Pranaitis
A legal malpractice case filed by Sara Buske against her former divorce attorneys will get a new judge due to a witness's relationship with Madison County Circuit Judge Andreas Matoesian.
Matoesian signed an order Friday sending the case to Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis for reassignment.
The case is now assigned to Madison County Circuit Judge William Mudge.
The judge had been set to hear arguments on Friday on defendants Feldman, Wasser, Draper & Cox and RSM McGladrey's motions to dismiss the suit and a motion for a protective order allowing the defendants to use a pre-nuptial agreement from Sara Buske's 2008 divorce proceedings.
Matoesian's order states that the "main witness" in the matter is a friend of his.
That witness is not identified in the order.
Sara Buske is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 in her suit.
She claims that the Feldman firm botched her 2008 divorce from her now-ex-husband
Thomas Buske and cost her settlement money.
She claims that that RSM McGladrey, a St. Louis-based accounting firm, gave her bad tax advice during the divorce.
Sara Buske filed to divorce her husband of more than 10 years eight days after a Wisconsin court entered a $203.8 million judgment against Thomas Buske on behalf of S.C. Johnson and Sons Inc.
The company alleged that Thomas Buske defrauded it out of millions of dollars using inflated invoices from his trucking companies.
Thomas Buske is also facing federal criminal charges in connection with the alleged fraud in Wisconsin.
S.C. Johnson filed to intervene in the Buske divorce. The company alleged it was a sham meant to protect assets owed to S.C. Johnson under the Wisconsin judgment.
The Buskes' prenuptial agreement became a hot issue in the case with S.C. Johnson insisting upon its production.
That document was never made public because the parties reached a settlement.
Sara Buske received $325,000.
A trust worth $425,000 was set up for the Buskes' children.
Thomas Buske was allowed to keep $50,000 in personal property.
The remainder of the Buske assets went to S.C. Johnson to satisfy the Wisconsin judgment.
Sara Buske then sued the Feldman firm and her accountants last year.
Both defendants have moved to dismiss the suit claiming that Sara Buske's own actions were the cause of any alleged damages and that she doesn't specify what damages she incurred.
AJ Bronsky represents the Feldman firm. Daniel Konicek is co-counsel.
Jarrod Beasley represents Sara Buske.
Jonathan King entered his appearance as lead counsel for RSM McGladrey.
Al Pranaitis also represents the accounting firm.
Andrew Velloff, Thomas Keefe Jr. and Jeffrey Willian are listed in a March 15 filing as counsel for SC Johnson.
Vicki Cochran and others represented Thomas Buske in the divorce.
Madison County Associate Judges Duane Bailey and Thomas Chapman oversaw the Buske
divorce.
The case is Madison case number 10-L-1211.