Christian L Connell, P.C. - Employment Lawyer, Business Litigation

01/09/2022

https://www.wtkr.com/news/family-of-man-tackled-by-norfolk-police-officer-sues?_amp=true

The family of a man who said he was tackled by a Norfolk Police officer in 2018 is suing the officer, federal court records show.

07/08/2020

https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_8ceaceb9-0318-5ff7-b469-9b5162242597.html

One of the most interesting cases in my career. The judge told my client, Mr. Jama Ibrahim, "you are the first individual to be sentenced for an attack on a vessel on the high seas since 1820." Originally sentenced to 30 years, Mr. Ibrahim should be released from federal prison within two years.

NORFOLK A year and a half before attacking the Ashland off the Somalia coast, Jama Idle Ibrahim was part of a group that pirated a merchant vessel in the same area, receiving a $1.7 million ransom that was dropped from the sky. For both crimes, Ibrahim accepted a 30-year prison term, becoming the fi...

06/15/2020

Watershed decision by Supreme Court today.

Supreme Court issues sweeping decision upholding discrimination protections for LGBT Americans in the workplace.

05/17/2020

Interesting article discussing your rights as an employee if you feel uncomfortable about returning to work. The answer - as you might suspect - is unclear.

Federal labor laws also offer protections to American workers who feel unsafe. Here’s what to know about those rights

05/15/2020

Two two-week jury trials. Two appeals to the Fourth Circuit. Two victories on appeal.

Charles Burton Ritchie and Benjamin Galecki were convicted of selling the synthetic drug "spice" in Hampton Roads.

05/15/2020

Nice piece by WTKR News Channel 3 on defamation victory.
https://wtkr.com/2018/11/21/jury-says-portsmouth-vice-mayor-defamed-fired-city-auditor-must-pay-775k/?fbclid=IwAR3VBis9Y9SYpwJ7Xx8OZAJ30N4E_eQdte32IcCZaOVcLZ5XFIdtn0QZBR4

05/15/2020

I represent the individual on the right side of this picture, Benjamin Galecki. He and Burton Ritchie were charged federally in Virginia, Nevada, and Alabama with distributing controlled substance analogues. In the Virginia case, we had two two-week jury trials, and two appeals to the Fourth Circuit, the second of which we won this week. We may have to try the case a third time.

Jordan Rubin, who handles Supreme Court reporting for Bloomberg News, has done a wonderful expose on their situation. If you’ve got the time, it makes interesting reading.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/featured/americas-secret-drug-war/part1?fbclid=IwAR1BKYbJEj889iTpvKQ0JIQ0q-TENudok6kpReOFFZCzQX6rgP05VJE7q_

America’s Secret Drug War: Two film producers could spend the rest of their lives in prison for selling synthetic drugs—but they swear what they sold was legal. A top DEA chemist agrees—but now he’s locked up, too.

05/15/2020

Victory for my client, Andre Thomas, in defamation case. $775,000 verdict is one of the largest in Hampton Roads history for a defamation case.

The city won't say whether it's on the hook for the money if a judge upholds the award.

05/15/2020

Virginian-Pilot reporter interviewed me because of my involvement in similar defamation case.

In the weeks leading up to last year's election, Dee Oliver appeared to have a good shot at winning one of Virginia Beach's at-large council seats. But two days before the election, a Facebook post portrayed the candidate as a "woman of ill repute." Oliver, who ended up narrowly losing the...