lawsuit | FFXnow

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

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.

Countywide

FCPS Superintendent provides community update on battle with Department of Education

By Vernon Miles

Published September 16, 2025 at 1:50PM | Updated September 22, 2025 at 11:59AM

A Trans Day of Visibility rally outside a school board meeting at Luther Jackson Middle School (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent (FCPS) Michelle Reid sent a message to the school community explaining more about the ongoing legal fight with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Alexandria dismissed a lawsuit the Fairfax and Arlington school boards filed against the DOE after the federal department froze their funding. The DOE put the schools on “high risk” status and restricted their access to federal funds after they refused to rescind policies allowing students to use bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity.

Countywide

FCPS asks appeals court to stop Trump administration from cutting off federal funds

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 10, 2025 at 9:15AM | Updated September 10, 2025 at 10:12AM

FCPS Pride supporters hold signs at a rally outside Luther Jackson Middle School (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Fairfax County Public Schools is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education.

The school system asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit of Virginia yesterday (Tuesday) to overturn a lower court’s decision denying a preliminary injunction that would’ve prevented the Education Department (DOE) from restricting its access to federal funding, Superintendent Michelle Reid announced.

News

Reston military contractor appeals order to pay $42M to former Abu Ghraib detainees

By Associated Press

Published September 9, 2025 at 1:45PM

A courtroom sketch depicts former Abu Ghraib prison detainee Salah Al-Ejaili at the trial of CACI, a Reston-based military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse and torture of detainees in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on April 16, 2024. (image by Dana Verkouteren via AP)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Appellate judges heard arguments Tuesday in an appeal brought by a U.S. military contractor ordered to pay $42 million for contributing to the torture of three former detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, with judges questioning the accuracy of some legal filings by the contractor.

The three-judge panel in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments and questioned attorneys for nearly an hour in the appeal brought by Reston, Virginia-based CACI, which is challenging last year’s civil lawsuit that led to a finding against it. The judges did not immediately issue a ruling. It’s not clear when an opinion could come.