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

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

Company's past actions outweigh lack of policy.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Even though a company does not have an agreement stating it would pay severance pay if its employees are let go without cause, its past actions of paying severance pay speaks loudly to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for...

Drugs found in borrowed car found insufficient evidence for conviction.
March 4, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A man who made no self-incriminating remarks, never appeared nervous and cooperated fully during his arrest could not be convicted of possession of a controlled substance, because there was no proof he knew the drugs...

Business Calendar - March 5, 2003.
March 5, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Tuesday, March 11 War, Terrorism and Your Investments, a broadcast with Steve Corbin of Edward Jones and retired 4-star Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey and a panel of financial experts. Broadcast will be held at 7515...

Senate bill expected to bring significant funds MO's legal aid programs.
March 6, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A bill that would provide nearly $7.1 million for Missouri's legal aid programs was passed out of committee Monday night, and is expected to meet little opposition as it reaches the floor of the Missouri Senate. ...

Lawyers Encouraging Academic Performance raises $50K for operation breakthrough.
March 6, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Seven local bar associations came together Tuesday to support a common interest - supporting Operation Breakthrough. The annual Mardi Gras luncheon of Lawyers Encouraging Academic Performance was held at the...

Company must prove benefit of services in order to be compensated.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Services performed are only compensable if a party requests specific services, the cost of which are successfully negotiated and if the party receives a benefit from those services, according to an opinion from the...

KC's second largest law firm to consolidate offices.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Stinson Morrison Hecker, Kansas City's second largest law firm, has signed a letter of intent to consolidate its Kansas City, Mo. offices into one at 1201 Walnut, in the heart of the city's downtown loop. Currently,...

KC Area Continuing Legal Education Calendar - March 11, 2003.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer March 12 Military Aspects of Divorce and Deployment Issues, audioconference presented by Arvid "Vic" Jacobson. Register online at www.ksbar.org. 1.0 hour in Kansas. "What Every Real Estate Lawyer Needs to...

ATC Associates hires Industrial Hygiene Services Mgr. in Lenexa office.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer John Wesley Cochran, CIH has joined ATC Associates Inc. as Industrial Hygiene Services Manager in the Kansas City area office in Lenexa.

Community Service Commission lead agency for Annual Youth Service Day.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Youth Service America has selected the Missouri Community Service Commission as a lead agency for the 15th Annual National Youth Service Day, which will be observed April 11-13. Fifty lead agencies across the country...

Spencer Fane Britt & Browne promotes two to paralegal positions.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Ani Cernich and Cristina Parrinello, previously case assistants at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne, have recently been promoted to paralegal positions in the firm's Litigation & Dispute Resolution Products Liability...

Atty. joins Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin as of counsel to Overland Park office.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin recently welcomed Steven R. Ebberts as of counsel to the firm's Overland Park office. Ebberts will practice in the firm's Litigation Department.

Two to join practice at Spencer Fane Britt & Browne.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Spencer Fane Britt & Browne recently announced that Linda J. Salfrank has joined as partner, and Jonathan F. Duncan has joined as of counsel. Both practice in the firm's litigation & dispute resolution group.

U of MO-KC School of Law moot court team competes nationally.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Three University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law students recently competed in a national appellate moot court competition. Third-year law students David Buffo, William Denning and Megan Roth argued cases in the...

Gov. Holden appoints two to Commission on DWI and Impaired Driving.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Gov. Bob Holden has appointed Senior Judge Anthony J. Romano and Rochelle D. Rosenkoetter to the Governor's Commission on DWI and Impaired Driving.

U of MO-KC appoints associate vice chancellor for Univ. Communications.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The University of Missouri-Kansas City recently appointed Jennifer G. Bailey, Ph.D. as associate vice chancellor for University Communications.

New associate joins Bryan Cave's Kansas City law office.
March 11, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Rebecca S. Jelinek recently joined Bryan Cave as an associate in the firm's Kansas City office. She is a member of the Commercial Litigation Client Service Group.

Purchase of insurance voids sovereign immunity.
March 12, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District denied a housing authority's petition to compel a circuit court judge to grant it summary judgment because the issue of whether or not the agency has sovereign...

Summary judgment improperly granted on disputed issue.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele While summary judgment may have been proper for two points in a wrongful foreclosure case, it was not proper in the issue of whether or not the plaintiff was default on his payment, because the defendants did not...

JCourt finds judge exceeded jurisdiction requiring findings of fact.
March 18, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A Cole County judge stepped beyond the bounds of his jurisdiction when he remanded a case back to the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, requiring it to issue findings of fact. The issue...

Children's Miracle Network announces Radiothon.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The sixth annual Mix 93.3 MIX FOR KIDS Radiothon will be held March 27, 28 and 29, airing live from KU Medical Center, Children's Mercy Hospital and Independence Center. The Mix 93 morning team - Rocket, Teresa, Josh...

Grimes installed as president of H&MA.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Brad Grimes, vice president and general manager of the Holiday Inn Downtown, has been installed as 2003 President of the Hotel and Motel Association of Greater Kansas City.

Governor appoints Allen to advisory council.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Gov. Bob Holden has appointed Greg Allen to the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

KCPT-TV features 6-hour domestic violence series.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer This March KCPT takes an unprecedented look at domestic violence in a cutting edge six-hour series from renowned documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman and offers a Kansas City perspective during "Conversations with...

Heart of America Legal Professionals Assn. makes start in KC's legal community.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Board of Directors, officers and members of the Heart of America Legal Professionals Association, also known as HALPA, has announced the formation of its new chapter, affiliated with the Missouri Association of...

March of Dimes awards nearly $700,000 in grants in KC area.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The March of Dimes has awarded a national grant of $187,440 over a three-year period to Dr. Robert White Ph.D., Director of Molecular Genetics Research at Children's Mercy Hospital. Roberta E. Sonnino, MD, at the...

Missouri Court of Appeals rules that revoking man's probation was improper.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele An ambiguous judgment and a lack of appropriate notification of two probation violations were cited by the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District for reasons why revoking a man's probation was improper....

Commentary: Profits before patients lead to errors, lawsuits.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Douglas Horn At a time when the health care industry is attacking the legal system in an effort to preserve profits, the consequences of blatant medical errors are weakening the positions of proponents pushing for more federal...

Children's Mercy Hospital board names chairman.
March 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Children's Mercy Hospital Central Governing Board recently named Maurice Watson of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin as chairman of the Board for 2003-04. Other new officers include Robert Cross of the Cross Foundation,...

State has begun an audit of the City of Greenwood.
March 20, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Missouri State Auditor's Office has begun an audit of the City of Greenwood. Anyone with information or concerns may call the state auditor's toll-free hotline at (800) 347-8597. This number is equipped for the...

Supreme Court's Victoria Secret decision is a disappointment for trademark tycoons.
March 20, 2003... Byline: Dianne Smith-Misemer There's no doubt that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Mosely v. V Secret Catalogue was a let down for trademark heavyweights like Coca-Cola, Nike and McDonald's. The Court decided recently that even owners...

New trial ordered in sexual predator case.
March 20, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District reversed and remanded a circuit court decision finding a man was a "sexually violent predator." Andre Cokes was committed to the custody of the Missouri...

Reasons missing for 'no-knock' search warrants.
March 20, 2003... Byline: Kimberley Gale Knock, knock. Who's there? It's the police, but you can't answer because you never heard the knock. This is unconstitutional unless the police give a judge specific reasons upon applying for a search warrant to...

Court finds that portion of uncharged misconduct inadmissible in murder trial.
March 21, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Evidence of a shooting incident three days following the shooting of a Kansas City man involving the same gun is not entirely admissible in the first-degree murder case. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the...

Court finds that statement of 'harmful situation' not sufficient to terminate parental rights.
March 24, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A mere statement that harmful conditions have not improved so a parent may take her children home is not enough to terminate her parental rights. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri...

Domestic violence finding required in custody determination.
March 25, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Even though it was a one-time happening, a man who struck his wife still committed an act of domestic violence, and a court must making a finding regarding that act when determining physical custody of a child,...

2002-2003 Lieutenant Governor's Service Awards presented.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The 2002-2003 Lieutenant Governor's Service Award was recently presented to Carly Bachman, Lucy Bieger, Nicole Downs and Ira Sharpe of Kansas City, and Mabel Davis of Higginsville, for their volunteer work four a wide...

KC division of the March of Dimes announces chairperson of WalkAmerica 2003.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Kansas City division of the March of Dimes recently announced that Mark Ernst, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors at H&R Block Inc., will serve as the chairperson of...

Gov. Holden appoints chairman of Commission on the Future of Higher Education.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Gov. Bob Holden has named R. Crosby Kemper III, chairman and CEO of UMB Financial Corporation in Kansas City, as chairman of the newly created Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Kansas City area members of...

Negligence case nets $2.1M for Ameristar Jet Charter.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Texas duo of Rick Illmer and Chad Johnson from Brown McCarroll, LLP, successfully represented Ameristar Jet Charter, Inc., in a negligence lawsuit and won a $2.1 million verdict. Ameristar Jet Charter, Inc. v....

Ignored warning leads to finding of negligence against apt. complex.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A limited amount of evidence was all that was needed for a jury to find Ashley Park Apartments negligent in the drowning death of Carlos Sango. Attorneys James T. Thompson and Brendan C. Buckley proved that the...

Mayflower Transit honors Salesperson of the Month.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Sue Parker, sales representative of Select Van & Storage Co., was honored by Mayflower Transit as "Salesperson of the Month."

Former firefighter awarded $1.2M verdict for career-ending injury.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Joe Sola was a firefighter in Kansas City -- the kind of firefighter who asked to work in the busiest stations and never thought twice about doing what was needed. He loved the job. Now, following a $1.2 million...

Man recovers damages following accident.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A man's life changed due to one woman's inattention, but thanks to the work of attorneys Frank Brancato and Gary Haggerty, he will receive compensation. Working as a construction worker, Gregory Rhymes was helping...

New insurance plan leaves doctors without proper compensation.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A pilot program for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City that was successful beyond what the participants expected left the participating doctors short the gains they were promised. In 1983, the insurance...

Jury awards $80M for sudden acceleration of auto.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Ginger Lamb Ask Lexington attorney Mark Evans what the single most important factor was in winning an $80 million product liability verdict in a case before the 16th Circuit last year and he will tell you the action of facts. ...

Block Financial loses sale due to contract breach.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Block Financial Corp. lost the sale of a credit card portfolio when America Online said it would no longer honor the contract. A Jackson County jury decided AOL cost Block $17 million. It was a confusing case to...

Breach of contract leads to business loss.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A growing minority-owned contracting company was forced out of business went it could not recover payment for work it completed in the 18th & Vine District. Rick Gill had been in business for over a decade, and...

Jackson County verdicts hit $2.365B in 2002.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Ginger Lamb From negligence to products liability and breach of contract, Jackson County juries awarded a total of $2,349,626,000 in the top 10 verdicts of 2002. According to records obtained from the Circuit Court of Jackson...

Elective gall bladder surgery leads to woman's death.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele An elective surgery, one which doctor's promised would be an out-patient procedure, left a 53-year-old Joplin women in the hospital for 73 days before she died of what her doctor claimed was a perforated ulcer that...

KC's largest verdict reaches #2 position in nation.
March 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele One of the largest cases to ever pass through Jackson County's courts turned out to be the second largest verdict in the nation in 2002. Kansas City was shocked when it was discovered that pharmacist Robert...

Breach of contract award improper, MO Court of Appeals rules.
March 28, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele The sale of a home between family members turned sour when one seller refused to allow the buyer full access to the purchased property. William Dean Williams and his parents Wade Williams Jr. and Mary Williams...

U.S. Supreme Court affirms lawyers' trust accounts constitutionality.
March 31, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Many legal services organizations were on the edge of their seats, waiting for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could potentially have threatened their services. In a time when large amounts of state and federal...