Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) articles from February 2008

Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) archives from February 2008

Federal judge upholds west St. Louis County municipality's anti-illegal workers ordinance.
February 1, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A federal judge upheld a Valley Park ordinance that threatens to withhold or revoke the business licenses of people who hire illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber said Tuesday in a 57-page opinion...

Missouri Supreme Court considers sex offender distance limit.
February 1, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A state attorney argued Thursday that registered sex offenders should be forced from their homes near schools, even if they moved in before a ban was established in 2006. Missouri law, which also aims to protect day...

Voting begins for diversity seats on Missouri Bar board.
February 1, 2008... Byline: Allison Retka Members of The Missouri Bar are casting ballots this month to fill three new positions on the organization's governing board. The seats, created by a controversial measure adopted in September, are meant to increase...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Opinions: February 2, 2008.
February 2, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Administrative law Annexation; non-contested case ED89230 The City of Valley Park, Missouri, Plaintiff/Respondent, v. Matthew Armstrong,...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Opinions: February 2, 2008.
February 2, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Civil practice Oral argument; contribution claim WD67623 Randee L. Ingram, f/k/a Randee L. Wisdom, et al., Respondent v. Missouri Highways &...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Case Summaries: February 3, 2008.(Case overview)
February 3, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal law Search warrant; particularity requirement; incorporated document 06-2203 Keith Byron Baranski, Plaintiff/Appellant, v. USA,...

The modern fingerprint: Mo. law enforcement lauds DNA law, but defense lawyers point out problems.
February 4, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A state law requiring all felons to provide DNA samples has been a godsend for solving old cases, prosecutors and supporters say. But many defense lawyers say it's an encroachment of government and that people are too...

In Missouri, one sentenced to death; one death sentence upheld.
February 4, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report A pair of court rulings on Friday left two convicted murderers one step closer to their executions under Missouri law. Both had been found guilty of murdering police officers. In St. Louis County,...

Shareholder sues Richmond Heights-based Panera Bread Co.
February 5, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Richmond Heights-based Panera Bread Co., owner and franchisor of more than 1,100 Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Co. bakery-cafes in the United States, is facing allegations in federal court of misleading investors...

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District opinions.
February 5, 2008... Byline: Staff Report Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Criminal law DNA transfer; evidence 28150 State of Missouri, Plaintiff/Respondent v. Samuel A. Freeman, Defendant/Appellant. Handdown date: 01/16/2008 Appeal from:...

Case in 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals called 'huge win' for car creditors.
February 6, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Shedding debt in bankruptcy court just got a little harder. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday said bankruptcy law does not eliminate the debt on a vehicle that's been repossessed if the debtor bought it...

Judge in Missouri offers tweaks to court plan; critics push for more.
February 6, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Just minutes after a hearing where critics bashed Missouri's plan for selecting judges, Chief Justice Laura Denvir Stith directly responded to efforts to undo it, and offered an olive branch to opponents. The annual...

Surgeon wins new hearing in Missouri Supreme Court over loss of clinical privileges.
February 6, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Doctors may sue to compel private hospitals to follow their own bylaws in disciplinary matters, the Missouri Supreme Court said Tuesday. The decision is a departure from the court's 1965 decision in Cowan v. Gibson,...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules judge was wrong to suspend sentence.
February 7, 2008... Byline: Charles Emerick A U.S. district judge was wrong to suspend a woman's two-year prison sentence, a federal appellate court has ruled. This decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the punishment U.S. District Judge...

Missouri to net $16M in Merck settlement.
February 8, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Merck & Co. Inc. agreed Thursday to pay about $650 million, including $16 million to Missouri, to settle multiple federal and state claims of Medicaid fraud. The drug maker is accused of underpaying mandatory rebates...

Settlement reached before trial in St. Louis Circuit Court in death from birth control patch.
February 8, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A woman who sued a drug maker after her teenage granddaughter died while using a birth control patch has reached a settlement. Details of the agreement were confidential, court filings show. But an economist who helps...

Kahn joins St. Louis office of Bryan Cave.
February 8, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Michael Kahn has joined the St. Louis office of Bryan Cave. Kahn is a trial lawyer focusing on trademark, copyright, entertainment, libel and First Amendment issues. His clients have included...

Wees joins Clayton-based Goffstein, Raskas, Pomerantz, Kraus & Sherman.
February 8, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Joshua H. Wees has joined Goffstein, Raskas, Pomerantz, Kraus & Sherman as an associate concentrating his practice in litigation and insurance defense. Wees was previously affiliated with the firm...

Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Case Summaries: February 9, 2008.(Case overview)
February 9, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District Trusts and estates Medicaid; recovery of funds ED89849 In the Estate of: Raymond V. Shuh, Deceased Handdown date: 01/29/2008 Appeal from: Circuit...

Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Case Summaries: February 9, 2008.(Case overview)
February 9, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Missouri Court of Appeals Western District Elections Contested ballots WD68098 C. Kay Dolan, Respondent, and Monica Penrose, Plaintiff, v. Gilbert Powers, Defendant, and Teresa A. Collins,...

Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Case Summaries: February 9, 2008.(Case overview)
February 9, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District Criminal law Sex offender; registration 28626 Brian Hansen, Appellant v. State of Missouri, Respondent. Handdown date: 01/24/2008 Appeal from: Circuit...

8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.
February 10, 2008... U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the 8th Circuit Bankruptcy Transfers; preferential payment 07-6036EM In re: Falcon Products Inc., et al., Debtors. Falcon Creditor Trust, Plaintiff/Appellant v. First Insurance Funding,...

Before the rampage: 'Cookie' Thornton spent years fighting losing battles in court.
February 11, 2008... Byline: Will Connaghan Charles L. "Cookie" Thornton, who killed five Kirkwood officials last Thursday, spent years battling city officials in court. Acting mostly as his own attorney, Thornton appeared in civil or criminal cases as a...

Balancing security, with free speech can be legally dicey.
February 11, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter For little more than a year, Charles L. "Cookie" Thornton had been hoping a federal judge would see that Kirkwood city officials violated his First Amendment rights when they removed him from public meetings and...

Public defenders in Missouri won't refuse cases for months.
February 12, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Despite more than a year of saying it's in crisis mode, the state public defender system is proceeding cautiously with its plan to begin refusing new cases in overworked offices. The Public Defender Commission voted in...

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis lunch club expected to reopen.
February 12, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The lunch club for St. Louis lawyers is reopening after several months. The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis plans a news conference this afternoon to announce it has found a company to handle...

Companies win lawsuit in St. Louis Circuit Court over fireworks deaths.
February 12, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Fresh from a courtroom victory, a maker and a distributor of fireworks parts are looking ahead to future trials over an explosion that led to five deaths. The lawsuit filed by Angel Moran, the mother of a 22-year-old...

Missouri patient sues over publication of nude photos.
February 13, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A plastic surgery patient expected her medical files to remain confidential. Instead, full frontal views of the Georgia woman's naked body, except for her head, were published in the Riverfront Times. On Thursday, the...

Wrongful death suit requires Missouri Supreme Court's help.
February 14, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether a woman can move forward with a lawsuit blaming Bellefontaine Gardens nursing home for her grandmother's death. The problem is that the defendant, Sharon Peyton, doesn't...

Armed only with Shakespeare, Missouri felons step into new roles.
February 15, 2008... Byline: Julia M. Johnson Edgar Evans entered prison a convicted rapist. He emerged a Shakespearean actor. It's no exaggeration, he said -- acting profoundly transformed his life. "You learn to be committed," he said about his theatrical...

Court considers law charging Missouri inmates for room and board.
February 15, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese An inmate whose money is being seized to cover his prison costs is challenging the statute that allows it. Missouri law allows the attorney general to take inmates' assets, upon court approval, to help offset the cost...

Clayton attorney takes aim at school districts.
February 18, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Rufus Tate has some advice for area school districts -- it's better to spend money keeping kids in the classroom than trying to keep them out. If only he could convince someone in the courtroom. The Clayton lawyer has...

Costs in civil lawsuits could rise in Missouri.
February 19, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Litigation costs could increase in Missouri, with pending legislation to increase the fee for serving legal papers. A bill that has won initial approval in the Missouri Senate would raise by $10 the costs for sheriff's...

Plaintiffs face tough times trying to link autism, vaccines.
February 19, 2008... Byline: Dick Dahl As a federal court in Washington, D.C., is determining whether a link exists between childhood vaccines and autism, other developments are casting doubt on the likelihood of a connection. Last year, the U.S. Court of...

Missouri Supreme Court rules sex offender distance limit is retrospective.
February 20, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese While the debate over the best method for shuffling cases through the St. Louis Circuit Court likely will rage for a while, the change to a more centralized approach has been cleared to proceed. The state Supreme Court...

Missouri Supreme Court rules sex offender distance limit is retrospective.
February 20, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A 2-year-old state law barring sex offenders from living near schools cannot be used to force out offenders who were in their homes before the law was enacted. Missouri law previously barred registered sex offenders...

Local officials deny race discrimination in St. Louis Sheriff's Department.
February 20, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The St. Louis Sheriff's Department has denied a lawsuit's allegations that black employees face racial discrimination while working at the circuit court. Two black deputy sheriffs sued the sheriff's department in...

Missouri Supreme Court denies appeal in Vinson divorce case.
February 20, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff The ex-wife of mortgage broker Ray Vinson was denied again on Tuesday. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected Deanna Daughhetee's request for an appeal in the former couple's divorce case. She previously...

Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce rewrites language for stem cell measure.
February 21, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese A judge has rewritten the summary of a proposed ballot measure that would prohibit embryonic stem cell research in the state. Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce on Wednesday threw out language crafted by the...

Dred Scott descendent to speak tonight at Black History Month dinner in St. Louis.
February 21, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff A descendent of Dred and Harriet Scott will speak tonight at the joint dinner of two St. Louis legal organizations. Lynne Jackson, the Scotts' great-great-granddaughter, will join Charlie Harris,...

Family wins $5M wrongful death suit in St. Louis County Circuit Court.
February 22, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The wife and children of a man killed in a traffic accident in St. Louis have won a $5 million court judgment in their wrongful death lawsuit. But when, or if, they receive that money remains unclear. Leonard Musgray...

Top of the world for two St. Louis law students.
February 22, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for two Washington University law students. Andrew Nash and Samir Kaushik, both in their third year of law school, won an international moot court competition this month in India...

Organic milk lawsuits to be heard in St. Louis.
February 22, 2008... Byline: Staff report Lawsuits filed around the country against an organic milk company will be handled together in federal court in St. Louis. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, which considers such matters, announced its...

Ballot measures approved for signature gathering in Missouri.
February 22, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Supporters of a ballot measure that would further restrict abortions in Missouri and make lawsuits easier have been cleared to gather signatures in hopes of putting the issue before voters in November....

Law students without borders: Washington University partners with European schools to offer new program.
February 25, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Kathryn Kuznitsky moved to St. Louis to attend law school at Washington University with hopes of someday working in a foreign country. Now the school is launching a program that may be just what she's looking for. It's...

St. Louis Circuit Court wants more attorneys to speed trials.
February 26, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The St. Louis Circuit Court wants to spend $520,000 in the coming year for private attorneys to handle cases for poor criminal defendants. The court approved its budget Monday for the next fiscal year, which begins July...

Having a ball while raising money to promote Justice for All in St. Louis.
February 26, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese The major fundraiser for a group that provides legal assistance to the poor has reached a new record. The Justice for All Ball, held Saturday, drew a crowd of 725 at the Chase Park Plaza, a record number, said Judi...

St. Charles County court starts video arraignments.
February 27, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Video arraignments are now possible between the circuit court and county jail in St. Charles County. Officials say the system, which cost $65,000 to set up, should save time and money. Circuit...

Missouri Bar president Charlie Harris to join new firm.
February 27, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Report Missouri Bar President and Kansas City attorney Charlie Harris Jr. is switching law firms. Harris will leave Berkowitz Oliver Williams Shaw & Eisenbrandt to join Seyferth Knittig Blumenthal later...

Letter to the editor: Mandatory minimums sadly missing from presidential debates.(Letter to the editor)
February 27, 2008... Byline: April Whittington To the editor: As a proud American, I have been watching these presidential debates, and I have been waiting and waiting for one of these candidates to dare to mention the problem America has with the judicial...

Disaster planning a part of business.
February 27, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter Law firms and other businesses have a natural inclination, if not yet a legal duty, to prepare for emergencies -- be they a terrorist attack, tornado or an attorney's death, according to lawyers who work in the...

Missouri lawyers urged to seek bar refund, give to legal help for the poor.
February 28, 2008... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff A group pushing to overhaul the way Missouri selects its judges wants lawyers around the state to seek their money back from The Missouri Bar if they disagree with its spending. It suggests redirecting...

Missouri Supreme Court dispute centers on witness notes.
February 28, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A lawyer representing a suspect in the disappearance of a 10-year-old boy asked the Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday to deny a grand jury access to his witness notes. John Rogers represents Dawan Ferguson, a suspect...

Missouri Supreme Court considers time frame in clergy abuse case.
February 29, 2008... Byline: Kelly Wiese Members of Missouri's Supreme Court have raised questions about whether a man who alleges he was sexually abused in the mid-1980s by clergy at a Catholic high school can proceed with a lawsuit he filed in 2006. ...

Alleged gunman from Joplin seeks trial in juvenile court.
February 29, 2008... Byline: Donna Walter A Joplin teenager accused of trying to shoot his principal should be reconsidered for a trial in juvenile court, his attorney told the Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday. Thomas White received an incompetent defense...