Stories by Mike Helenthal on Madison - St. Clair Record

The spring 2017 edition of the Defense Counsel Journal (DCJ) will be available this year at no cost to anyone who wants a copy.

EAST ST. LOUIS — Most of the pretrial challenges filed by Syngenta AG in a class-action suit against it for the production and marketing of a strain of genetically modified corn were dismissed, though some were accepted by a judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

CHICAGO — John Coady, a retired judge from the Fourth Judicial Circuit, was named the 2017-18 president of the Illinois Judges Association.

EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge on May 9 issued a final pretrial order for a case challenging the safety of the drug Depakote, an antiepileptic drug used to treat bipolar disorder and seizures, ordering both sides to submit jury instructions for an expected trial.

SPRINGFIELD -- Marcia Meis will take over as the director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts August 1 after current director Michael Tardy announced his retirement May 23.

BENTON — A motion for the final approval of a class-action suit filed against Sterling Management Systems for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act has been denied by an Illinois federal court judge.

Volunteer attorneys in Madison County on Nov. 10 and 15 will again offer free legal services to veterans, many of whom face special challenges upon returning to their communities.

Flint Law Firm LLC recently announced the addition of two asbestos litigators and a new associate, stating the additions signal “new growth in all areas of the firm.”

The former owner of a Madison County oil refinery will pay $10 million to help the cleanup of the facility it vacated in 1988.