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

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

Legal Aid of Western Missouri sets date for annual luncheon.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Celebrating year two of its current three-year campaign, Legal Aid of Western Missouri has set the date for its annual Justice For All luncheon. LAWMO expects a turnout of about 500 people to join in the...

Professors allowed to contest retirement benefits decision.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Whether or not a university holds settlement payments in the same category as wages, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District found those payments should have been included in the calculations of seven...

Robert C. Welch Pro Bono Award handed out.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Ben T. Schmitt of Harris McCausland & Scmitt and Donald W. Giffin of Spencer Fane Britt & Browne recently received the Robert C. Welch Pro Bono Award. The award is part of the Volunteer Attorney Project, which is a...

10 school nurses honored by Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The third annual Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics Outstanding School Nursing Awards honored 10 school nurses for their achievements. Cindy Galemore RN, Melody Chapman RN, Barb Icenogle RN, and Reba Lucky RN of...

Mistakes do not lead to denial of unemployment benefits.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Despite the volume of mistakes made during her employment, a woman cannot be denied four weeks of unemployment benefits because there was no evidence her errors were intentional or showed that she had disregard for...

Probate decision reversed on appeal.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Although two separately constructed trusts relate to the same property, but conflict in the handling of the property, only the latter trust should be considered. The Jane L. Kirkland Bedell Revocable Trust...

Officer did not have reasonable suspicion for search.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele An officer is allowed to conduct a limited pat down search of a driver if the officer is reasonably suspicious that the driver may be carrying a weapon that could cause the officer harm. But if there is no reasonable...

Stinson Morrison Hecker elects 15 attys. as partners.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Stinson Morrison Hecker recently elected 15 attorneys as partners, including Lana Knedlik in the firm's Intellectual Property & Technology Division, Todd LaSala in the Real Estate Division, Brian Mark in the Products...

Judge finds claimant ineligible for 'waiting week' benefits.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A referee considering an unemployment benefits appeal contradicted himself in his ruling, leading to a reversal by the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District. The Division of Employment Security found...

Excluded evidence prejudiced defendant.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Evidence of 35 forged checks was excluded from the trial of a taxi driver who had possession of two additional forged checks. Had that evidence been admitted at trial, the driver might have had a stronger case,...

Unclear effective date of remand creates confusion.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Confusion over when a state court regains jurisdiction over a case after it is remanded from the federal court recently led the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District to return the case to the circuit...

Raytown to issue driver's licenses with new format.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Raytown branch office of the Missouri Department of Revenue will issue driver's license, permit and non-driver license documents with a new format and enhanced security features. These security features will assist...

Datacore Marketing named outstanding small business.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Datacore Marketing has been named the 2003 Small Business of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Datacore is a full-service database marketing company that CEO/President Jeff Yowell started in...

U of Missouri-KC School of Law names interim dean.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Jeffrey B. Berman, associate dean for faculty, has been named interim dean for the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Berman will serve in this interim role until a national search is conducted and a...

16th Circuit Judicial Commission accepting applications to fill vacancy.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The 16th Circuit Judicial Commission is accepting applications for the position of circuit judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit Court in Jackson County to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John A....

Mentors needed in urban middle schools.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer GEAR UP/Project SHIFT, a program of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, needs volunteer mentors to work with middle school students for its summer program, the Career and Technology Institute, which will run from...

American Law Institute publishes Restatement of the Law Third, Property.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The American Law Institute has endorsed a growing trend in American law to excuse formal errors in several provisions of its newly published second volume of Restatement of the Law Third, Property (Wills and Other...

Rent deemed administrative expense in bankruptcy case.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Rent owed under a lease can be considered an administrative expense in a debtor's bankruptcy case, but may not be immediately payable according to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri. ...

Commentary: Smart hiring practices can reduce employer liability.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Kathy Perkins, Esq. A well-documented, consistently applied hiring program can reduce the risk of employment litigation and improve the odds of prevailing if a claim is brought. Why? Hiring decisions, statements made during...

Greater KC Chamber of Commerce announces Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has announced its Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year. The winners include Adams-Gabbert & Associates, Inc. of Lee's Summit; HRS/Erase, Inc. of Independence; Kross Office...

Jackson County Exec. Shields delivers 'State of the County Address'.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields delivered her 4th Annual "State of the County Address" last week in which she outlined a broad range of achievements made and previewed improvements to come. Shields also...

Wrong statute applied to custody case.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele After applying the wrong statute to a custody case, and improperly awarding custody of a child to her grandmother, the Circuit Court of Dunklin County's decision was remanded by the Missouri Court of Appeals for the...

Foundational requirements proof unnecessary absent objection.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Although a container used in a blood-alcohol analysis may have contained foreign matter, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District found proof of the foundational requirements of the analysis was...

KC law firms announce staffing additions.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Staff Writer * Kevin F. O'Malley, former principal of The O'Malley Law Firm, has become an Officer in the Litigation Practice Group of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., Attorneys at Law. O'Malley is a nationally recognized author...

Jury instruction misleading, leads to reversal.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A jury instruction aids a jury in determining the guilt and or innocence of a defendant, but when the instruction contains improper information, a wrongful conviction can result. Dennis C. Bisans was found guilty...

Missouri Court of Appeals finds jury instruction contained improper language in murder case.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A grammar dispute may have made a significant difference in a man's conviction of first-degree murder. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District remanded Arthur S. Thompson's case for retrial. ...

Missouri Court of Appeals finds implied definition improperly used in misappropriation of funds case.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele Crossing two statutes in hopes of finding an applicable definition of misappropriation was the wrong way to go about placing a woman on an Employee Disqualification list, ruled the Missouri Court of Appeals for the...

Court rules that atty. fees exempt from MO Incarceration Reimbursement Act.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A local attorney can rest easy following a Supreme Court of Missouri opinion that found he should be paid for his representation of an incarcerated man. James L. McMullin represented Vince Karpierz, who was...

Bonding agent's representation of company proper.
May 30, 2003... Byline: Sheila Thiele A St. Joseph bonding agent held limited power of attorney, but evidence showed he also had apparent authority to represent the parent company in a forfeiture proceeding. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the...