Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) articles from December 2003

Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) archives from December 2003

Court finds disability education bill constitutional.
December 2, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that a controversial Missouri House bill, amended by the state Senate, that targeted students with disabilities, does not violate the Missouri Constitution. The original...

Missouri Bar meeting highlights progress of main initiatives.
December 3, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright ***** CORRECTION: In an article published last week about a recent Missouri Bar Board of Governors meeting the following paragraph should have read:Corrigan added that of the 13 lawyers that have approached him...

Slip-and-fall case may proceed despite contradictory testimony by plaintiff.
December 3, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright Despite her seemingly contradictory testimony, a woman suing a hotel after she slipped down one of its staircases has enough proof to raise liability questions for a jury verdict, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...

School district not responsible for retroactive fees.
December 4, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright Despite allegations from the Missouri National Education Association, Normandy School District will not have to pay retroactive fines for allegedly not complying with a state educational expenditure law, the Missouri...

Downtown St. Louis Partnership honors 19 projects with annual awards.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Approximately 150 people attended the Downtown St. Louis Partnership's 2003 Better Downtown Awards, held Nov. 20 at the American Theater. Originally part of the organization's annual meeting, this year's new format made...

Realty Executives enters St. Louis market.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Realty Executives, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the country, has recently opened an office in St. Louis. The new office, located in South County on Old Tesson Road, opened its doors for business in...

Clayco Construction Co. and American to build three retail stores in St. Louis market.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel The month of December is usually reserved for decorating Christmas trees, lighting candles and holiday shopping. However, Clayco Construction Co. and electronics retailer American have added an additional item to their...

Economists predict that immigrants will play important role in future home sales.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon A strong increase of immigrants into the United States during the past 10 years could play an influential role in supporting housing demand for the remainder of this decade, according to economist Michael Carliner of the...

Employment in mortgage industry decreases.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Increased dependency on technology is being blamed for a decline in the number of people employed in mortgage-related jobs, which have dropped by nearly 1,000 since August according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics....

Complexity of participated commercial mortgage loans can create confusion.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon Participated commercial mortgage loans - a product that commonly appears in commercial mortgage-backed securities - are becoming increasingly complicated, according to a report issued last week by Fitch Ratings....

8th Circuit Court of Appeals denies disability discrimination claims against company.
December 5, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright A former employee of a Salem, Mo., timber mill could bring his harassment claims against his employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday in a partially...

Cole & Associates names senior VP of business development.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Charles M. Etwert has joined Cole & Associates as senior vice president of business development. In his new position, Etwert will be responsible for business development, project management and client relationships. He brings...

Earth City Residence Inn has new market sales mgr.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Shermane Winters has been named market sales manager for Dominion Hospitality Group's Earth City Residence Inn by Marriott. In her new position, she is responsible for uncovering leads, closing sales and other general market...

Rubin, Brown, Gorenstein & Co. names new tax service group mgr.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Robert C. Neuhas joined Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. L.L.P. as a manager in the firm's state and local tax services group. In his new position, Neu will provide multi-state tax planning and research, state and local...

Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. names new litigation consulting group manager.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Thomas B. Zetlmeislhas joined Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. L.L.P.as a manager in the firm's litigation consulting group. In his new position, Zetlmeisl will manage projects associated with financial and accounting issues in...

Rothschild Development names new CEO.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Carolyn Jotte-Denos has joined Rothschild Development as the company's new chief executive officer. Her duties will include the overall administration and operations of Rothschild Development and Red Brick Management,...

Greensfelder, Hemker and Galeas adds associate to staff.
December 6, 2003... Byline: staff Ryan J. Gavin has joined Greensfelder, Hemker and Galeas an associate in the firm's litigation practice group. He focuses his practice in the area of general civil litigation, including general commercial litigation, medical...

Jury awards reinstated in sexual harassment case.
December 6, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright Calling it a "question of human decency," the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court decision to slash jury awards given to a victim of sexual harassment on Thursday. The victim "was...

Noce wins St. Louis County judicial commission election.
December 9, 2003... Byline: staff St. Louis County lawyers elected Gerard T. Noce to fill a spot on the county's 21st Circuit Judicial Commission, according to results from Saturday's run-off election. Noce, a past-president of the Missouri Organization...

Agreement stands, but default tort claim unacceptable.
December 9, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright A bitter legal affair that exploded out of a business dispute between two friends ended on Monday with a compromise in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite a clause in a superseding agreement requiring...

Disability harassment claim may proceed under Fair Housing Act.
December 10, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter A man diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder may bring a disability harassment claim and a retaliation claim against his former landlord for violating his rights under the Fair Housing Act and the Rehabilitation...

Trial court's failure to explain custody decision results in reversal.
December 10, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright A Cape Girardeau trial court erred in awarding primary custody to an allegedly abusive husband when it failed to abide by the mother's specific requests to enter findings of fact and conclusions of law when setting...

Justice White pitches nonpartisan court plan to St. Charles lawyers.
December 11, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronnie White and Missouri Bar President Bill Corrigan attended the St. Charles County Bar Association monthly meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan and...

Jefferson County officials see little, or no, growth in 2004 budget.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Cathy Kingsley Due to the sluggish economy, Jefferson County officials are predicting little or no growth in next year's budget. Although the final numbers have not been determined yet, the total budget will be about $70 million....

Court meeting focuses on budget, courthouse renovation.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Cathy Kingsley The budget and courthouse renovation topped the agenda at Monday's en banc meeting of the Jefferson County Circuit Court. At an informal budget meeting held last week, members of the County Commission asked...

Treasury secretary praises Construction Careers Center.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel On the day that the Commerce Department announced unemployment fell below 6 percent, Secretary of the Treasury John Snow and Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., visited the Construction Careers Center charter school on Grattan Road...

Chesterfield medical building features micro-detention storm water system.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Erin Piel The soon-to-be completed Chesterfield Medical and Dental Center may feature state-of-the-art equipment and techniques in the field of dentistry, but the building its offices will be housed in also contains advanced...

Residential realty to remain economic ruler.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon After two years of proving to be a foundational element in the economy, the National Association of Realtors has predicted that home sales will continue to be a driving force in 2004. According to NAR chief economist...

Construction industry plays important role in building economy, says U.S. Treasury Secretary.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow highlighted construction and the economy last Friday when he met with members of the Associated General Contractors of America and other construction industry leaders in St. Louis. ...

Fixed-rate mortgages preferred by homebuyers.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Mike Nixon The Homeownership Alliance has confirmed that in addition to creating more opportunities for homeownership, historically low interest rates along with other economic factors have prompted more buyers to lock into...

Standard of review set in workers' compensation cases.
December 12, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright In a unanimously affirmed decision, the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday "standardized" the standard of review for workers' compensation cases, striking an employer's plea to weigh favorable evidence against...

Richard J. Behr joins Behr, McCarter & Potter P.C.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Richard J. Behr has joined Behr, McCarter & Potter P.C. and will concentrate his practice in the area of civil litigation with an emphasis on professional negligence defense, employment law, admiralty, product liability and...

Emily C. Singley joins Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale in firm's Swansea, Ill., office.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Emily C. Singley has joined Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale as an associate in the firm's Swansea, Ill., office. She will focus her practice in the areas of complex commercial and intellectual property litigation. Prior to...

Jay L. Kanzler Jr. joins Dunn & Miller, specializing in commercial litigation.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Jay L. Kanzler Jr. has joined Dunn & Miller as a principal specializing in commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Prior to joining the firm, Kanzler served as associate general counsel at Washington University and was...

Mary Bonacorsi, a partner at Thompson Coburn, elected to American Board of Trial Advocates.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Mary Bonacorsi, a partner at Thompson Coburn, was recently elected a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, whose primary mission is the preservation of America's civil jury trial system and the constitutional...

Kim Just named market sales manager for two Marriott hotels in St. Charles.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Kim Just has been named market sales manager of Dominion Hospitality Group's Fairfield Inn by Marriott and TownePlace Suites by Marriott in St. Charles. In her new position, Just is responsible for uncovering sales leads and...

Jennifer R. Hargis joins Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Jennifer R. Hargis has joined Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate and will practice in the areas of architect/engineer professional liability and construction and product liability defense. She is admitted to the bar...

Law Offices of Thomas J. Noonan employs six new associates.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Kristine M. Tuttle, Timothy P. Hulla, Peter W. Gullborg, Kathleen Schlef Hamilton and Jason D. Dodson have joined the Law Offices of Thomas J. Noonan as associates in the firm's insurance defense and litigation practice...

Christopher C. Javillonar joins Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Christopher C. Javillonar has joined Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate. He will practice in the areas of architect/engineer professional liability, construction and product liability defense. He has been sworn into...

Carolyn Grigsby Caruthers joins Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff Carolyn Grigsby Caruthers has joined Rabbitt, Pitzer & Snodgrass as an associate. She will focus her practice in the areas of transportation and general litigation defense. She has been sworn into the Missouri Supreme Court...

MO Supreme Court rules plaintiffs have standing to contest credit union expansion.
December 13, 2003... Byline: staff The Missouri Supreme Court may have put a halt on the membership expansion of an employees-only credit union to encompass an entire area code after grumbles from area banks led to some hefty statutory interpretations. ...

MO Court of Appeals rules arbitration agreement in vehicle service plan is enforceable.
December 13, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter An agreement to arbitrate included in a vehicle service plan was not unconscionable and is enforceable, but the requirement that the arbitration take place in Arkansas is unconscionable, the Missouri Court of Appeals,...

Commentary: As we age, we not only fight fat and rising medical costs, but debt.
December 15, 2003... Byline: Linda Jacobson I was reading through a recent issue of Newsweek magazine (Nov. 10, 2003) and saw a tiny half column by a writer named Jennifer Barrett. It made me stop working and write this immediately. In a commentary on...

St. Charles County-based nonprofits benefit from Industrial Development Authority bonds.
December 15, 2003... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady ***** CORRECTION: In a story about local nonprofits benefiting from IDA bonds, published in Monday's issue of this paper, Randy Weber was incorrectly identified as being from Hazelwood. The statement should...

Split decision requires each party to foot the bill.
December 16, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright The scales balanced one more time in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as it ordered both parties of a civil suit to note the American Rule and pay their own way. A partial grant of summary judgment will not...

Missouri Supreme Court finds testimony of doctor's experts inadmissible.
December 30, 2003... Byline: Emily Umbright A Missouri doctor accused of negligence after dabbling with an experimental off-label drug treatment will find himself back in court as a result of last Tuesday's Missouri Supreme Court reversed ruling. The heart...

Court finds sexually violent predator law constitutional.
December 31, 2003... Byline: Donna Walter In its latest look at the state's law providing for civil commitments of sexually violent predators, the Missouri Supreme Court determined that it does not violate constitutional due process requirements or equal...