Insights & News

Have you ever worried that speaking out could land you in court? Whether you posted an honest online review, spoke at a public meeting, or shared your opinion on social media, the unfortunate reality is that some lawsuits are filed not to vindicate a legitimate legal claim, but to silence critics. These cases are commonly known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs. Anti-SLAPP laws are designed to protect individuals and organizations from certain lawsuits that target their exercise of free speech and other protected activities. What Is a SLAPP Lawsuit? A SLAPP lawsuit is generally understood as a […]

When a plaintiff files a lawsuit in Virginia, the defendant is served with a complaint and given a specific period to respond. But what happens when a defendant fails to answer? The result may be a default and, ultimately, a default judgment that resolves the case in the plaintiff’s favor without a trial on the merits. Understanding how defaults and default judgments work in Virginia courts is important for plaintiffs pursuing civil claims and defendants facing litigation. What Is a Default in a Virginia Civil Lawsuit? In Virginia, a default generally occurs when a defendant fails to file a responsive […]

Many individuals assume that setting a social media account to “private” will keep its contents out of a lawsuit. However, privacy settings do not necessarily protect social media content from discovery. Posts, photographs, and messages that you believed only your friends could see may ultimately be produced to the opposing party. How you handle that content once a dispute arises can significantly affect the outcome of your case. Can Private Social Media Posts Be Used as Evidence in a Lawsuit? Courts do not afford social media content special protection merely because it sits behind a privacy setting. In federal civil […]

If you’ve been the victim of defamation, winning your case often depends on evidence you may not yet possess. That’s where the discovery process comes in. In a defamation lawsuit, discovery is a critical pretrial phase in which parties can obtain documents, request information, and question witnesses under oath. A well-crafted discovery strategy can help establish the essential elements of a defamation claim, including the publication of a false and defamatory statement, the defendant’s level of fault, and any damages that must be proven. The specific requirements depend on the applicable law and circumstances. For example, certain defamatory statements may […]