By Andy DelaneyTwo cases on Valentine’s Day. I haven’t thought of a “clever” link between the first case and Valentine’s Day and it’s probably better that I don’t.Our first case is an appeal from a substantiation. M.R., while a…

By Andy DelaneyI’ve always  enjoyed the phrase “unlawful mischief.” To me, it sounds endearing—like an impish lawbreaker getting up to shenanigans. “Unlawful mischief” as used in Vermont jurisprudence is essentially vandalism. Fun fact: the Vandals are a punk rock…

Definitely not the bridge in this caseBy Andy DelaneyOne opinion this past week, concerning what a de minimus—a lawyers’-job-security word for unimportant or insignificant—use is in the context of recreational trails, bridges, and triggering application of zoning regs. I want…

AdminBy Andy DelaneyThis week’s post is going to be short because, as Polonious quipped in Hamlet, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” I’m lazy. SCOV issued two opinions on Friday, January 10. Opinion one boils down to whether redacted records…

By Andy DelaneyVermont follows what we sometimes call the “public domain” citation format. What this means is that following the case name, you’ll have the year the case was decided, the two-letter state abbreviation, and the number of…

The trouble with defamationBy Andy DelaneyThree opinions issued on Friday. In the first one, we look at the interplay between tort and criminal law, with a twist based on what I like to call “the reverse-Uno card of defamation law”:…

I am totally being framed.This is BS. By Andy DelaneyEarlier this week, I found a chewed-up wooden doggy figurine on our bed in the morning. I accused “my wife’s dog,” Lucy of being the culprit, though in fairness, it might…