News, Events, Seminars & Articles by Gentry Locke Attorneys

Summary Judgment in Breach of Contract action defeats $700,000 claim

Case Studies April 2018

The results of client matters depend on a variety of factors unique to each matter. Past successes do not predict or guarantee future successes.

Gentry Locke for the Defendant Campbell County Circuit Court Gentry Locke attorneys Kevin Holt, Amanda Morgan and Glenn Pulley represented a crane, rigging and erection service company in a breach of contract and quantum meruit case. The plaintiff, a former company vice president, alleged that our client breached a 1994 Split Dollar Life Insurance Agreement that involved $500,000 in life insurance coverage, plus the payment of monthly post-retirement benefits for 15 years based on the policy’s cash value. The written agreement was terminated pursuant to its terms in 2012, but then was allegedly reinstated in 2013 in a conversation between the […]

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Lawsuit over sale of impounded auto reaches settlement, is in the news

News March 2018

A local couple is very pleased with the settlement reached in a lawsuit that revealed a towing company was not advertising the sale of towed, impounded, or stored vehicles in a public place as required by law, and the towing company owner had been selling hundreds of such vehicles to himself or back to his own towing company. Dan Casey, columnist for The Roanoke Times, recently wrote an article about the couple’s ordeal and this legal resolution. Stephen and Melanie Pence were represented by Gentry Locke attorneys Matthew W. Broughton and Andrew M. Bowman in a suit filed in the United States […]

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Circuit Court – Challenging Defendant’s Medical Evidence CLE

Events March 2018

On May 9, 2018 and May 15, 2018 Gentry Locke partner Benjamin D. Byrd will present a CLE session to members of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA) at their 2018 May Tort Seminar. Ben’s presentation will cover 4:10 Examinations as they relate to challenging medical evidence presented by Defendants. The session covers the Virginia state court rule, not the federal rule.

Legal Malpractice case now included on “Million-Dollar Settlements of 2017” list by Virginia Lawyers Weekly

News March 2018

Virginia Lawyers Weekly recently corrected their 2017 list of Million-dollar Settlements to include a legal malpractice matter handled by Gentry Locke attorneys Matthew W. Broughton, Gregory D. Habeeb, and Andrew D. Finnicum. The case, which settled for $5M, warrants a #9 spot on a list of more than two dozen cases that settled for more than $1M in 2017. Read the Virginia Lawyers Weekly list (PDF opens in a new window)

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Bondurant and Wright are Inaugural Gentry Locke Pro Bono Award recipients

News March 2018

To support our ongoing commitment to pro bono work, Gentry Locke has created two awards to recognize outstanding pro bono efforts. These awards were presented for the first time on February 11, 2018. The first award is the Gentry Locke Pro Bono Promise Award. It will be awarded annually to recognize pro bono work that exceeds the 2% yearly aspirational goal set by the Supreme Court of Virginia, in either a quantitative (sheer hours) or qualitative way (great project or impact). The award can be given to an individual Gentry Locke attorney or group of attorneys. The 2017 recipient of […]

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Breach of Fiduciary Duty claim against national bank denied in Motion to Dismiss

Case Studies March 2018

The results of client matters depend on a variety of factors unique to each matter. Past successes do not predict or guarantee future successes.

Gentry Locke for the Defendant United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia We represented a large national bank in a long-term disability (LTD) claim arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The plaintiff was a bank employee until she ended her employment due to physical disabilities. She was paid LTD benefits until the results of an independent medical examination revealed that her current symptoms no longer supported a finding of total disability. Accordingly, her LTD benefits were terminated. The plaintiff brought a claim for breach of fiduciary duty under ERISA against the bank in addition to a more […]

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Partner Bill Gust presenting at two ESOP events: NCEO (Atlanta) and ESOP Association (Charlottesville)

News February 2018

Gentry Locke Partner Bill Gust will be a featured speaker at two upcoming conferences geared toward employee-owned businesses. “Mitigating Cyber Security Risk from a Fiduciary Perspective” will be presented at the ESOP Association Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas Chapter’s Spring Conference in Charlottesville, VA on Friday, March 9, 2018, and also at the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. Learn more about the events and register to attend by clicking on these links: Charlottesville event Atlanta event

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Overview of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

Articles February 2018

Bill Gust is a Senior Tax Partner with Gentry Locke. For more than 30 years, Bill has worked with closely held business owners relative to tax, employee benefits, corporate, and sophisticated estate planning matters. With his expertise in implementing business succession strategies, Bill has assisted in the successful transition of many privately held businesses, through sales, mergers and implementation of numerous ESOPs. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) will bring significant changes to many areas of the tax law affecting individuals and businesses beginning January 2018 through 2025. In 2026, the pre-Act rules are scheduled to come back into effect. This […]

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Cyber Security Risk From a Fiduciary Perspective — ESOP Association Conference

Events February 2018

On March 9, Gentry Locke Partner Bill Gust will speak at the ESOP Association Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas Chapter’s 2018 Spring Conference. Bill’s topic will cover “Cyber Security Risk From a Fiduciary Perspective.” Gentry Locke is a Bronze Sponsor of the chapter’s 2018 Spring ESOP Conference and Golf Tournament. This year’s conference offers a great line-up of expert speakers, roundtables, and workshops designed for all levels of employee-ownership. For more information or to register, click here.

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