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

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

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A former Kansas City attorney who had his law license revoked last year must pay a former client $600,000 for legal malpractice, a Jackson County judge ordered last week. When Wendell Geary Jaco failed to appear for...

Commentary: Taking care of business can be tough, but avoiding it can be deadly.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I have gone beyond my memory. And that's OK: I have a PDA and a willingness to schedule. However, there has been a new phenomenon. First, there were 10 files. Then there were 25, and now, there are many, many more. I...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff Shughart attorney named young lawyers president Chris Sobba, a business and construction litigation attorney with Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, was elected last month as president of the Lawyers Association...

Teresa Woody leaves Stueve Siegel, opens solo firm in downtown Kansas City.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick After three years at a Plaza law firm, Teresa Woody opened her own practice. Woody left Stueve Siegel Hanson Woody -- now Stueve Siegel Hanson -- six weeks ago to start The Woody Law Firm. Her firm will have a...

Libel suits fly in Missouri over drunken driving, 'assassin' allegations.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann In litigation with all the makings of a quirky daytime drama, a St. Charles County councilman has filed a libel suit against a Kansas City political consultant who has countersued both the councilman and a weekly St....

Missouri Court of Appeals move stops murder trial of unlicensed driver.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey The Missouri Court of Appeals move last week to stop a second-degree murder trial of an unlicensed driver rarely happens, the Western District's chief judge said. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District...

Two of Missouri's largest law firms wrap up additions.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Two of Missouri's largest firms expanded outside their headquarter cities with Sunday mergers with smaller firms. Kansas City-based Stinson Morrison Hecker picked up 39 attorneys in St. Louis by merging with Blumenfeld...

Commentary: Help your firm's support staff grow older gracefully.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Christine Hughes Next month I will hit another birthday milestone that brings me closer and closer to the baby boomer retirement age. An aging population and work force brings with it some challenging problems. A recent paper from...

City of Lake Ozark grants liquor license following dance club's suit.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A lawsuit filed Friday helped the owner of an exotic dancing establishment get just what he was asking for. The owner of Gentlemen's Quarters filed his suit Friday against Lake Ozark because the city had refused to...

Cole County judge temporarily restrains midwifery law.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Cole County judge on Monday granted a temporary restraining order against a controversial law that allows the practice of midwifery in Missouri. Judge Patricia Joyce enjoined enforcement of the law until a hearing on...

Kansas City Attorneys in the News: July 5, 2005.
July 5, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Robert O. Lesley, an attorney at Lathrop & Gage, was admitted to the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel. Lesley, who joined the firm earlier this year in the intellectual property,...

Fourth Sugar Creek case set for October trial in Jackson County Circuit Court.
July 5, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff The next of the 29 remaining Sugar Creek cases is scheduled for trial in October. After reaching a confidential settlement in the case of Shawn Reed last week, the two sides are preparing for a...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 6, 2007.
July 6, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Man pleads guilty to Baywatch scheme David William Port, 53, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to a fraud scheme that bilked 18 investors out of nearly $360,000. Port,...

Newly enacted Missouri-state law OKs use of alcoholic swabs in drunken-driving blood tests.
July 6, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A newly enacted state law will allow the admission of blood tests on accused drunken drivers even if an alcoholic swab was used before blood was drawn. In a press release Monday that touted the law, Gov. Matt Blunt's...

Missouri Supreme Court Judge White prepares for quiet exit today.
July 6, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck In the quiet halls of the Missouri Supreme Court building in Jefferson City, the only way to tell one of the judges is retiring today is by looking up. The third-floor balcony, adjacent to most of the judge's offices,...

Former employee sues Riverside-based Apria Healthcare for race discrimination, firing.
July 6, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A black woman who worked in customer service with Apria Healthcare in Riverside claims she endured horrible racial slurs by a co-worker for three months until the company fired her. Apria fired Kimberly Byers in...

Kansas City law firms announce staffing changes: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff Grant Davis, a partner at Davis, Bethune & Jones, began serving his term as president of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys. Davis, 47, has been a member of the organization's Board of Governors and...

Commentary: Forgive me your honor; I'm fat.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier On July 1, 2007, I quit smoking. A fairly public declaration, I know, but the public doesn't have anything on my wife as far as ridicule for me if I should fall back into the smoking section. I realize it's only been a...

Attorneys battle Missouri law requiring prisoners to pay for their stay.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Mike Shipley fights for prisoners' rights to keep the state out of their bank accounts. The Liberty attorney estimated he had filed 27 lawsuits in the past two years to fight a Missouri law that requires prisoners to...

Retiring Mo. Supreme Court Judge Ronnie L. White says attacks on courts aided his decision to leave.
July 10, 2007... Byline: John DeMoor Retiring Judge Ronnie L. White left the Supreme Court in part because he didn't want to become involved in a contentious retention fight and portrayed as the poster child for judicial activism, he said. White, whose...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 10, 2007.
July 10, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Polsinelli adds three to its Chicago office A Kansas City-based law firm recently hired three attorneys to work out of its Chicago office. Polsinelli Shalton Flanigan Suelthaus, which ranks...

Missouri governor appoints Brian Wimes to circuit bench.
July 10, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick On Monday, Brian Wimes received the promotion that eluded him less than a year ago. The Jackson County Drug Court commissioner is the county's newest circuit judge after Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Wimes' to Division...

Sex offender wins appeal of state pedophilia evidence in Mo. COA Western District.
July 11, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A man committed under the state's Sexually Violent Predator Act will get another chance in court because the state improperly relied on a pedophilia diagnosis, according to a Missouri Court of Appeals Western...

Mo. COA Western District rules technicality to cost prisoner in fight over reimbursement.
July 11, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District found a technicality on an affidavit was enough to quash a prisoner's motion for summary judgment. After inmate Angela McIntyre won a summary judgment to stop the state...

Independence woman sues Gold's Gym for wrongful termination.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick An Independence woman fired from a Westport gym last year claimed in a lawsuit that it violated the Missouri Human Rights Act. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Jackson County, Lynsey Porter alleged she lost her job...

8th Circuit: Guilt doesn't require conspiracy.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A criminal defendant does not have to be charged with a conspiracy offense to be found guilty of an offense committed by a co-conspirator, a divided panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday. This is...

Commentary: Before vacationing, note new summer rules.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich Though the beginning of July is traditionally a time when Americans, including lawyers, begin their summer vacations and put away the worries and concerns of their work, this July lawyers in Kansas and Missouri do so...

Attorneys tackle unusual subjects in blogging world.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey When Pete Salsich III blogs, any topic can come up, even the legal context of the line "Hey, hey, you, you, I want to be your girlfriend." "It's fun working on a posting and being able to weigh in on what is going on...

Bloggers keep lack of privacy in mind while posting.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Attorney Francesca Cheroutes wants to remind attorneys and others who enjoy the creativity of blogging that blogs aren't private. Cheroutes, a labor and employment attorney with Shughart Thomson & Kilroy, said...

Commentary: Winning friends and influence with style.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier My veteran partner keeps telling me that reputations are fought for over years and lost exponentially in a matter of minutes. I get that, but I often think all the things we normally consider when we talk reputation,...

Split 8th Circuit OKs 'bare bones' affidavit.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter An affidavit attached to an application to search a home computer for child pornography was sufficient even though the affidavit did not describe the images, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 decision...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: July 16, 2007.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A Jackson County Circuit judge agreed last week to set aside his dismissal of a woman's case against the owner of a Kansas City McDonald's restaurant. Judge Robert Schieber reinstated Charleatha Rhodes' lawsuit,...

Governor expected to sign legal services bill.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Gov. Matt Blunt was expected to sign a bill Friday afternoon to ensure five more years of funding for organizations that provide legal services for indigent litigants. Under the bill, the state's Basic Civil Legal...

Kentucky man sues Marriott after cutting toe in Kansas City Marriott Downtown Hotel.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Fred Mitchell alleges a cut on his left big toe will affect him for the rest of his life. In a lawsuit filed by the Lexington, Ky., man Thursday, he claimed he sliced the toe on an improperly located door stop,...

Disbarred lawyer, Kansas City law firm prepare for legal battle.
July 17, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A Kansas City law firm has had enough of what it calls defamatory accusations. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month by Berkowitz, Cook & Gondring, the firm sued a disbarred lawyer for libel and will ask Jackson...

For younger generations, family tops priorities.
July 18, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos When Weylin Watson interviewed with law firms for a summer internship, he made something clear upfront: He wanted to spend time with his family, so long hours were not for him. "That was perhaps the most important...

Experts don't expect filing error to impede Devlin venue change.
July 18, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Michael Devlin's defense attorneys face new scrutiny about their most recent efforts to secure a new judge and trial venue for their client. At a Monday hearing in Washington County, where Devlin faces several counts...

Park Hill School District faces lawsuit claiming age discrimination.
July 18, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A 64-year-old Gladstone man rejected for a teaching position is suing the Park Hill School District for age discrimination. The suit filed in federal court Monday claims Park Hill High School Principal Brad Kincheloe...

Missouri Court of Appeals Judge Robert Ulrich retires to teach in Virginia.
July 19, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Missouri Court of Appeals Judge Robert Ulrich won't admit whether finding his lost law school application on a beach in Corsica was fate. He was in the U.S. Marines doing an exercise with the French Foreign Legion,...

Russian judges to study courts while visiting Kansas City.
July 19, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Russian appellate judges will study the federal and state court systems in Missouri and Kansas next week during the day and experience the cultural offerings at night. The five judges of the 11th Arbitration Appeals...

Grandview man indicted for child pornography charges.
July 19, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff A federal grand jury indicted Robert Edward Hall, 57, of Grandview, on Tuesday for possessing and receiving child pornography over the Internet. Hall will be detained in federal custody without bond until his...

Newest member of Jackson County Circuit Court bench connects passion to dream.
July 20, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Brian Wimes always imagined he would have a career in public service. For the past six years he fulfilled that dedication as commissioner of the Jackson County Drug Court. But Wimes held a passion for the law that...

Brian Wimes' move to Division 18 on hold pending drug court replacement.
July 20, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Outgoing Jackson County Drug Court Commissioner Brian Wimes will continue to handle the drug court docket until his replacement is picked. Wimes, who was appointed to the circuit bench last week, had held the drug...

Missouri maintenance workers sue apartment companies over wages.
July 20, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Several current and former service technicians and other maintenance staff are suing three apartment management companies for not paying overtime or giving compensatory time. Twenty-six employees filed the suit...

Teens claim Independence shoe store accused them of theft because of race.
July 20, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Two black teenagers shopping at Famous Footwear in Independence last year say the store accused them of stealing shoes, and police arrested them based on their race. Cousins David Block and Jeron Jackson, both of...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 20, 2007.
July 20, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Five illegal roofing workers indicted after deportations A federal grand jury indicted five Mexican nationals Wednesday in separate but related cases of illegally re-entering the United...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: July 23, 2007.
July 23, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A man recently sued by a Kansas City law firm failed to show for the first hearing last week. Jeff Brown, a former lawyer disbarred in May 2004, was at the downtown courthouse Wednesday morning, according to a law...

Court reinstates race claim against Dillard's.
July 23, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A federal appeals court has cleared the way for a group of black plaintiffs to pursue their civil rights claims against the Columbia Dillard's department store. We're elated, said the plaintiffs' attorney, William D....

Commentary: Saturdays were made for Generation X slackers.
July 23, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier In a recent article on the front page of The Daily Record the matter of family time versus work time was discussed with a Gen X lawyer, a Gen Y lawyer, and a baby boomer lawyer. Everyone identified the differences...

8th Circuit Court of Appeals reviews briefs on lethal injection.
July 23, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann In a move described as rare, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given an indication that judges may be willing to hear arguments challenging the constitutionality of using lethal injection to execute condemned...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 23, 2007.
July 23, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record staff Grand jury indicts 17 people for tax scheme A federal grand jury indicted 17 defendants for participating in a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. The alleged wire...

Missouri law firm Lathrop & Gage names first chief operating officer.
July 24, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Lathrop & Gage named Bill Migneron as its first chief operating officer, chief executive officer Joel Voran announced Monday. Migneron, former executive director of Gray Plant Mooty, based in Minneapolis, will...

Missouri Supreme Court judge, Missouri representative stump for independent judiciary.
July 24, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff, a two-time candidate for state attorney general, is no stranger to campaigning. But it's not something he would want to do as a judge. "If I had to raise more than $200 to run...

Graduate student sues University of Missouri-Kansas City professor for discrimination.
July 24, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate student says she was the recipient of a professor's tirade laced with racial slurs and expletives during a class lecture. As a result, she failed to earn her master's...

Salesman claims company wrongfully fired him for refusing to take part in extortion.
July 24, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey An off-road tire salesman is suing Allied Oil & Supply for firing him after he refused to make up the difference in a sale for a client. The lawsuit filed in federal court Friday by Charles W. Barber against the...

Kansas City man sentenced to 15 years for illegal firearm.
July 24, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Anyanso J. Agwu, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to federal prison Friday for illegally possessing a firearm. He will serve 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The...

Mo. Court of Appeals Western District rules state must return prisoner's money.
July 25, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey An appeals opinion allows a prisoner to keep his inmate account because the state failed to show just cause for taking the funds under the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act. The Missouri Court of Appeals...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 25, 2007.
July 25, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Five men charged in U.S. Bank robbery Five Kansas City men were charged in federal court Monday with the armed robbery of U.S. Bank. Marc K. Kindred, 42; John L. Williams, 45; Diallo C....

Missouri Supreme Court selection process raises Sunshine issues.
July 25, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The public body that will pick the three potential candidates for the Missouri Supreme Court began meeting Tuesday in Columbia -- but good luck finding out where. The Supreme Court announced earlier this year that the...

Company claims malpractice against Kansas City-based Graves Bartle & Marcus partner.
July 25, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A Kansas City attorney faces legal malpractice allegations for his handling of a case more than three years ago. David Marcus, a partner with Graves Bartle & Marcus, was negligent in the services he provided in an...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: July 26, 2007.
July 26, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record Staff Lee's Summit woman indicted for mortgage fraud A federal grand jury indicted Kimberly M. Davis, 42, of Lee's Summit, Tuesday for a mortgage fraud scheme in which she used stolen identities to buy homes....

Kansas City-based pasta company asks court to decide trademark dispute.
July 26, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A Kansas City-based pasta company asked a federal court Tuesday for a declaratory judgment, so the company can use the term "plus" in connection with pasta products without fear of being sued. American Italian Pasta...

Estate of movie investor awarded $700,000 judgment.
July 27, 2007... Byline: James Goodwin The estate of Al Kerth III has been awarded a $699,360 default judgment against a Los Angeles man who once said he was planning a sequel to Easy Rider. Kerth invested $125,000 in the project in 1999, about three...

Aquila to pay $10.5 million to settle suit over employee retirement funds.
July 27, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Aquila will pay $10.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit that alleges current and former employees lost $150 million in retirement funds because the company violated its fiduciary duty, according to the...

Confession adds drama to Allstate case in Jackson County.
July 27, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick An admission of fault last week from a highly experienced trial lawyer added another chapter to a Jackson County case already deep in controversy. From several missed discovery deadlines to a rare civil contempt...

Missouri Supreme Court nominees' names sent to governor.
July 27, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff One of three appellate judges -- Nannette A. Baker, Patricia A. Breckenridge or Ronald R. Holliger -- will become the state's newest Supreme Court justice. Laura Denvir Stith, chief justice of...

Pregnant woman sues Independence police seeking records of traffic stop.
July 27, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A pregnant woman ordered out of her car at gunpoint by Independence police officers and forced to lie face down next to a highway during a traffic stop earlier this month is suing the department and the city for...

Commentary: Best of the Blawgs makes debut this Sunday.
July 27, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan The Internet is filled with blogs that discuss everything from politics to Lindsay Lohan's latest escapade. The legal profession embraced the blog concept almost from the start. A law blog is called a blawg for...

Commentary: Insurance company offers smart advice on Web risks.
July 27, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich Lawyer use of the Internet has increased enormously the past five years, so much so that there is now a name for these activities: "e-lawyering." Although Internet use has become commonplace, many lawyers have not...

Hazleton immigration decision encourages Valley Park plaintiffs.
July 28, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Attorneys for the Valley Park plaintiffs were rallied by decision last week from a Pennsylvania federal court that voided an illegal immigration ordinance in Hazleton, Pa. That ordinance, called the Illegal...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: July 30, 2007.
July 30, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A low-speed impact with an O'Reilly Automotive delivery truck caused the death of a Kansas City man, a Jackson County jury determined. Richard Patterson, 23, died a day after an accident with the truck on Sept. 11,...

Russian judges experience U.S. courts, lifestyle in Kansas City.
July 30, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Victor Karpov had two goals for his visit to the United States: see the U.S. Supreme Court and watch a jury trial. He did both, along with sitting on a Harley, meeting the governor of Kansas and shopping on the...

Commentary: Three, it's the magic number.
July 30, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier It's almost an anniversary of sorts for me. I've been writing this column for a year now, and I've been practicing law for almost three. This is actually column No. 52. I talk a lot about my miscues, insecurities and...

Kansas City's Lathrop & Gage growth creates new position.
July 30, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey The new position of chief operating officer at Lathrop & Gage became necessary with the growth of the firm, and Bill Migneron was the right fit for the job, said Joel Voran, chief executive officer. Migneron, who...

Suit accuses Lafayette County shelter director of taking advantage of woman.
July 31, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A victim of domestic abuse is suing a battered women's shelter and its former executive director for wrongful termination. Angela Martin-Olinger claims Jason Rauch, the House of Hope executive director, induced her...

Kansas City attorney makes diplomacy to South Africa official job.
July 31, 2007... Byline: Anthony Shop For more than a decade a self-appointed citizen diplomat has promoted South Africa's potential as a trading partner and tourist destination in the Kansas City community. But soon, his role will be official. In May, the...

Family of St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock drops lawsuit.
July 31, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The family of Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock has dropped the wrongful-death lawsuit against several defendants the family claimed contributed to Hancock's death in April. Mark Bronson, local counsel for the...