lawsuit | FFXnow

Tysons media company’s merger blocked for now by federal judge

Published April 21, 2026 at 8:30AM

FILE - Chairman, President and CEO of Nexstar Broadcasting Group Perry Sook attends the 24th Annual Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on Oct. 29, 2014. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

A federal judge has blocked a $6.2 billion merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and Tysons-based rival Tegna until an antitrust lawsuit is resolved.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday (April 17) afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.

News

FCC approves $6.2B takeover of Tysons-based Tegna as Virginia AG sues to block it

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published March 20, 2026 at 8:30AM

Jay Jones is sworn in as Virginia Attorney General by Lyn M. Simmons, chief judge of the Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, on Jan. 17, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Federal Communications Commission announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has approved local television giant Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tysons-based rival Tegna.

Earlier that same day, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and his counterparts in seven other states filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California, arguing that the merger will illegally reduce competition in journalism and the broadcasting industry while resulting in increased prices and worker layoffs.

News

Amid legal dispute, McDaniel set for return to school board budget committee

By Jared Serre

Published March 19, 2026 at 3:45PM

Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel (staff photo by Jared Serre)

A former chair of the Fairfax County School Board’s budget committee will return to the panel after a judge tossed out a complaint accusing him of embezzling $175,000 from a company he was a part owner of.

Kyle McDaniel, who served as the budget committee chair for 10 months before stepping down last April, is expected to be appointed vice chair of the committee when the school board meets tonight (Thursday), according to the meeting agenda.

News

Great Falls boater sues over Potomac River sewage spill, while report finds possible leaks

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published March 10, 2026 at 3:00PM

A warning sign at the site of a massive pipe rupture, as sewage flows into the Potomac River, right, in Glen Echo, Md., Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

The fallout from the January sewer collapse that dumped over 200 million gallons of wastewater into the Potomac River continues to pile up, bringing a new lawsuit and a report that suggests the river might still be getting contaminated.

A Great Falls resident filed a class action lawsuit against DC Water on Friday (March 6) in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, calling for the utility to compensate himself and other individuals “whose property interests in and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River … have been impaired by [the] Defendant’s conduct.”

News

Fairfax case alleging school-assisted abortions now in federal court

By Charlotte Rene Woods / Virginia Mercury

Published February 2, 2026 at 11:15AM

Zenaida Perez speaks during a press conference in front of the Fairfax County Courthouse on Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by Jared Serre)

A legal challenge alleging that a Fairfax County Public Schools employee helped minors get abortions without their parents’ consent is now in federal court in a case that hinges on a First Amendment free speech claim.

FCPS teacher Zenaida Perez, plaintiff in the case, is seeking to prove that school officials have defamed her and are in violation of the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law. Perez alleged in 2025 that another FCPS staff member assisted minors with seeking abortions. FCPS’ internal probe refuted her claims.

News

Lawsuit against former FCPD officer pardoned for fatal shooting in Tysons to be settled

By Angela Woolsey

Published January 28, 2026 at 1:45PM | Updated January 30, 2026 at 12:34AM

Timothy McCree Johnson's parents Melissa Johnson, center, and Timothy Walker, left, address reporters along with attorney Carl Crews, right, outside Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters on March 22, 2023 (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat, File)

A wrongful death lawsuit against the former Fairfax County police officer who fatally shot Timothy Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center in February 2023 appears to be headed toward a settlement.

Fairfax County has agreed to pay Johnson’s mother, Melissa Johnson, $1.1 million to settle her claims against former Fairfax County Police Department Sgt. Wesley Shifflett, according to court documents.

News

Dominion Energy sues Trump administration for halting wind projects

By Associated Press

Published December 26, 2025 at 2:45PM

Wind turbine bases, generators and blades are positioned along with support ships at The Portsmouth Marine terminal at the staging area for Dominion Energy's wind turbine project Monday Dec. 22, 2025, in Portsmouth, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns.

Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday (Dec. 23) that the government’s order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based company is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project it says is essential to meet dramatically growing energy needs driven by dozens of new data centers.

Countywide

FCPS opts to resolve student’s lawsuit over gender identity policies

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 4, 2025 at 10:00AM

Sign for a girl's restroom in a Fairfax County school (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County Public Schools has decided to resolve a former student’s lawsuit challenging its policies supporting transgender students before it can reach trial.

The now-graduated student, identified as Jane Doe and represented by the right-wing organization America First Legal, recently accepted the Fairfax County School Board’s offer of a judgment that includes $50 and compensation for legal fees, according to court documents.

News

Teacher behind Centreville HS abortion claim sues FCPS for retaliation, defamation

By Jared Serre

Published October 30, 2025 at 11:45AM | Updated November 4, 2025 at 8:45AM

Zenaida Perez speaks during a press conference in front of the Fairfax County Courthouse on Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by Jared Serre)

The Centreville High School teacher who alleged that a social worker pressured a student to get an abortion without parental notification — a claim that school officials called “likely untrue” — is now taking her case to court.

Zenaida Perez, backed by the pro-life advocacy organization Americans United for Life (AUL), filed a civil lawsuit yesterday (Wednesday) alleging that Fairfax County Public Schools defamed and retaliated against her after she went public with her claims.

Countywide

FCPS seeks to speed up lawsuit over federal funding freeze

By Angela Woolsey

Published October 7, 2025 at 8:30AM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County Public Schools is asking an appeals court to accelerate proceedings in its lawsuit over the U.S. Education Department cutting it off from federal funds.

The request filed last Thursday (Oct. 2) came a day after a three-judge panel with the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously denied the school system’s bid to stop the federal government from freezing or canceling any more funds while the case is in court.