The Library

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division Our client, a heavy equipment dealer in Virginia, was sued by the equipment manufacturer’s former dealer. The former dealer alleged that our client had tortiously interfered with its dealer contract and had engaged in a business conspiracy with the manufacturer to cause the manufacturer to terminate the former dealer’s contract. We filed a Motion to Dismiss both claims arguing that, even assuming the truth of the allegations, the plaintiff failed to state viable claims against our client. Our client had merely been approached by the manufacturer with an […]

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiff Amherst Circuit Court This was a suit for breach of contract or quantum meruit against a subcontractor who failed to pay for crane services. After a bench trial, the Court awarded a $700,000 judgment against the LLC defendant but refused to hold the individual defendant liable on the personal guarantee that they signed. That adverse ruling in the individual defendant’s favor has been appealed to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Briefs have been filed. Oral argument has not been set.

Plaintiff sued our client, a big box retailer, for damages related to a “trip and fall” incident that occurred at a store in Richmond, Virginia. Following a thorough case work-up, Gentry Locke attorneys Jeffrey Miller and John “J.P.” Brown filed a Motion to Exclude the testimony of Plaintiff’s testifying expert witness under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, and a Motion for Summary Judgment. At a hearing before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson on February 9, 2022, the Court granted summary judgment from the bench in favor of the big box retailer, and the Court denied the Motion […]

Gentry Locke for the Plaintiff Gentry Locke successfully tried a three-day bench trial in Roanoke City Circuit Court. Our client, the owner/landlord of a large commercial facility, obtained judgment against a former tenant for property damage and lost rent . The former tenant was found to have breached its obligations under a commercial lease . The former tenant failed to perform required maintenance and repair obligations over the term of its ten year occupancy of the facility. Following the end of the lease term, the landlord was forced pay for the necessary repairs. The Court awarded our client damages representing […]

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 […]