Articles by Matthew Barakat

Judge Rejects Virginia County School Board Bid to Halt Grand Jury Probe

A judge on Monday rejected an effort by the Loudoun County School Board to shut down a special grand jury investigating the school system’s handling of two sexual assaults. The school board says the special grand jury empaneled by Republican …

Lawsuits Over Sex-Assaults Advance Against Virginia School System

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A pair of lawsuits that for years has plagued Virginia’s largest school system with allegations that it ignored students’ accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges. One of the lawsuits includes allegations …

Jury’s Duty in Depp-Heard Trial Doesn’t Track Public Debate

A seven-person civil jury in Virginia will resume deliberations Tuesday in Johnny Depp’s libel trial against Amber Heard. What the jury considers will be very different from the public debate that has engulfed the high-profile proceedings. For six weeks, testimony …

Judge Advances Suit Alleging Virginia Police Officers Protected Sex Traffickers

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit against two former police officers accused of protecting a sex trafficking ring in northern Virginia in exchange for sex can move forward. The former Fairfax County officers, Michael O. Barbazette of Manassas …

Judge Declines to Delay Ruling Against Virginia School System’s Admissions Policy

A federal judge has again ruled against a northern Virginia school system that he found guilty of discriminating against Asian American students when it overhauled its admissions policies at a highly selective high school. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Claude …

Virginia School Board to Appeal Judge’s Ruling Blocking Elite School’s Admissions Policy

A federal judge ruled Friday that a Virginia school system illegally discriminated against Asian Americans when it overhauled the admissions policies at an elite public school. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton found that impermissible “racial balancing” was …

Alleged Sex Assault on Virginia School Band Trip Prompts Legal Split

The full panel of 15 appellate judges in Richmond has narrowly upheld a former northern Virginia high school student’s appeal to have her lawsuit against the school system reinstated after an alleged sexual assault on a band trip. The narrow …

Appeal Over Dictionary Use Denied in University of Virginia Lacrosse Slaying

A federal judge has rejected an appeal from a former University of Virginia lacrosse player that his 2012 murder conviction should be tossed out because of a claim the jury improperly consulted a dictionary. George Huguely V is serving a …

Board Faults Utility’s Equipment in Fatal 2016 Explosion in Maryland

A gas company’s faulty equipment is the most likely cause of an explosion at a suburban Maryland apartment complex that killed seven people in 2016, according to federal report issued Tuesday. The explosion and fire at the Flower Branch apartments …

Virginia Man Gets Life Without Parole for Killing Son for Insurance

A Virginia man convicted of murdering his 15-month-old-son to collect on life insurance was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole. Joaquin Rams of Manassas, Va., was convicted earlier this year in the 2012 death of his son Prince. …