The Library

Abigail Murchison has joined Gentry Locke and will practice in the firm’s Commercial Litigation group. Prior to joining the Firm, Abigail clerked for the Honorable Mary Grace O’Brien in Virginia’s 31st Judicial District. Other professional experience includes editing William & Mary’s Bill of Rights Journal and interning at a business consulting firm in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A native of Lexington, Va., Abigail received her J.D. from the William & Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Va., in 2010 and her undergraduate degree in English literature from Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., in 2005.

The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP is pleased to welcome Catherine J. Huff to the Firm. Cate will practice in the Insurance and Workers’ Compensation practice groups. She has litigated in General District and Circuit Courts throughout the state. Cate graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Tech and received her J.D. from Liberty University.

The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP is pleased to welcome attorney Daniel R. Sullivan to the Firm. Dan is an associate in Gentry Locke’s Commercial Litigation practice group, and also works with attorneys on Employment Litigation and Personal Injury matters. Dan represents individual and corporate clients in both state and federal court matters. He is fluent in Spanish and has lived and worked in three different continents.

The E-Verify Self Check (“Self Check”) service is a free, Internet-based application that can be used by any worker in the United States who is over 16 to confirm his or her work authorization status. The service is currently available on a pilot basis in five states, including Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Self Check is the first online data verification service offered directly to individuals in the U.S. workforce by the E-Verify Program. Self Check is part of E-Verify, the Department of Homeland Security program administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in partnership with the Social Security […]

As you probably know, the EEOC issued Final Regulations on November 9, 2010 as to Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, Pub. L. 110-233, 122 Stat. 881, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq. (“GINA”). GINA generally bars employers from requesting, requiring or purchasing an individual’s genetic information, and making employment decisions based on such data. GINA has been in effect since November 21, 2009. The GINA regulations will take effect January 10, 2011, and will be codified at 29 C.F.R. Part 1635. They should also be available online at the EEOC’s website (eeoc.gov). There […]

According to a recent Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) ruling, if a hospital facility accepts patients under TRICARE, the health care program serving Uniformed Service members, retirees and their families, that facility may be subject to federal affirmative action requirements. See (OFCCP v. Fla. Hosp. of Orlando, DOL OALJ, No. 2009-OFC-00002, 10/18/10). Granting summary judgment to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (“OFCCP”), the ALJ held that a Florida hospital is a federal subcontractor because it participates in a health care provider network established by Humana Military Healthcare Services Inc. (“Humana”), which has a federal […]

On November 2, 2010, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a press release advising that its Hartford CT Regional Director issued a complaint against American Medical Response (“American”) of Connecticut for firing a union-represented medical technician, Dawnmarie Souza, after she posted remarks criticizing her supervisor on her personal Facebook account. The complaint also alleges that American illegally denied union representation to the employee during an investigatory interview, and maintained and enforced an overly broad blogging and internet posting policy. The NLRB indicates that the issue started when Ms. Souza was asked by her supervisor to prepare a report concerning […]

J. Scott Sexton, a partner with the Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, has been recognized as a “Leader in the Law” for 2010 by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly for his accomplishments in developing the law on Virginia mineral rights. Sexton is one of 31 Virginia attorneys who were honored at an October 21st reception in Richmond. According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly, the “Leaders in the Law” honors lawyers who set the standard for other attorneys

Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP, representing three Virginia coal owners, has secured a $75 million settlement from Consol Energy, Inc. of Canonsburg, Penn., and its subsidiaries resulting from the energy consortium’s decision to secretly dump billions of gallons of contaminated water into several mines in western Virginia for over a decade. The award is among the highest environmental property damage settlements ever awarded in the U.S. On June 1, 2010, the parties to the Buchanan County Circuit Court case of Yukon Pocahontas Coal Company, et al. v. Consolidation Coal Company, et al., Island Creek Coal Company, Consol Energy, Inc., […]