been shot in the back of his head and killed. The shooter was taken into police custody and acknowledged that he had been drinking alcoholic beverages over the last 30 hours and had been burning brush in a barrel, having had little sleep. The shooter alleged that he saw his victim driving too fast and decided to confront the man. The shooter acknowledged a heated confrontation, but he claimed he acted in self-defense and that the victim acted as an aggressor. Specifically, the shooter alleged […]

Gentry Locke for the Defense Supreme Court of Virginia Gentry Locke attorney Monica Monday represented FCi Federal, Inc., the appellee, in an appeal involving a dispute between government contractors. On June 27, 2018, the Supreme Court of Virginia affirmed the circuit court’s decision to set aside a multi-million dollar jury verdict. This case provides guidance on breach of contract claims arising out of teaming agreements. Additionally, the Supreme Court also addressed a question of first impression, holding that lost profits for fraudulent inducement are not recoverable when they are based on the terms of an unenforceable agreement. CGI Federal, Inc. entered into a […]

Gentry Locke for the Defendant City of Winchester Circuit Court The City of Winchester circuit court has reduced a $125,000 jury verdict to $50,000 due to a defect in the plaintiff’s Complaint. The Complaint contained an ad damnum seeking the amount of damages sought. It specifically sought “not less than $50,000” in compensatory damages, “plus punitive damages.” The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for $50,000 in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages. The defendant retained Gentry Locke after the jury verdict to handle post-trial motions. The defense moved the court to set aside the entire […]

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiffs Henry County Circuit Court Our clients, a married couple, lost their home in a house fire. They entered into a written real estate contract to purchase another home. They would pay cash using their homeowners insurance payment from the fire loss. The parties signed the contract, set a closing date, and completed the home inspection. The sellers performed a septic cleaning and inspection and had a termite inspection done. The sellers then purported to terminate the contract. They cited a provision in the contract requiring the buyers to show proof of funds to close. They buyers had submitted a USAA […]