This week in History- Sept. 27 through Oct. 3

Oct 2, 2003-- The St. Louis Post Dispatch editorialized strongly to "derail (the) gravy train" in Madison County by moving all class action cases to federal court. "Lawyers are tooling in from all over to file class-action cases at one of the most plaintiff-friendly courts in the country. It's got to stop," the paper wrote.

Oct 2, 2002-- The American Tort Reform Association named Madison County one of 11 "judicial hellholes" in the country.

Oct 2, 2001-- The estate of stock car driver Andy Mellenthin of South Roxana sued Granite City's Tri-City Speedway in Madison County Court after a freak accident killed Mellenthin in the track's parking lot.

Oct 1, 2000-- St. Clair County resident Kathleen Crawford sued two Edwardsville nursing homes for racial, sex, and age discrimination after they wouldn't hire her as an administrator.