Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Friday recused his office from a state legal matter involving Star Scientific, a company in which he owns stock and whose founder has given Cuccinelli thousands of dollars in gifts.

Cuccinelli appointed former state Attorney General Stephen Rosenthal, a Democrat, and former Solicitor General William Hurd, a Republican, to handle the case for the state. Both work for the law firm of Troutman Sanders and will work pro bono.