File photo
PAINE Former State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine.
CHARLESTON A lawsuit brought by a lobbyist against a former state schools superintendent and a current Department of Education official was dismissed Wednesday after a settlement between the parties was reached.
According to a document filed Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, lobbyist Jason Webb, former state superintendent of schools Steve Paine, and Assistant State Superintendent of Schools Jan Barth agreed to a dismissal of the federal lawsuit.
According to the filing, both parties agreed to a dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be re-filed. Both parties agreed to bear their own costs and fees associated with the lawsuit.
A federal judge in Charleston has ruled in favor of Union Carbide in a lawsuit.
In a 90-page decision published Monday, Senior U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver denied an application for a temporary restraining order by the Courtland Co.
Courtland is suing Union Carbide over pollution from an industrial landfill in South Charleston into two streams near property both companies own. The court’s decision means the company won’t be required to take immediate action to stop water pollution from the landfill.
Courtland’s attorneys filed the request in February. They also filed a lawsuit alleging the site was in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
For The Inter-Mountain
Photo Provided
Steve Paine, former state superintendent of schools, greets Gov. Jim Justice at the 2018 State of the State speech
CHARLESTON A federal judge ruled in part that a former state superintendent of schools and Department of Education officials retaliated against a lobbyist for his critical social media posts.
U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver granted a motion Monday for summary judgment by lobbyist Jason Webb for two elements of count one that accused former state superintendent of schools Steve Paine and Jan Barth, an assistant superintendent of schools at the Department of Education, of retaliation against Webb’s First Amendment rights.
sadams@newsandsentinel.com
Steve Paine, former state superintendent of schools, greets Gov. Jim Justice at the 2018 State of the State speech. (Photo Provided)
CHARLESTON A federal judge ruled in part that a former state superintendent of schools and Department of Education officials retaliated against a lobbyist for his critical social media posts.
U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver granted a motion Monday for summary judgment by lobbyist Jason Webb for two elements of count one that accused former state superintendent of schools Steve Paine and Jan Barth, an assistant superintendent of schools at the Department of Education, of retaliation against Webb’s First Amendment rights.
RICHMOND, Virginia – The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a federal judge’s ruling denying former state Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry a new hearing.
Loughry, who finished his federal prison sentence last week, had requested a new hearing based on a juror using social media during his 2018 trial. U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver had denied a new hearing, but Loughry’s attorneys appealed to the Fourth Circuit. A three-judge panel upheld Copenhaver’s ruling in a December 21 opinion.
“The long and short of this case is that evidence indicates that Juror A had some pretrial exposure to news of the investigations of the West Virginia Supreme Court justices and participated modestly in the public dialogue via a few ‘likes’ and retweets on Twitter,” the panel wrote. “But evidence further indicates that she engaged in no prohibited contacts or communications during trial. As we have noted, social media does heighten the risk that jurors will be exposed t