Summaries from the Virginia Supreme Court website of today’s opinions affecting Virginia local government law: http://www.courts.state.va.us/scndex.htm

A number of local government attorneys have been asking tough questions about HB 374 and SB 632, identical bills which became effective law on July 1. 2010 Va Acts of Assembly ch. 549, 2010 Va Acts of Assembly ch. 613.

Quick question: What year is it? 1. The federal government has intervened in failing financial institutions. 2. Real estate prices which had been sky-high are lower than a year or so before. 3. Wall Street faces a bear market. 4. The incumbent party in the White House has just lost the presidential election. Answer: 2009? [...]

The Tale of 248 Erroneous Tax Assessment Cases: Round Four, The Second Appeal and the Supreme Court’s Opinion The stakes had never been higher. On appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court for a second time, the West Creek LLCs were asking for complete reversal of Circuit Court Judge Sanner’s comprehensive ruling in favor of the [...]

The Tale of 248 Erroneous Tax Assessment Cases: Round Three, The Second Trial (2004-2006) After having walked away from $34 million in assessment relief on appeal, the 144 West Creek plaintiff LLCs re-filed 159 lawsuits in December 2004. Some were later dismissed for various reasons. One hundred thirty (130) of these cases were later consolidated [...]

The Tale of 248 Erroneous Tax Assessment Cases: Rounds One and Two, The First Trial and Appeal (2001-2004) As County Attorney in Goochland County from 2001 to 2009, I was counsel in 248 erroneous assessment cases, resulting in two multi-day trials and two appeals to the Virginia Supreme Court, resulting in one incredible opinion issued [...]