Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) articles from February 2007

Daily Record (Kansas City, MO) archives from February 2007

Schools defend use of Socratic method.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Marie Price, Dolan Media Newswires Every law student endures the exercise of having to stand and deliver a legal argument before a professor who seems hellbent on reducing the hapless student to a puddle of flop sweat through...

Commentary: Keeping abreast of proposed tax reform.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Christine Ann Hughes Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt delivered his State of the State address on Jan. 24 in Jefferson City. Watching his speech I was particularly interested in two subjects he addressed in relation to tax reform. First,...

Murder convictions leads to 28-year prison sentence.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Kansas City man convicted of a 2005 murder received a sentence earlier this week of 28 years in prison. Judge Peggy Stevens McGraw sentenced Demitris Harris, 21, to 20 years for second-degree murder and eight...

More Sugar Creek contamination cases set for trial.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick As many as six Sugar Creek contamination cases could be tried before the end of 2008. Jackson County Circuit Judge Marco Roldan last week set three dates next year for trials, and he took under advisement whether...

Jackson County prosecutor appoints Harrell as deputy prosecuting attorney.
February 6, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Jackson County prosecutor Kevin D. Harrell earned a promotion last week. Harrell was named deputy prosecuting attorney by newly appointed Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar, who previously...

Request to skip death penalty raises issue for judge.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady After 15 years of legal maneuvers designed to keep him off death row, Kenneth Baumruk leaned over to his defense counsel Monday morning and said he wanted to die. Baumruk told his attorney life in prison was a...

Adviser to ABA panel on judges' conduct quits to protest change.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Karen Freifeld, Bloomberg News An adviser to an America Bar Association panel revising judicial standards of conduct has resigned over a last-minute change that he says dilutes the obligation of judges to avoid impropriety and its...

Jackson County prosecutors file murder charge in 2004 drive-by shooting.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Dailly Record Staff Report Jackson County prosecutors filed charges in a 2004 drive-by shooting that left one man dead. Vernon L. Young, 22, faces second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges for the Sept. 25, 2004,...

Kansas City man faces charges for sex assault on 12-year-old.
February 6, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Jackson County prosecutors charged a man with the rape last week of a 12-year-old girl. Jose Limas, 23, of Kansas City, faces two counts of sodomy on a child younger than 14 and one count each of forcible sodomy...

Kobach touts viability of immigration bill in Missouri.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck An immigration bill introduced in the Missouri Legislature is on solid legal ground, even though one major provision has yet to be tested in state court, a prominent University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor said...

Franklin County judge denies gag order on jailhouse interviews of Devlin.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka, Missouri Lawyers Media In a tense preliminary hearing Tuesday morning in Union, a Franklin County judge refused to issue a gag order on the New York Post reporter who interviewed Michael Devlin last month at Franklin...

Automobile parts class action case to head to trial in Jackson County.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A group of American Family Mutual Insurance policyholders will get their time in court after waiting nearly seven years. Jury selection for the class action lawsuit filed in May 2000 against the insurance company is...

Missouri House bill resuscitates shield law in diluted form.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Jefferson City legislators are taking another crack at legally protecting journalists from having to testify about information or confidential sources should they be subpoenaed in court cases. A House bill filed...

Missouri Supreme Court selects disciplinary head.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri Supreme Court has selected St. Louis attorney Alan D. Pratzel to serve as the state's chief disciplinary counsel, the court said in a news release Wednesday. Pratzel is expected to begin working in his new...

Charge brought against Kansas City man for robbery, shooting.
February 8, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A Kansas City man faces charges that robbed several people at gunpoint. Adrian L. Beverly, 23, was charged with attempted first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and two counts of armed...

Jackson County prosecutors charge two for drug robbery that led to homicide.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Two people face charges for a Sunday-night drug robbery that left one man dead. Jackson County prosecutors charged Timothy L. Baxter, 29, and Emily I. Kirchhoff, 19, each with second-degree murder, first-degree...

Leader of the Pac.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Present-day lawyer Steve Sanders spent the summer of 1981 playing Pac-Man. A 16-year-old growing up in Clinton, he wasn't a jock. And he wasn't in the cool crowd. Because I was a geek and a nerd and awkward, I spent a...

Commentary: Before making accusations make sure you have proof.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich When I was in high school I had a strange and annoying experience in my physics class. We had our first exam, a midterm in October. It was a two-hour examination and consisted of several problems. I studied for it...

Unmarried couple settles housing suit against Black Jack.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka, Missouri Lawyers Media A federal judge gave final approval Thursday morning for a $28,000 settlement to a Black Jack family who sued the city for denying an occupancy permit because the heads of household were...

Former Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance employee charged with wire fraud.
February 9, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A Grandview woman was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for a wire fraud scheme that resulted in a $971,000 loss to her employer, Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Co. Patricia D....

Cameron man indicated for meth, illegal firearm.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Dailly Record Staff Reports A Cameron man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm. The charges against Kenneth J. Pratt, 24, are the...

Commentary: Fear and loathing success.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I kind of looked like an almost competent lawyer today. I appeared before a judge I had never appeared in front of before, I missed a pretty fundamental omission by my client, I asked him to enter a somewhat...

Postal employee pleads guilty to child porn via mail.
February 12, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff An Independence man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to receiving child pornography through the mail. The U.S. Postal Service employee was charged as a result of an undercover sting...

Kansas City considers moving housing cases out of court.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Kansas City wants to get noncriminal housing violations out of its municipal court and into an administrative system. But the municipal judge whose cases would be reduced by the effort says the whole scheme is probably...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: February 12, 2007.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A four-day trial last week ended with a small victory for a Kansas City lawyer. Attorney Neysa Day, who accused a former client of failing to pay, received a portion of the money she claimed she was owed but also...

Kansas City gang leader sentenced to life in prison.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The former leader of the 51st Street Crips was sentenced to life in federal prison without parole in federal court Friday for three murders and a drug trafficking conspiracy that included additional shootings and...

Kansas City woman claims burger contained live worm.
February 13, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Charleatha Rhodes wriggled and writhed after taking a bite out her McDonald's burger. And so did the worm that she claimed to have bit into. The Kansas City woman accused the restaurant of negligence after she ate...

8th Circuit appeals panel examines voting rights.
February 13, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter, Missouri Lawyers Media Is voting a type of personal care? The answer to that question may be the answer to whether a Missouri law denying the right to vote to individuals under full guardianship care violates the U.S....

Kansas City Legal Briefs: February 13, 2007.
February 13, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record staff Businessman pleads guilty to false tax claims, fraud A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty in federal court to claiming personal income tax refunds to which he was not entitled, filing...

Kansas City Lawyers in the News: February 14, 2007.
February 13, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record staff Lisa A. Brunner was promoted to member of the firm at Husch & Eppenberger. Brunner practices in the general business litigation practice group. Her practice includes advising health-care...

Parent company of St. Louis-based General American Life liquidators want billions from Goldman Sachs.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Fresh off a $95 million settlement with Morgan Stanley, the liquidators of General American are adding Goldman Sachs to its list of defendants. The liquidators filed an amended lawsuit Tuesday, seeking $3 billion in...

Cell tax litigation in Missouri balloons as Sprint comes onboard.
February 14, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Sprint Nextel Corp. sued cities across the state as the latest cell phone company to fight local taxes being levied against wireless providers by Missouri cities. The tax, which varies among cities -- from 1.76...

Murder suspect turns himself in to Wichita police.
February 14, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff A man wanted in Jackson County for a 2005 murder turned himself in Monday night to authorities in Wichita. Sauntsye D. Love, 21, of Kansas City, Kan., is accused of shooting Selvin D. Posas...

Mexican man pleads guilty in federal court to illegal re-entry.
February 14, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff A Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported following his convictions of attempted rape and kidnapping....

Budget raises issue of defender parking in Missouri.
February 15, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck, Missouri Lawyers Media To the indignity of being overworked and underpaid, add another daily problem for state public defenders: parking. Members of the Missouri Senate's Budget Committee on Wednesday lamented that...

St. Louis jury sides with property owner in eminent domain case.
February 16, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka In a reverse of the last eminent domain dispute in St. Louis County, a jury has sided with a property owner over a private developer who would like to plant two major hotels in Richmond Heights. The owner pushed for a...

K.C. man charged in two 2006 rape cases.
February 16, 2007... Byline: Daily Record A Kansas City man faces rape and kidnapping charges stemming from separate attacks last year. Jackson County prosecutors charged Carlos L. Green, 51, with two counts of forcible rape, two counts of kidnapping, three...

Lawyers named to head state Democratic Party.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Two words can sum up how St. Louis attorney John Temporiti plans to approach his task as the new chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party: political pragmatism. "Ultimately, the goal is to win an election," he said....

Courthouse Roundup: Technology enters auto parts trial.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Attorneys for a class of American Family Mutual Insurance policyholders presented their first day of evidence Friday in a breach-of-contract claim against the company. The jury heard technical evidence involving the...

Commentary: Niche: what a scary business, full of potential.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier Now that my partner and I have agreed that we will set up a firm, we tend to speak more about a business model that will hold some promise. We agree that courting business clients is much more our speed than the open...

Bill would bar courts in Missouri from taxing.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri House gave first-round approval Tuesday to a constitutional amendment that would bar courts from levying or increasing taxes. In a two-hour debate on the House floor, supporters said the measure, if...

Proposals would toughen constitutional amendments in Missouri.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Missouri's Constitution was ratified in 1945, and it has continued to evolve since then. Not in the "living document" sense that roils legal scholars concerned about judicial activism but in the sheer number of times it...

Former Smith Barney worker faces federal charge in Kansas City of stealing clients.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A former employee of financial giant Smith Barney faces accusations that he developed a scheme to take his clients with him when he went to work for a competitor. In the federal lawsuit filed Monday in Kansas City,...

Man faces charges in Jackson County of sexually abusing minor girl.
February 21, 2007... Byline: Kansas City Daily Record Jackson County prosecutors filed multiple charges against a Kansas City man for allegedly forcing a family member to engage in sexual acts with him. Douglas M. Kirkpatrick, 38, was charged with first-degree...

Paperwork advances leads to double documentation.
February 22, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos At least 40 million pages of documents were exchanged in the discovery phase of the United States vs. Philip Morris case in 2004. Although lawyers don't see that much paperwork in an average case, it might seem like it...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: February 13, 2007.
February 22, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record Staff Businessman sentenced to five years in Medicare fraud The owner of a medical-supply business was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison without parole for his role in a...

Commentary: Plagiarism makes its place in legal works.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich Judge Richard Posner of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has just published a small book, The Little Book of Plagiarism, which will add to his reputation for bringing forth new, controversial and fascinating legal...

Kansas City Lawyers in the News: February 23, 2007.
February 23, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff Adam LaBoda joined Spencer Fane Britt & Browne as an associate in the firm's financial services group. LaBoda previously served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Lee M. Jackwig of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: February 23, 2007.
February 23, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff Second defendant pleads in crack conspiracy A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to participating in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Artie J. Tatum, 33, of Kansas City,...

Missouri State Public Defenders consider adding no new cases.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri State Public Defender's Office is on the verge of refusing to allow its attorneys to take new cases -- what one public defender commissioner referred to as "the nuclear option." A vote of the Public...

Courthouse upgrade offers security, inaccessibility.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick New security being installed in Jackson County's courthouses is receiving mixed reactions from the judges and staff it is meant to protect. The $650,000 project, which is expected to be completed by the end of...

Commentary: Clients can expect me to fail their expectations.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I lost a recent judicial review of an administrative order. I do not like losing, but it is not ego that makes it hard -- it's my client's reaction. My client happens to be black, happens to be a father paying child...

Time to update address books.
February 26, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Changes are happening again at The Daily Record. Take a look at the bylines on local stories, and you'll see our e-mail addresses have been updated. And just in case you forget to change your...

St. Joseph woman pleads guilty to computer fraud.
February 27, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A St. Joseph woman pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to a computer fraud scheme in which she embezzled nearly $60,000 from her employer. Jackie L. Black, 52 admitted she used a computer to...

Jackson County prosecutors charge former Valero employee with robbing gas station.
February 27, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Jackson County prosecutors charged a former Valero employee of using a nail file to rob the store of $280. Ramon Perez, 28, of Kansas City, faces first-degree robbery and armed criminal action charges in...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: February 28, 2007.
February 28, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Attorney officially disbarred by Missouri Supreme Court A Kansas City attorney found guilty in 2005 of enticing a minor was officially disbarred Tuesday. The Missouri Supreme Court handed...