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

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

Kansas City Legal Leaders of the Year to be honored in April.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick The winners include lawyers from firms big and small, a pair of judges, a professor and directors at two large organizations. The 2007 recipients of The Daily Record's Legal Leaders of the Year have been recognized...

Missouri governor fills Appellate Judicial Commission vacancy.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Gov. Matt Blunt on Wednesday announced the appointment of former Kansas City resident Donald L. Ross to the Appellate Judicial Commission. "Mr. Ross is committed to protecting our constitution by selecting judges...

Honduran, Mexican men indicted for illegal re-entry into United States.
March 1, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Two men -- citizens of Honduras and Mexico -- were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday in separate cases for illegally re-entering the United States. In each case, said Bradley J....

Commentary: Dealing with stress can be stressful.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Christine Hughes The funniest thing happened the other day. I had decided to write about stress this month and had finished the column but not saved it. I had just come back to work after a four-day weekend, and there were several...

Olathe man charged with enticing minor for sex.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff An Olathe man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. Eric Ryan Davis, 21, was also charged with traveling across the...

Belton man sentenced to eight years for child porn.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Belton man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to eight years and one month in federal prison without parole for receiving child pornography over the Internet. Jeffery A. Ray, 41, was sentenced by U.S....

Kansas City man charged with robbery after being found in restaurant.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Kansas City man was charged in federal court Monday with robbing the Commerce Bank in Brookside last weekend. David E. Clark, 27, was charged with bank robbery in a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S....

St. Louis deemed liable for fatal crash with police car.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter St. Louis is vicariously liable for the death of a woman hit by a police car driven the wrong way on a one-way street because the officer was an agent of the city, the Missouri Supreme Court said in a 5-2 decision. The...

Missouri House amendment proposes removing court power to impeach.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri Supreme Court would no longer be in charge of trying impeachments of state officials under a proposed constitutional amendment working its way through the Missouri House. The resolution, heard in a House...

St. Louis-based Armstrong Teasdale elects new managing partner.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Corporate transactional attorney Michael Chivell is taking the helm of Armstrong Teasdale as the St. Louis-based firm comes off a year of major growth. Chivell, 53, succeeded Richard Scherrer as managing partner of...

Missouri's public defender solution presents new set of problems.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck If the Missouri Public Defender Commission votes this morning to close its system to new indigent clients, it would be first in the nation to take such a drastic step. According to the public defender's office and...

Omaha woman sentenced in federal court to 18 months for robberies.
March 2, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff An Omaha, Neb., woman was sentenced Thursday to one year and six months in federal prison without parole for the robberies of two Northland banks. Sharon M. Steele, 41, cooperated with law...

McKesson Corp. to pay $18.7M to settle lawsuit against St. Louis-based D&K Healthcare Resources.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter McKesson Corp., the largest U.S. health-care services company, will pay $18.7 million to settle a class action securities fraud lawsuit filed against St. Louis-based D&K Healthcare Resources, which McKesson acquired in...

Mexican man indicted by federal grand jury for drug, firearm, immigration charges.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Mexican man was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for narcotics, firearm and immigration violations. Juan Gomez-Contreras, 41, a citizen of Mexico living in Kansas City, was charged with possession...

Men indicted by federal grand jury for drug ring, possessing illegal firearms.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Two Mexican nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday for participating in a conspiracy to distribute meth and for illegally possessing firearms. Jose Lopez-Lopez, 27, a Mexican citizen living in...

Kansas City man sentenced to 11 years for possessing with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
March 3, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Kansas City man was sentenced Monday to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole for possessing with the intent to distribute crack cocaine. Dewayne Jones, 36, pleaded guilty July 17 to...

Public defenders opt not to vote on caseload.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri Public Defender Commission on Friday backed off a plan to close the state public defender's office to new cases, saying it wanted to give the state Legislature more time to solve the system's caseload...

Package alert empties Independence annex courthouse.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A suspicious package prompted the evacuation of the Jackson County Courthouse Annex in Independence Friday afternoon. According to a spokeswoman for the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the package was addressed...

Attorneys discover new ways to show clients' brain injuries in courtrooms.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos Attorney Chris Wright was representing a client in a medical negligence case in Kansas City. A perforation of the woman's bowel had led to blood clots and strokes. The defense argued that the plaintiff had since...

Gilyard case presents challenge to defense, attention for court.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Lorenzo Gilyard continues to claim his innocence. And beginning today the man accused of being one of Missouri's worst serial killers will attempt to disprove significant DNA evidence against him. Gilyard takes the...

False Amber Alert leads police to convenience store robber.
March 5, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A Topeka man accused of robbing a convenience store and then filing a false police report that triggered an Amber Alert faces several charges in Jackson County. Marion L. Montgomery, 22, was...

Commentary: When more money means less respect.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier Sometimes this business, the law business, is counterintuitive. I had a free hour or so on a recent Friday night after the little man went to bed, and my wife was on her way to bed in preparation for an early morning...

Defense asks Jackson County Circuit judge to look beyond DNA.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick The lawyer for suspected serial killer Lorenzo Gilyard told a Jackson County Circuit judge Monday that it is time to move beyond suspicion and return his client to the community. Defense attorney Thomas Jacquinot...

Young Lawyers Section of KC Metropolitan Bar Association participates in "Read Across America".
March 6, 2007... Byline: Bridget Heos When attorney Molly Bartalos walked into a classroom filled with 3- and 4-year-olds, she immediately drew a crowd. Mainly, the kids wanted to know about her hat. "What's that?" "Who gave you that?" "Can I have one of...

U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton from Missouri remembered through stories of friends, allies.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Joseph J. Simeone met Thomas Eagleton, who died Sunday, in the mid-1950s when Eagleton was a candidate for St. Louis circuit attorney and Simeone was a law professor at Saint Louis...

Kansas City business owner pleads guilty in federal court to tax evasion.
March 6, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A Kansas City man who operated his own business pleaded guilty Monday in his attempt to avoid paying more than $100,000 in income taxes. Parnell Riley Jr., 52, admitted before federal Judge...

Federalist Society finds Missouri voters want more say on judges.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A poll sponsored by a conservative legal group finds that Missouri voters, while knowing little about the state's court system, would like to have more say in the selection of judges. According to the poll, released...

Lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court accuses firm of firing whistle-blowing employees.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole An attorney who has used a famous tobacco company whistle-blower as a witness in a smoker's case has been accused in a lawsuit of retaliating against his firm's own whistle-blowing employees. In a lawsuit filed in...

Kansas City Legal Briefs: March 7, 2007.
March 7, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Murder charge filed in February shooting Jackson County prosecutors filed murder and assault charges against a Kansas City man for his role in a shooting last month. John A. Risalvato, 54,...

Missouri Supreme Court hears state child support debate.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka Lawyers on both sides of the child-support modification issue battled for leverage Wednesday morning in the state Supreme Court. At issue is whether the system puts too much power in the hands of the Department of...

Correction.(Correction notice)
March 8, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Our March 6 story Firm accused of firing whistle-blowing workers misattributed to Ken McClain comments made by his partner, Buford Farrington, the president of Humphrey, Farrington & McClain....

Kansas City Legal Briefs: March 8, 2007.
March 8, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Grand jury indicts officers of Islamic charity A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Columbia-based organization and five of its officers for illegally transferring money to...

Missouri Bar blasts judicial 'assault' before Senate vote.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A proposed constitutional amendment goes too far in defending the Legislature's power of the purse, bar officials said Thursday. The Missouri Bar held a press conference at its headquarters in Jefferson City a few days...

Commentary: New culture presents new ethical concerns.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich Every lawyer older than 40 has experienced the changes technology has brought to the legal profession in the past two decades. Office technology has moved from typewriters to 8-inch disc word processors to laptops...

Commentary: Even justices can change their minds.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan Linda Greenhouse may know the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court better than most of the current justices. Since 1978, she has been the Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times for all but two years...

Missouri Gov. Blunt makes appointment to local judicial commission.
March 9, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record Staff Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt earlier this week announced the appointments of several members who will serve on state circuit judicial commissions. Blunt selected Byron G. Thompson, 74, of Kansas...

Commentary: It's all relative when finances meet dreams.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I do not want to rest on my laurels, but all of a sudden it might be enough. My law partner and I are still in the conceptual stage of our fledgling firm, but we have both suddenly become busy on our own. I am not...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: March 12, 2007.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick A Jackson County jury gave a class of plaintiffs exactly what it requested. American Family Mutual Insurance will pay more than $17.3 million after two unanimous verdicts found that that the insurer used nonoriginal...

Jackson County Prosecutor's office charges juvenile suspect in Plaza carjacking.
March 13, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged a juvenile with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action charges after a carjacking Sunday night at a hotel near the Country Club Plaza....

Missouri House's proposed budget lacks relief for public defender.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck Despite unusually intense legislative interest on the need for caseload relief in the Missouri State Public Defender's Office, the House's first draft of next year's state budget includes no extra money to hire more...

Jackson County charges man with rape, endangering stepson.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Jackson County charges following an attack on a woman at a bus stop Thursday night and a subsequent car chase with his 6-year-old stepson in the car that ended in a crash. Marcellus D. Williams, 24, has been...

Attorneys close Gilyard trial in Jackson County.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Prosecutors concluded their case against Lorenzo Gilyard by calling the accused serial killer's denial "feeble and fruitless." During closing arguments Tuesday afternoon, Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar told...

Valley Park plaintiffs rally for second court battle.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Allison Retka The legal team that took Valley Park's city ordinances to court and won a favorable ruling Tuesday afternoon is not leaving any legal ambiguities to chance. There are already plans to file a new lawsuit in the next...

Sen. Bartle vows vote on revised court measure in Missouri.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Senate committee on Monday expressed grave concerns about a proposed constitutional amendment that would restrict state courts' jurisdiction over taxation and spending. However, the committee's chairman said a revised...

Welte to join Bryan Cave's Kansas City office, take Stowers Institute as client.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Heather Cole Bryan Cave's Kansas City office will get David Welte and his main client, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. The institute announced in January that Welte, formerly a name partner at the Polsinelli firm, was...

Jackson County Circuit judge to announce Gilyard verdict Friday morning.
March 15, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record staff A verdict in the Lorenzo Gilyard trial will be announced Friday morning. Jackson County Circuit Judge John O'Malley will rule on each of the seven first-degree murder charges at 10:30 a.m. in...

Missouri Senate considers ending Second Injury Fund.
March 15, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck A Missouri Senate committee on Tuesday began taking a hard look at the state's Second Injury Fund, seeking to reduce its payouts or end it altogether. "Our fund will go insolvent very soon, maybe as soon as next year,...

Cardinals sue man marketing baseball, zoo merchandise.
March 15, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A St. Louis man already in litigation over his products faces a new suit from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals organization on Friday filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in federal court against Douglas J....

Prisoner receives three extra years for escape attempt.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Lebanon man was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison without parole for attempting to escape from the St. Clair County Jail while he was being held in federal custody. U.S. District Judge...

Clayton attorney sues H&R Block, Shughart over earlier litigation.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter A Clayton attorney is suing H&R Block, alleging the company maliciously prosecuted a lawsuit against him and a debt collector client. The plaintiff, attorney Jay R. Burns Jr., seeks $50 million in punitive damages...

Shield law passes Missouri House.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Scott Lauck The Missouri House on Thursday gave its final approval to a bill that would protect journalists from having to testify about unpublished information or confidential sources. The House approved a reporters' shield law on...

Commentary: When government is open, we all benefit.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan As Sunshine Week 2007 winds down, my head is still awhirl from all that has taken place. It seems March Madness is not just about college basketball any more. For those who may not know, Sunshine Week is an annual...

St. Joseph woman sentenced to two years for wire fraud.
March 16, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record staff A St. Joseph woman was sentenced to two years and eight months in federal prison without parole for stealing more than $312,000 from her employer. Jennifer L. Evans, 35, of St. Joseph, was...

Gilyard verdicts in Jackson County Circuit Court bring 'closure and justice'.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick It was a ruling two decades in the making. Lorenzo Gilyard is guilty of six murders from March 1986 to December 1987, Jackson County Circuit Judge John O'Malley ruled Friday morning. Gilyard was acquitted of a...

Kansas City Courthouse Roundup: March 19, 2007.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick The death of a 14-year-old boy was not the fault of a Cameron doctor who treated and released him just hours before he died. A Jackson County jury took less than four hours in returning its verdict for the defendant...

Commentary: Sometimes when you want to help you can't.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I have taken some "payments" cases in my day, but other than after-the-fact pro bono work I have not had an opportunity to take case just because it really matters to me. I am beginning to think that under the right...

Jackson County prosecutors file murder charge in Sunday stabbing death.
March 20, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Jackson County prosecutors filed charges in connection with a Sunday-morning stabbing death. Eli N. Sontay, 26, of Grandview, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for the death of...

State of Missouri officials hope U.S. Supreme Court will clarify rules in schools.
March 20, 2007... Byline: Tom Herrmann A day after students in St. Louis expressed themselves by concluding a sit-in at St. Louis City Hall, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case that could set a new standard in how free students are to...

Once again, Baumruk sentenced to death by Missouri court.
March 20, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff Kenneth Baumruk again has been sentenced to death for the 1992 rampage in a St. Louis County courtroom where he shot and killed his wife and wounded four others. Judge Lucy D. Rauch pronounced...

Kansas City man seeks $500 million, abolishment of Missouri Bar.
March 20, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick In a lawsuit against Missouri, a Kansas City man accused The Missouri Bar of carrying out a criminal plot against the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiff, Denny R. Hardin, called for the abolishment of the bar and...

R.J. Reynolds employee files suit for overtime in Kansas City federal court.
March 21, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey An employee of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has sued her employer, claiming the company denies overtime pay and violates the Fair Labor Standards Act. Zola M. Marshall, a retail representative, claims in the suit filed...

8th Circuit rules pregnancy act doesn't require contraceptive coverage.
March 21, 2007... Byline: Donna Walter The Pregnancy Discrimination Act does not give female employees the right to insurance coverage for contraceptives because they are used to prevent pregnancy, said the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1...

Legal Aid of Western Missouri to provide education at Low-Income Tax Clinic.
March 21, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff A grant recently awarded to Legal Aid of Western Missouri allows it to implement a clinic that will provide tax education to U.S. taxpayers who speak English as a second language. The Low-Income...

Connaghan: Shield laws protect more than media sources.
March 21, 2007... Byline: Will Connaghan If anyone wanted to know my sources for this column, I have little legal protection from having to divulge them in court. Not that my sources are all that secret or anonymous, but there are principles to consider....

Murder, robbery charges brought against Kansas City man.
March 22, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Jackson County prosecutors charged a Kansas City man in connection with a Monday morning homicide and robbery. Michael A. Cutchlow, 19, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts...

Missouri man sentenced in federal court for meth, illegal firearm.
March 22, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday for participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm. Shane P. Jurgeson, 36, of Cleveland, was sentenced by...

McCord new deputy director, general counsel of Missouri governmental department.
March 22, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff Larry McCord is new deputy director and general counsel of the Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions & Professional Registration. McCord, of Cameron, has served as a unit manager for DST Systems,...

Missouri Supreme Court reverses trafficking judgment.
March 23, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey A Popular Bluff man convicted of second-degree drug trafficking won his appeal Tuesday in the Missouri Supreme Court based on his claim that he didn't have the chance to confront an expert witness during his trial....

Commentary: 'Generation next' lawyers place little value on individual privacy.
March 23, 2007... Byline: Mike Hoeflich In my last column I spoke of the potential problems lawyers and law firms may experience as a result of the growth of a new Web-based culture among younger lawyers who are members of what is now being called...

Nation Briefs.
March 24, 2007... Pitcher's widow sues MetLife for accidental death benefits The widow of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle sued MetLife, the largest U.S. life insurer, saying she hasn't been paid $1.05 million she is entitled to under Major League...

Independence man charged for firing at animal control officer.
March 26, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record Staff Jackson County prosecutors charged an Independence man after an incident in which shots were fired at an animal control officer. David L. Gust, 34, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon for the...

Charges filed against Kansas City man after Tuesday kidnapping, assault.
March 26, 2007... Byline: The Kansas City Daily Record Staff A Kansas City man faces several charges after threatening his family members Tuesday. Jack A. Beldner, 40, was charged Friday with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of second-degree domestic...

Commentary: Job flexibility: the good, the bad and the ugly.
March 26, 2007... Byline: Craig Napier I am writing my column today from deep in the basement of my little house, with my 15-month-old son sleeping right above me. You see, we had a death in the family this week, and my wife had to go in for some...

Jackson County Circuit Judge Jon Gray fines himself for ringing cell phone.
March 26, 2007... Byline: Charles Emerick Jackson County Circuit Judge Jon Gray recently fined himself after his cell phone rang during court. In a letter addressed to Teresa York, the court's administrator, Gray charged himself $10 "for allowing my...

Assn. for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City to receive award for Step-Up for Women event.
March 27, 2007... Byline: The (Kansas City) Daily Record staff The Association for Women Lawyers of Greater Kansas City will receive recognition for its Step-Up for Women program. The organization will be honored this summer with the National Conference of...

University of Missouri-Kansas City mock trial team heads for national championship.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff The University of Missouri-Kansas City Mock Trial team took third place with a 6-2 record at the American Mock Trial Association Silver National Tournament earlier this month in Waukegan, Ill., according to the...

Second Kansas City teen charged for murder, robbery.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff A 17-year-old Kansas City boy faces charges for the beating death and robbery of man last week. Justin T. Fuller has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal...

Independence man sentenced to 41 years for 2005 murder.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Daily Record Staff David Ewing received 41 years in prison for a 2005 shooting that killed one and injured another. Ewing, who was convicted Friday of second-degree murder by a Jackson County jury in Independence, was sentenced...

Kansas City budgets for smaller judges' raises.
March 28, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey Kansas City municipal judges have been the highest paid judges in the state, but their annual pay raise of 4 percent they've enjoyed the past several years was dropped to 2 percent this year. The 2 percent decrease...

Advertising agency in Overland Park loses deVries malpractice appeal.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District affirmed a jury's decision Tuesday involving a legal malpractice claim against deVries & Associates, of Kansas City. Day Advertising, of Overland Park, hired deVries to...

Trip to get paycheck covered by workers' comp, Kansas Court of Appeals rules.
March 29, 2007... Byline: The Daily Record Staff An employee who was injured while traveling to pick up his paycheck is entitled to workers' comp benefits, the Kansas Court of Appeals has ruled. The employee slipped on the ice and broke his ankle while...

BetOnSports officials try to move criminal case to Florida from St. Louis.
March 30, 2007... Byline: Margarita Gasca Oderiz BetOnSports officials are trying to move the criminal case against it to Florida from St. Louis. The U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri last year filed...

Manager of Gateway to a Cure indicted in alleged raffle scam.
March 30, 2007... Byline: St. Louis Daily Record Staff Carl Sengheiser was indicted on fraud charges in connection with four allegedly fraudulent raffles generating receipt of $1.9 million, U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced Thursday. "People...

KC attorneys and officials express concerns about red-light cameras to be installed on city streets.
March 30, 2007... Byline: Trish Mehaffey and Allison Retka Defense attorneys in Kansas City have concerns and questions about red-light cameras soon to be installed on city streets. Using the cameras to capture violators seems to put the burden of proof on...