Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) articles from February 2003

Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) archives from February 2003

Homeowner's association actions are not state actions.
February 4, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Although many homeowner's associations act as "mini-governments," they are not state entities, and do not have the authority to execute state actions, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District ruled. ...

Woman had right to jury trial on human rights claims.
February 5, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Previously disallowed, human rights claims can now be tried before a jury in state courts following an opinion by the Missouri Supreme Court last week. The Court found that, according to the state constitution...

Director established ground for proper dismissal of corrections officer.
February 6, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A state employee who violated Department of Corrections procedures was properly dismissed by the director even though only one of two allegations was proved. Corrections Officer Connie J. Dunlap of the Algoa...

Stinson Morris Hecker law firm represents athletes, coaches.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Stinson Morrison Hecker's sports law team recently began playing for the WNBA's Jackie Stiles. Stiles, who formerly played guard for the Portland Fire, chose to work with the firm rather than an agent for contract...

Court encourages proposed security measures.
February 11, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Minor changes may mean significantly increased safety for the employees of the Jackson County courthouses. Following a small riot in the Kansas City courthouse before a recent adult abuse docket, the presiding...

Failure to check for errors leaves Quaker Oats with higher tax b.
February 12, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Quaker Oats is left with a high property tax bill following a clerical error in recording the purchase price of its Missouri property in addition to its failure to verify the tax assessment on that property. The...

Division of Child Support Enforcement cannot order custodial parent to pay support.
February 13, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele The Division of Child Support Enforcement cannot order a parent to pay child support when another support order has been entered by a court, even if that parent was not the subject of support payments. Guadalupe...

Missouri Court of Appeals reviews jail time credit procedures.
February 14, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Nearly a year of jail time cannot be credited to a man's sentence for driving while intoxicated because the time did not relate to that offense the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District ruled. Ronald...

KC Legal Secretaries Assn. celebrates golden anniversary.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele For 50 years the Kansas City Legal Secretaries Association has strived to support those serving in law offices and courtrooms in the metropolitan area, and celebrated their history last Wednesday at the Sheraton...

Court rule opens jury lists, debate.
February 18, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Are jurors' names public information? Or can this information be withheld from the media and general public? Should jurors be subject to a reporter's phone call? The Missouri Supreme Court gathered a committee...

Heart of America Legal Professionals Assn. holds first meeting.
February 19, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Building bridges and forming new traditions make starting a new organization exciting for Cheryl Neeley and the rest of the new Heart of America Legal Professionals Association. HALPA, a charter organization of...

Two-tier system of liability allows case to proceed.
February 20, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele There are two levels of liability when bringing a dog-bite case. One is strict liability, showing the owner at least should have known his dog had vicious propensities. A second level is premises liability, which does...

Circuit court improperly dismissed suit against school district.
February 21, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele To avoid allegedly unapproved taxes, a taxpayer has two options for remedy. He or she can either file an injunctive action before tax collection, or can seek a refund. Under Section 139.031 RSMo. 2000, to seek a...

Failure to notify jury of possible insurance coverage sends claim back to trial court.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele By disallowing information be brought to trial regarding a defendant's insurance policy kept a jury from deciding the real issue in an accident case: whether or not the driver of the vehicle was insured. After...

Kansas City law firm celebrates one-year anniversary.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The law firm of Henning & Bough celebrated one year of practice in Kansas City's legal community last week. Paralegal Nancy Cline, office manager Kristi Dorrell, administrative assistant Dana Nowakowski, friends and...

Teen must be recertified to stand trial as adult.
February 25, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele At age 14, a Jackson County youth was certified to stand trial as an adult on charges of distribution of a controlled substance near a school and second degree trafficking, but charges were never filed by the state....

March Calendar.
February 26, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Now-March 9 The Fragrance Garden, at the Powell Gardens, 1609 NW U.S. Highway 50 in Kingsville. Winter garden hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $1.50 for children 5-12. For more...

Homeowners' assn. lacked evidence of meeting attendance.
February 26, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele After confirming an unincorporated homeowners' association's ability to sue, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District overturned a trial court's decision enforcing a restrictive covenant against two...

Ex-wife's medical bills non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.
February 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A man's failure to provide his ex-wife with health insurance has left him with her incurred medical bills, which are non-dischargeable in his bankruptcy action. After 25 years of marriage, Vickey and Steven...

Witness' testimony would have unfairly surprised state.
February 28, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Although the state was aware of a defendant's wife's involvement in his case, there was no indication it had knowledge or should have had knowledge of the wife's testimony. Stormy Martin's testimony, had it been...