Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) articles from January 2007

Daily Record (St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Countian) archives from January 2007

Eminent domain, minimum wage among new laws taking effect today.
January 1, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka While most of Missouri's laws take effect in the hazy heat of August, the New Year will herald the official start of several new laws, from an increase in the minimum wage to limitless campaign contributions in state...

By the numbers, county courts fare better than city.
January 2, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Both circuit courts in St. Louis experienced an increase in civil case filings over the last fiscal year and had the heaviest caseloads in Missouri, according to court statistics released in late December by the...

Can Dierbergs Markets be sued for what it sells?
January 4, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A federal judge's denial of remand in a St. Louis case has the potential to change the way product liability cases are tried in Missouri, say the lawyers trying to persuade the judge to change his mind. In court...

Class-action suit brought against farmers from 13 states resumes in St. Louis.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka A hefty class-action suit brought against Monsanto by farmers from 13 states will kick back into gear today with oral arguments before a federal judge in St. Louis. The plaintiffs, farmers and farming entities from...

Missouri-based company wins cash settlement with Sun Microsystems.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter After four years of protracted litigation and five weeks of trial, Fenton-based Custom Hardware Engineering & Consulting, has emerged with a confidential cash settlement and the satisfaction that a small business can...

Five ways legislators should improve the legal system.
January 5, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Missouri lawmakers kicked off the First Regular Session of the 94th General Assembly on Wednesday and it is shaping up to be another year of competing legislative agendas. Education, health care and immigration look...

Farmers' conspiracy claims move forward against Monsanto.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Monsanto struggled to rebuff allegations of bribery and conspiracy Friday morning before a federal judge who was not impressed by the company's arguments. U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber said Monsanto's...

Dowd joins Clayton law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman.
January 9, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter James R. Dowd, former judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, has joined the Clayton law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman. Dowd, working in an of-counsel capacity, joined the firm at the beginning of...

MO law schools defend ethics curricula.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Missouri law professors advocate a comprehensive approach to teaching legal ethics in an effort to prepare students for ethical questions that they may face as lawyers. In response to a report released by the Carnegie...

MO Supreme Court rules police wrong to detain Swedish model and seize pot.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Lawyers for a Swedish model convicted of second-degree drug trafficking convinced the Missouri Supreme Court that nearly 70 pounds of marijuana found in a vehicle search was the result of an illegal search and seizure...

Commentary: Classes help, but ethics remain personal.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Most lawyers I know are ethical people. They were ethical prior to entering law school, remained ethical during law school and have continued to be ethical throughout their legal careers. Lawyers are constantly faced...

Campaign finance law restrained in Missouri.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Cole County judge on Monday issued a temporary restraining order against a portion of a new state law that bans campaign contributions during the January-to-May legislative session. However, other portions of the law...

Dowd joins Gallop, Johnson & Neuman.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter James R. Dowd, former judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, has joined the Clayton law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman. Dowd, working in an of-counsel capacity, joined the firm at the beginning of...

Missouri Supreme Court judge calls for expanded judge evaluations.
January 11, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck In his final State of the Judiciary address, Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael A. Wolff gave a succinct call for increased judicial salaries and announced plans for a newer, better Missouri Bar judicial evaluation....

Convicted of now invalid law, sex offender wants off Missouri Sex Offender Registry.
January 11, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in the case of a convicted sex offender who claims a discarded state law clears him of his past crime and saves him from the sex offender registry. Harold...

Correction: Wrong logo.
January 11, 2007... Byline: Staff Report The logo that ran with the column entitled 'Lawyer gift cards have play, especially in Missouri' in the Jan. 9 issue ran with the wrong byline and author photo. As noted at the bottom of the story, it was written by...

Missouri attorney and mother file for a writ against state's social services department.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Having been rebuffed by the southern district appeals court, a parent and attorney from Seneca filed for a writ last week against the state's social services department in the Missouri Supreme Court. A Jan. 24...

How to pay for Missouri/Illinois bridge.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan A panel of national transportation experts held meetings this week in St. Louis in an effort to end the standoff between Missouri and Illinois over the proposed new bridge over the Mississippi just north of downtown...

Missourians in the news: Robert "Bob" M. Marx.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Robert "Bob" M. Marx III has joined Midwest BankCentre as vice president of mortgage. Marx is responsible for leading the bank's mortgage lending operations, managing a team of mortgage originators,...

Missourians in the news: Elizabeth Blackwell, Laura M. Duncan, Matthew H. Kaiser, Catherine Schroeder, Steven R. Wild.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Thompson Coburn has announced that Elizabeth Blackwell, Laura M. Duncan, Matthew H. Kaiser, Catherine Schroeder and Steven R. Wild have been selected to become partners in the firm. Blackwell is...

Missourians in the news: Mark E. Goodman, Gary R. Sarachan.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Mark E. Goodman and Gary R. Sarachan, of Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, PC., have been named as co-chairs of the law firm's Litigation Practice Area. Goodman has litigated for 34 years representing...

Missourians in the news: Mark E. Goodman, Gary R. Sarachan.
January 13, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Mark E. Goodman and Gary R. Sarachan, of Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, PC., have been named as co-chairs of the law firm's Litigation Practice Area. Goodman has litigated for 34 years representing clients in...

Missourians in the news: Kathie Libbra.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Welsch, Flatness & Lutz has hired Kathie Libbra of Livingston, Ill., as a customer service representative. Welsch, Flatness & Lutz Inc. is a provider of insurance, financial and risk management services...

Missourians in the news: Kimberly D. Travis.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Kimberly D. Travis has been promoted to senior research associate at Gateway Commercial, a member of the Cushman & Wakefield Alliance. In that capacity, Travis tracks and analyzes the St. Louis real...

Missourians in the news: Kendrick Lathum.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Kendrick Lathum has been promoted to project manager at Brinkmann Constructors. Lathum, who joined Brinkmann as a project engineer in 2004, assumes full profit and performance responsibility for...

Missourians in the news: Christopher N. Foulk.
January 13, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Christopher N. Foulk, CPA, has joined RubinBrown as a manager in its Manufacturing and Distribution Group. Based in the firm's St. Louis office, Foulk brings to RubinBrown more than six years of...

Few complaints against judges end in discipline.
January 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Allegation 1: A judge steals money by false pretenses and conversion and fails to file a tax return. Allegation 2: Another judge gets involved with a woman who's in his court to get a divorce; he gives her advice about...

Meet the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline.
January 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Charged with investigating complaints against judges, the Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline consists of six members: one appellate judge selected by appeals court judges, one circuit judge selected by...

Hazelwood-based Mallinckrodt Inc. objects to Shell share of Great Lakes clean up.
January 17, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A proposed settlement between the federal government and Shell Oil would leave the oil company paying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $228,630 of costs associated with cleaning up hazardous materials found at...

Commentary: Tax cheats are tax cheats, even with law degrees.
January 17, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan The holiday season has come to an end and many are now preparing for that other favorite time of year -- tax season. Accountants and tax lawyers will keep busy going over their clients' returns -- searching for...

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals moves to shed claims in three St. Louis weight-loss cases.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Drugmaker Wyeth has filed motions for summary judgment in three cases pending in the St. Louis-based federal court, and more can be expected. In Hill v. Wyeth Inc. and Cavender v. American Home Products Corp., the name...

Pentagon official raises hackles for criticizing U.S. law firms that represent inmates in Cuba.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan A Pentagon official raised the hackles of the legal profession recently when he was critical of U.S. law firms that represent inmates incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Charles "Cully" Stimson, who carries the...

Mary Jane Pieroni joins West County-based CPA firm of Bergman, Schraier & Co PC.
January 20, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Mary Jane Pieroni, the immediate past treasurer for the city of Ladue, has joined the West County-based certified public accounting firm of Bergman, Schraier & Co PC, as manager in the accounting and auditing...

Patricia L. Bland and Bradley J. Sylwester join Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal PC.
January 20, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Patricia L. Bland and Bradley J. Sylwester have joined Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal PC. Sylwester brings more than seven years of litigation experience and will focus on insurance and public...

Sheila Greenbaum elected director/shareholder of Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan.
January 20, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Sheila Greenbaum of Capes, Sokol, Goodman & Sarachan, PC, has been elected as a director and shareholder of the law firm. Greenbaum handles state and federal appellate cases, complex civil...

Armstrong Teasdale announces that five attorneys have joined the firm.
January 20, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Armstrong Teasdale has announced that attorneys Daniel J. Burke, Melissa A. Glauber, Johanna S. Larsson, Eret C. McNichols and David M. Rouse have joined the firm. Burke is a member of...

Missourians in the news: Aniello Bianco.
January 20, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Hildebrandt International, a provider of management and strategic advice to law and professional service firms, has announced that Aniello Bianco, former managing director of Chadbourne & Parke LLP has joined the...

Blackwell Sanders announces addition of Terry R. Lueckenhoff to firm's St. Louis office.
January 20, 2007... Byline: St. Charles County Business Record Staff Blackwell Sanders has announced the addition of Terry R. Lueckenhoff to the firm's Litigation Department. Joining the St. Louis office as a partner, Lueckenhoff has experience in business and...

Hildebrandt International announces that Aniello Bianco has joined the company.
January 20, 2007... Byline: Staff Report Hildebrandt International, a provider of management and strategic advice to law and professional service firms, has announced that Aniello Bianco, former managing director of Chadbourne & Parke LLP has joined the...

Missouri attorney general wants ruling on child support orders.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka With hundreds of amended child support orders waiting in limbo, Attorney General Jay Nixon has asked the state Supreme Court to consider the merits of a pending child support case in the high court. Nixon, on behalf...

St. Louis-based Luco Mop Co. case turns on plaintiff's ability to stand, eat.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter St. Louis-based Luco Mop Co., a manufacturer of roofing mops and brushes, won a lawsuit filed by a former employee. The plaintiff, Jeannette Brannon, charged the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act...

Former Chief Justice Charles Blackmar dies.
January 23, 2007... Byline: John DeMoor

Residents in Clayton will appeal eminent domain ruling.
January 23, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Property owners who lost a contentious eminent domain case to Centene Corp. and the city of Clayton on Friday plan to appeal quickly the court's decision to condemn their land. The owners expressed outrage Monday,...

Eminent domain bill in Missouri seeks common ground.
January 23, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The long, costly court case that has kept Centene Corp. and Clayton residents locked in litigation is just the kind of conflict Rep. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, wants to avoid. Eminent domain will always be a...

Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily halts child support hearing.
January 23, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka In a nod to Attorney General Jay Nixon's request for the state Supreme Court to consider Missouri's process for changing child support payments, the high court granted a woman's writ of prohibition Friday. Sherrie...

Fifteen years later, Baumruk faces retrial.
January 24, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Jury selection begins today in the retrial of Kenneth Baumruk, whose murder conviction for a 1992 rampage in the St. Louis County courthouse was reversed by the Missouri Supreme Court. The shootings left Baumruk's...

Commentary: Media glare puts pressure on legal system.
January 24, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Without a doubt, the miraculous recovery of Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck, is the biggest legal story to center on the St. Louis region in a long time. Police, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys are facing...

Missouri attorneys may avoid expanded drug court.
January 26, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka For the most struggling clients of the St. Louis drug court, the stakes have just been raised. Held out as a last chance for high-risk offenders who wouldn't qualify for the rehab program under current rules, the...

Friends recall judge's opinions, gentle demeanor.
January 27, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Brilliant. Opinionated. Gentle. That's how friends and family described retired Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Blackmar at his remembrance service Friday at Country Club Christian Church. Michael Wolff...

UMKC professor helps senators move immigration bill in Missouri.
January 29, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who's supporting a metro St. Louis community in its anti-immigration ordinance battle is the legal advisor and Republican-friendly face of a recent immigration bill...

Velda City police officers accused of civil rights violations.
January 29, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Two former Velda City police officers and a former employee of the Northwoods Police Department were indicted on Friday by a federal grand jury. The three were charged with violating the civil rights of a jailed man,...

Friends recall judge's opinions, gentle demeanor.
January 29, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Brilliant. Opinionated. Gentle. That's how friends and family described retired Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Blackmar at his remembrance service Friday at Country Club Christian Church. Michael Wolff...

Police officers accused of civil rights violations.
January 29, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Two former Velda City police officers and a former employee of the Northwoods Police Department were indicted on Friday by a federal grand jury. The three were charged with violating the civil rights of a jailed man,...

Judges in Missouri to receive first pay raises in 6 years.
January 30, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck On July 1, Missouri judges will begin receiving their first pay raise in seven years after a key Senate committee on Monday failed to endorse a proposal that would have vetoed their pay hike. Technically, the...

St. Louis County Circuit Court rules St. Louis-based charity defrauded, misled consumers.
January 31, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka A St. Louis-based charity that sold raffle tickets for elaborate prizes in St. Charles and Kansas City has been ordered to pay more than $3.6 million in restitution and penalites. St. Louis County Circuit Judge...

Commentary: Does this idea for a homeless shelter float your boat?
January 31, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Before the influx of loft dwellers in downtown St. Louis, a homeless person could pass the night in relative peace without much interference from nosy neighbors. Oh sure, there was the occasional police sweep before...

New ways to get your name known.
January 31, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Ask a lawyer what his best marketing strategy is, and he'll tell you "word-of-mouth." Referrals from clients. Referrals from other lawyers. For years, lawyers hoped their hard work, smart courtroom choices and good...