Blaire is a native Virginian who brings extensive courtroom and governmental experience to her representation of public and private entities and their employees in litigation throughout the Commonwealth. She began…
Scott Fisher was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He focuses his practice on defending public entities, constitutional officers, and their employees who are involved in litigation. Scott has successfully…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has issued a pair of decisions establishing a new test for identifying “joint employers” under the Fair Labor Standards Act. No. 151915.P, Salinas v. Commercial Interiors, Inc., and No. 151857.P, Hall v. DIRECTV, LLC, both decided January 25, 2017. All federal District Courts in the…
On June 2, 2016, the Supreme Court of Virginia decided two important cases for local governments and employers. George Somerville, of Harman Claytor, filed amicus briefs in support of the prevailing parties – one upholding a plea of public employee sovereign immunity and the other rejecting an argument that an employer must…
In Travelers Indemnity Company of America v. Portal Healthcare Solutions, LLC, the Fourth Circuit recently affirmed a federal district court’s determination that a class action lawsuit arising out of a medical records safekeeping firm’s alleged failure to safeguard confidential medical records triggered an insurer’s duty to defend under a policy that afforded coverage…
The Supreme Court of Virginia recently declined to extend the special relationship doctrine to the duty to warn against third party criminal acts. The Court, however, again left open the possibility that a special relationship could arise at any time depending on the facts of any particular case. In Brown v. Jacobs,…
Missy, a Richmond, Virginia native, joined Harman Claytor in October 2014 after practicing at Morris & Morris for six years. She focuses her practice on defending school boards, as well…
It is increasingly difficult for defendants to win at the demurrer stage in negligence cases in Virginia. A recent Virginia Supreme Court decision further eviscerated the power of the demurrer and confirmed the Court’s apparent change in direction on this issue, away from the requirement that Plaintiffs must allege proximate cause and…