Vermont Case Commentaries

State v. Breer, Jr.: Plea Agreements Cannot Bind Non-Party Agencies—Clarifying Enforcement Limits and Standards of Review

Date: Jul 13, 2025

State v. Breer, Jr.: Plea Agreements Cannot Bind Non-Party Agencies—Clarifying Enforcement Limits and Standards of Review 1. Introduction In State v. Harley Breer, Jr., 2025 VT ___ (No. 24-AP-308),...

Belter v. Burlington (2025): Refining Party-Joinder and Municipal-Immunity Doctrine in Vermont Environmental Tort Litigation

Date: Jul 4, 2025

Belter v. City of Burlington (2025 VT 35): Refining Party-Joinder and Municipal-Immunity Doctrine in Vermont Environmental Tort Litigation Introduction Belter v. City of Burlington is a 2025 decision...

DNA-Based Exoneration as the Exclusive Gateway to VIPA Compensation: A Commentary on Reynolds v. State of Vermont (2025 VT 34)

Date: Jul 4, 2025

DNA-Based Exoneration as the Exclusive Gateway to VIPA Compensation: A Comprehensive Commentary on Stanley Reynolds v. State of Vermont, 2025 VT 34 1. Introduction In Reynolds v. State of Vermont,...

Kilburn v. VCAM: Emotional-Distress Damages Now Recoverable for Negligent-Supervision Claims Without Proof of Physical Injury When the Underlying Wrong is an Intentional Tort

Date: Jun 23, 2025

Kilburn v. VCAM Commentary: A New Path for Emotional-Distress Recovery in Negligent-Supervision Actions Introduction Ciara Kilburn & Brona Kilburn v. Bill Simmon & Vermont Community Access Media,...

Shaffer v. Northeast Kingdom Human Services: Vermont Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of Comparative-Negligence Defenses Against Non-Parties

Date: Jun 23, 2025

Shaffer v. Northeast Kingdom Human Services, Inc.: 2025 VT 31 – A New Limit on “Empty-Chair” Comparative Negligence in Vermont Introduction In Shaffer v. Northeast Kingdom Human Services, Inc., the...

Clarifying “Pattern of Strip Development” under Vermont Act 250 – Supreme Court Defines the Test and Affirms Farm-Store Permit

Date: Jun 18, 2025

Clarifying “Pattern of Strip Development” under Vermont Act 250 – Supreme Court Defines the Test and Affirms Farm-Store Permit 1. Introduction In In re SM Farms Shop, LLC Permit Appeal, 2025 VT 33,...

“Particularity & Puffery”: Vermont Supreme Court Tightens Pleading Standards for Fraud and Negligent Misrepresentation in Corporate Mergers – Commentary on Shayne Lynn v. Slang Worldwide, Inc., 2025 VT 30

Date: Jun 18, 2025

“Particularity & Puffery”: Vermont Supreme Court Tightens Pleading Standards for Fraud and Negligent Misrepresentation in Corporate Mergers Commentary on Shayne Lynn v. Slang Worldwide, Inc., 2025 VT...

“Exclusive Environmental Division Jurisdiction over Stand-Alone Zoning Declarations” – Commentary on 32 Intervale, LLC v. City of Burlington (2025)

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Exclusive Environmental Division Jurisdiction over Stand-Alone Zoning Declarations: An In-Depth Commentary on 32 Intervale, LLC v. City of Burlington, 2025 VT ___ 1. Introduction 32 Intervale, LLC v....

Jackson v. Jackson: Deference to Trial-Court Fact-Finding and a Flexible “Justice & Equity” Test for Fee-Shifting under 14A V.S.A. § 1004

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Jackson v. Jackson: Deference to Trial-Court Fact-Finding and a Flexible “Justice & Equity” Test for Fee-Shifting under 14A V.S.A. § 1004 Introduction On 6 June 2025 the Supreme Court of Vermont...

“No Second Bite at the Apple” – Vermont Supreme Court Re-affirms the Non-Tolling, Strict 30-Day Deadline to Vacate Arbitration Awards

Date: Jun 11, 2025

“No Second Bite at the Apple” – Vermont Supreme Court Re-affirms the Non-Tolling, Strict 30-Day Deadline to Vacate Arbitration Awards Introduction Flat Fee, LLC v. Northwest Vermont Realtor...

“Stone v. DOC”: Vermont Supreme Court Confirms Employer’s Right to Bypass Progressive Discipline for Repeated Discriminatory Language

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Stone v. DOC: Vermont Supreme Court Confirms Employer’s Right to Bypass Progressive Discipline for Repeated Discriminatory Language Introduction In In re Grievance of Jonathan Stone, the Vermont...

Sita v. Department of Labor (2025): Clarifying “Good-Cause” Standards and Preservation Rules in Vermont Unemployment Appeals

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Sita v. Department of Labor (2025): Clarifying “Good-Cause” Standards and Preservation Rules in Vermont Unemployment Appeals 1. Introduction In Keren Sita v. Department of Labor, the Vermont Supreme...

Eddy v. Venturella: Vermont Supreme Court Re-Affirms Rule 11 Candor Duties for Self-Represented Litigants and Clarifies the Limited Grounds for Pre-Hearing Dismissal of RFA Petitions

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Eddy v. Venturella: Vermont Supreme Court Re-Affirms Rule 11 Candor Duties for Self-Represented Litigants and Clarifies the Limited Grounds for Pre-Hearing Dismissal of RFA Petitions 1. Introduction...

“Manufacturer-Rated Horsepower” Controls Vermont Watercraft Exclusions: Commentary on Northern Security Insurance Co. v. Walker (2025)

Date: Jun 11, 2025

“Manufacturer-Rated Horsepower” Controls Vermont Watercraft Exclusions: A Comprehensive Commentary on Northern Security Insurance Company, Inc. v. Raymond Walker (Vt. 2025) Introduction The Vermont...

State v. Fuller: Expanding the Corpus Delicti Corroboration Standard and Clarifying Non-Testimonial Police-Conduct Hearsay

Date: Jun 11, 2025

State v. Fuller: Expanding the Corpus Delicti Corroboration Standard and Clarifying Non-Testimonial Police-Conduct Hearsay Introduction In State v. Christopher Fuller, 2025 VT ___, the Vermont...

Wood v. Wood: Vermont Reaffirms the “Divisible Divorce” Doctrine and the Use of Disability Benefits when Fixing Spousal Maintenance

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Wood v. Wood: Vermont Reaffirms the “Divisible Divorce” Doctrine and the Use of Disability Benefits when Fixing Spousal Maintenance 1. Introduction Wood v. Wood, 2025 VT ___ (June 6, 2025), is a...

Limited Scope of Agricultural and Cannabis Operations’ Exemption from Municipal Regulation under 24 V.S.A. § 4413(d)(1)(A) and 7 V.S.A. § 869(f)(2)

Date: May 31, 2025

Limited Scope of Agricultural and Cannabis Operations’ Exemption from Municipal Regulation under 24 V.S.A. § 4413(d)(1)(A) and 7 V.S.A. § 869(f)(2) Introduction This case arises from two consolidated...

Elective Application of Subsequent Municipal Plan Amendments as Exception to the Act 250 Vested-Rights Doctrine

Date: May 24, 2025

Elective Application of Subsequent Municipal Plan Amendments as Exception to the Act 250 Vested-Rights Doctrine Introduction This commentary examines the Vermont Supreme Court’s decision in In re...

Probate-Exhaustion Rule for Intentional Interference with Inheritance from Inter Vivos Trusts

Date: May 24, 2025

Probate-Exhaustion Rule for Intentional Interference with Inheritance from Inter Vivos Trusts Introduction In Berol Dewdney and Cordelia Dewdney v. Ralph E. Duncan, IV, 2025 VT 26, the Vermont...

Clarifying the Scope of the Manifest Injustice Exception in Vermont Zoning Appeals

Date: May 17, 2025

Clarifying the Scope of the Manifest Injustice Exception in Vermont Zoning Appeals Introduction In In re Guillemette ZA Determination Appeal (2025 VT 25), Anne and Mark Guillemette (landowners)...