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"The lawsuit accuses CBS of intentionally failing to investigate leads."
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Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit Thursday against CBS Corp. and CBS Broadcasting in New York, alleging the network published false statements by two women who have accused him of sexual assault. The lawsuit includes allegations — which Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney denies — that the mayor was part of a conspiracy to damage Fairfax politically, and puts the sexual assault scandal into public view again. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Virginia’s Eastern District. The lawsuit focuses in part on interviews Tyson and Watson did with Gayle King of “CBS This Morning” that were aired in April. The lawsuit said an eyewitness was present “during the consensual encounter between Watson and Fairfax” and accuses CBS of not asking Watson if she encountered anyone while entering or leaving the room. The lawsuit accuses CBS of intentionally failing to investigate leads, some of which were provided by Fairfax’s team, and of not asking questions that Fairfax’s spokeswoman suggested it ask.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Jackson District Supervisor Ron Frazier filed an appeal Aug. 29 asking the Rappahannock County Circuit Court to reverse a Board of Supervisors’ decision of Aug. 5 declining to pay $19,365 in legal fees incurred by Frazier related to Marion Bragg (1) vs the Board of Supervisors. County Attorney Art Goff maintains that because Frazier removed himself from the suit and was an unnamed party, the county — or taxpayers, in this case — was not responsible for Frazier’s legal bills nor for appointing outside counsel to represent him. In November 2018 and February 2019, Goff issued subpoenas to Frazier demanding information relating to Bragg 1. Frazier retained Tysons Corner law firm Offit Kurman “to evaluate the subpoena and how he should respond,” according to the appeal filing. The appeal states that the supervisors authorized the payment of an earlier Offit Kurman bill of $595 on March 4, 2019. Offit Kurman Principal Attorney Mark Moorstein, in a June letter to the Rappahannock News, described this payment as “effectively approving the law firm and acknowledging a portion of [the county’s] obligations.”
Rappahannock News
How transparent is Virginia government? One new report says the Commonwealth is falling far behind other states. The Old Dominion ranks in the bottom third of states for ethics enforcement. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the Coalition for Integrity. Shruthi Shah at the coalition says the General Assembly has ethics advisory panels, but they’re limited. “They do have the power to investigate ethics violations. But it’s only on referral from the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council," Shah notes. "They have no authority to sanction any violations that they uncover.”
WVTF
Ronnie Neal Terry — the vice chair and a former chair of the Patrick County School Board — was indicted Monday by a grand jury on one charge each of election fraud and forging public record in what he calls “a foolish mistake.” The charges apparently are because of the way Terry gathered and attested to signatures on the petition required for him to seek re-election in November.
Martinsville Bulletin
Judge Ian Williams on Wednesday ruled in General District Court that former Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Jennifer McDonald defamed Supervisor Tom Sayre and that he is entitled to $20,000 in damages. Sayre’s defamation case centered around his phone number being listed on a note that was discovered in McDonald’s yard during the investigation into a June 2017 incident in which a rock was thrown through her home’s front door. That note contained instructions on how to carry out the crime against McDonald and also referenced a May 2017 break-in at the EDA’s office. McDonald last year was charged on a misdemeanor count of filing a false police report related to the incident, with the primary evidence being that she told local reporter Roger Bianchini of the rock-throwing before it had occurred. Those charges were dismissed in October.
The Northern Virginia Daily
Metro board leaders on Thursday proposed requiring future ethics investigations be made public, after the secrecy surrounding the recent inquiry into former board chairman Jack Evans drew widespread scorn. The board’s ethics committee also outlined plans to give the agency’s inspector general a primary role in probes. And the panel said it wants to clarify what standard to use to determine whether board members have conflicts of interest.
The Washington Post
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"Residents were reduced to tears by some of the ones that did show up and exposed an exchange they thought would be private."