Elon Musk is known for many things. He propelled Tesla from small startup to one of the six largest companies in the world, with a market capitalization of around a trillion dollars, all within twenty years. He’s also known for his “mad scientist” ideas (like mind-control microchips), frenetic, often comical presentations , string of high-profile relationships, and general internet trollery and tomfoolery. It’s at this weird intersection of celebrity, finance, and internet meme culture that our saga begins. On November… Read More

On November 4, 2021, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a rule requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that all of their employees are vaccinated or that unvaccinated employees test for COVID-19 on (at least) a weekly basis. The rule also requires that employers with 100 or more employees provide paid-time for employees to get vaccinated. Finally, the rule requires that covered employers require that all unvaccinated wear masks in the workplace.… Read More

No one ever thinks about the terms of their insurance policy until after there is a loss or a claim to report, and even then, few insureds pull out their policy – if they can remember where they filed it – and sit down to parse the policy’s terms to determine whether the loss or the claim is actually covered. Fewer still bother to check the numerous conditions provided in the policy to make a bullet-list of duties the insured… Read More

When an employee is injured on the job due to the negligence of a non-employer third-party, the employee has two claims: one against the employer based in workers’ compensation, the other as a personal injury claim against the third-party. While they may have two claims, they are allowed only one recovery for their lost wages, medical bills, and other expenses. Noblin v. Randolph Corp., 180 Va. 345, 358-59 (1942). Thus, when an employer pays an employee’s medical bills and lost… Read More

At Setliff Law, we are grateful today and every day to all veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedoms. And we'd like to extend a special thank you to our own veterans, Peter E. Schurig and Michael L. Donner. With respect and gratitude, we honor the men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces on this Veterans Day 2021. Read More

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans’ driving habits changed. Stay-at-home orders, telecommuting, and other factors led to a decrease in the number of drivers on the road. Yet, according to early estimates by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020—the largest projected number of fatalities since 2007. This represents a 7.2% increase in fatalities from the previous year. What accounts for this apparent anomaly? Are there… Read More

Becoming effective in July of 2020, the Virginia Human Rights act drastically changed employment law in Virginia. Prior to the law in 2020, the Human Rights Act contained a very limited private right of action against employment discrimination. The previous law allowed for an employer to bring a cause of action against an employer for unlawful discharge on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, or childbirth or related medical conditions. This law applied only to businesses… Read More

A reckless driving charge in Virginia is not merely a moving violation or a simple speeding ticket. This is because Virginia makes reckless driving a criminal offense, and more specifically, a class one misdemeanor. For context, class one misdemeanors are the most serious misdemeanors in Virginia. They are punishable by up to 12 months in jail and also carry the potential of up to a $2,500 fine. Other examples of class one misdemeanors include petit larceny, assault and battery, and… Read More