Sherwood v. County of Botetourt, Virginia, et al.

What the court wrote

Verbatim from the court's document (public domain). Ellipses mark omitted text; nothing is paraphrased.

The Sherwoods’ sweeping claims appear to stem from incorrect interpretations of law and include citations to hallucinated law ostensibly obtained from generative AI tools. A fundamental misunderstanding about (1) the requirements for a misdemeanor warrant under Virginia Code § 19.2-72;and (2) the effect of a nolo contendere plea in Virginia court underlies all twenty counts. CLERKS OFFICE US DISTRICT COURT AT ROANOKE, VA FILED LAURA A. AUSTIN, CLERK BY: /s/ E. Jones DEPUTY CLERK May 21, 2026 Ten motions are pending before the court, including: defendants’ motions to quash service of the original complaint, ECF Nos. 34, 36, 38, 41, 44; defendants’ motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim, ECF Nos. 71, 76, 79, 82, 84; and plaintiffs’ motion to amend their amended complaint, ECF No. 93. The court has carefully considered the various motions of the parties, the parties’ briefing on those motions, and the parties’ oral arguments presented at the February 2, 2026, hearing on the pending motions.