Steve Korris News
Caseyville attorney suggests criminal prosecution against individuals claiming misappropriated funds
CASEYVILLE - Village of Caseyville attorney Doug Stewart requested criminal prosecution of persons who claimed the village repaired a truck it didn’t own, according to a statement he issued to residents on Dec. 20.
Fifth District orders detention of suspects under SAFE-T Act, affirming Judge Katz and reversing judges who granted release
MOUNT VERNON - St. Clair County Associate Judge Julie Katz correctly detained two suspects under the state’s bail reform law, the SAFE-T Act, according to Fifth District appellate judges.
Plaintiffs in Paraquat litigation blame research shortage on Syngenta, EPA; Rosenstengel hears arguments on excluding experts
EAST ST. LOUIS - After an expert witness for plaintiffs claiming weed killer paraquat caused Parkinson's disease testified to attributing 74% of the weight of his causation opinion on one study, the plaintiffs explain a shortage of research by accusing manufacturer Syngenta of corrupting science in general and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in particular.
Rosenstengel presides over four-day hearing on Paraquat experts; Nearly 75% of causation depends on study from 1997
EAST ST. LOUIS - Thousands of plaintiffs who claim weed killer paraquat caused Parkinson’s disease depend mostly on a study from 1997 that didn’t establish causation, according to the transcript from a four-day hearing in Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel's court.
Mandatory mediation sees 57% success rate in the Southern District of Illinois, saving court resources
EAST ST. LOUIS - Mediators have achieved 111 settlements of civil suits in U. S. District Court since Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel introduced mandatory mediation.
Former Mormon claims $1.4 billion in tithes were misused for Utah shopping center
EAST ST. LOUIS - Former Mormon Joel Long of St. Louis County filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Illinois, claiming church leaders took at least $1.4 billion in tithes and invested it for commercial profit.
McGlynn hears arguments on firearm registration injunction; State counsel: Ignorance of statute is no defense to criminal prosecution
EAST ST. LOUIS - Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois can move to enjoin registration of weapons and parts after the deadline passes on Jan. 1, U. S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn said at a hearing on Dec. 12.
Fifth District affirms jury verdict contributing negligence to man injured during construction of his home
MOUNT VERNON - St. Clair County jurors correctly assigned 45% of negligence to plaintiff Stephen Harris in an injury suit against Germantown Seamless Guttering, Fifth District appellate judges ruled on Dec. 6.
Third District reverses dismissal of David Cates' fourth DUI charge
OTTAWA - St. Clair County Associate Judge Tameeka Purchase committed error when she dismissed a misdemeanor charge that Belleville lawyer David Cates drove under the influence, Third District appellate judges ruled on Dec. 5.
Jury returns verdict in favor of Madison County deputies in suicidal man's federal suit alleging excessive force
EAST ST. LOUIS - After a previous jury concluded that Brian Schell did not resist arrest during a criminal trial in 2019, jurors at his civil trial against Madison County deputies heard the full story and decided that he did.
Dugan hears arguments on default judgment against Chinese supplier in electric sock wrongful death suit
EAST ST. LOUIS - Sandra Scott of Washington County testified at a default judgment hearing about the death of husband Toby Scott; but if U.S. District Judge David Dugan grants her request for $10 million, she’ll have to collect from a Chinese company that fired its lawyers and never returned.
Many Madison, St. Clair County offices will see no opposition in November election
EDWARDSVILLE - As the Democratic Party continues to shrink in Madison County and the Republican Party holds no power in St. Clair County, many offices in both counties will face no opposition in the General Election.
Fifth District affirms denial of pretrial release under SAFE-T Act for domestic battery suspect
MOUNT VERNON - St. Clair County associate judge Sara Rice properly disqualified domestic battery suspect Ryan Alamia from pretrial release under Gov. Pritzker’s bail reform law, Fifth District appellate judges ruled on Nov. 30.
Oldcastle settles BIPA suit under new counsel
BENTON - Owners of Oldcastle Lawn and Garden settled a potential class action over biometric privacy 11 days after the Littler Mendelson firm of San Francisco withdrew and Jackson Lewis of New York City took its place.
McGlynn presides over new trial in suit involving excessive force claims against Madison County officers
EAST ST. LOUIS - Trial begins today on a claim that Madison County deputies Eric Schellhardt and Marc Asbury applied excessive taser force to county resident Brian Schell.
Monsanto asks Dugan to dismiss East St. Louis pollution suit over destruction of soil samples
EAST ST. LOUIS - Soil samples that prompted East St. Louis to cite Monsanto for ordinance tickets worth billions of dollars no longer exist, and Monsanto claims the destruction of evidence should end the case.
Settlement reached in wrongful death suit against Venice police over inmate's overdose death
BENTON - Clarice Hilliard of Chicago, whose son Clifton Lovett of Alton died after nine hours in a Venice police lockup, settled her wrongful death suit against the city on Nov. 21.
Yandle denies sanction request in BIPA suit against Oldcastle; Discovery dispute continues under new counsel
BENTON - Oldcastle Lawn and Garden, defending a class action claim that it violated fingerprint privacy, switched law firms in the midst of depositions and a brush with sanctions.
Kansas City lawyers voluntarily dismiss BIPA class actions they pursued in Illinois federal court
EAST ST. LOUIS - Kansas City area lawyers Jayson Brown and Jason Watkins, who jumped into Illinois fingerprint litigation with two potential class actions, voluntarily dismissed both cases.
Fifth District reverses Hoerner's rejection of summons delivery in suit involving evasion of service
MOUNT VERNON - St. Clair County Circuit Judge Kevin Hoerner improperly found that dropping a summons at a door didn’t count as service of process, Fifth District appellate judges ruled on Nov. 20.