A preliminary injunction is a court order where a party is instructed to perform, or is restrained from performing, a specific act. A preliminary injunction is deemed to be an extraordinary remedy, which is reserved for special situations where it is necessary to maintain the status quo for a period of time.Continue Reading The Third Circuit Holds that a Statement that the Motion is “Moot” Needs Factual Support

The Appellant Dawn Prosser appealed from a judgment of the District Court in favor of James Carroll, the Chapter 7 Trustee of the bankruptcy estate of Jeffrey Prosser, Dawn’s husband. Dawn challenged the District Court’s denial of her motion to dismiss, as well as other pleadings. She argued that the court erroneously allowed recovery for transfers of property made more than two years before the bankruptcy petition was filed, and that the Trustee failed to prove the post-petition transfers were out of the ordinary course of business.Continue Reading Motions Screech to a Halt in Attempt to Keep Money from Creditors

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Government of the Virgin Islands brought an action against companies that had owned an alumina refinery and an oil refinery on St. Croix.  Judge Harvey Bartle wrote the opinion in Barnes v. Century Aluminum Company, Slip Copy, 2013 WL 3356421 (D.Virgin Islands June 28, 2013) after considering the motion of Lockheed to exclude the opinion testimony of Dr. Bradley Sample.Continue Reading Eco-Expert OK to Testify on VI Bauxite

Chief Justice Curtis V. Gomez of the District Court of the Virgin Islands, Division of St. Thomas – St. John was asked to rule on  two motions by pro se plaintiff Richard Wingrove in the matter of Wingrove v. Bank of Nova Scotia, Slip Copy, 2013 WL 3853402 (D.V.I. July 24, 2013). The first was captioned as a “Petition for Injunction Order.”  The second was entitled a “Motion of Information to the Court.”   Richard Wingrove was the titleholder of Parcel No. 1B1–B Remainder Estate Wintberg, located on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (the “St. Thomas property”). In October 1999, Wingrove borrowed $30,000 from the Bank of Nova Scotia (the “Bank”). Wingrove later defaulted, and the Bank filed an action against him for debt and foreclosure in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.Continue Reading Pro Se Litigant has Hands Full in Property Dispute

When starting your own business, insurance is an important consideration.   Protecting your business investment with insurance minimizes the risks that can arise from unforeseen events, liabilities, and losses.  Finding the right insurance for your business can be a difficult task.  There are many variables that decide the right insurance for a small business.  These include the business structure, business activities, location, whether or not you hire employees—just to name a few.Continue Reading What Type of Insurance Do You Need for Your Small Business?

Lisa is part of our litigation department and has been with the firm—and back on island—for just over a year. She returned to St. Thomas from Miami where she attended the University of Miami School of Law, graduating with honors. While she was in law school, Lisa was on the Dean’s List, a law review editor, and a member of the Moot Court Board. After four and half years of practicing in Miami, Lisa decided to return to St. Thomas, where she grew up, to be closer to her parents.
After Lisa graduated from law school, she began practicing law in Miami with a boutique litigation firm handling cases in both state and federal court which primarily involved employment discrimination, insurance coverage, misuse of intellectual property, premises liability and breach of commercial contracts and leases. Lisa then moved to a large national firm and continued to work on insurance coverage and breach of contract cases, including class actions, and also began to handle some real property and securities litigation.
 Continue Reading Lisa Michelle Komives Notable Cases