Beasley
Bronsky
Another case management conference is set next year in a Madison County legal malpractice case brought by Sara Buske against the Springfield law firm of Feldman, Wasser, Draper & Cox.
In a conference held Aug. 24, Circuit Judge Ann Callis ordered the parties to initiate written discovery within 30 days.
Callis also set a number of deadlines related to discovery.
In a case filed last year, Buske alleges that the law firm negligently handled her divorce from trucking business owner Thomas Buske, including the handling of a pre-nuptial agreement.
Sara Buske filed for divorce in 2008, eight days after a $203.8 million civil judgment was entered against Thomas Buske in Wisconsin.
S.C. Johnson & Sons Inc., of Racine, Wisc., sought and won the judgment alleging that Thomas Buske defrauded it of millions of dollars using inflated trucking invoices.
The matter also prompted an investigation in federal court in Wisconsin.
S.C. Johnson filed to intervene in the Edwardsville divorce, alleging the divorce was a sham used by the Buskes to hide assets.
The company filed a motion seeking the production of a pre-nuptial agreement, but the case settled before it was produced in open court.
Sara Buske took away $325,000 from the settlement.
A trust containing $425,000 was set up for the couple's children.
Thomas Buske was allowed to keep $50,000 in personal property.
S.C. Johnson was given the rest to satisfy the Wisconsin judgment.
The settlement was approved in 2010 after the parties reached it in December 2009.
Sara Buske sued the Feldman firm, who represented her in the divorce, later that year along with her St. Louis accountants, RSM McGladrey.
She alleged that the accounting firm gave her bad tax advice during the divorce. RSM McGladrey has since been dropped from the suit.
In the Aug. 24 case management order, Callis ordered:
- Discovery and depositions of the parties and the plaintiff's treating health care providers be completed by Dec. 1;
- Defendant shall serve interrogatories on plaintiff by Dec. 1;
- Plaintiff shall answer interrogatories by Jan. 1, 2012;
- Plaintiff shall make retained opinion witnesses available for deposition by Feb. 1, 2012;
- Plaintiff shall serve interrogatories on defendant by Feb. 1, 2012;
- Defendant shall answer plaintiff's interrogatories and identify any examiner by March 1, 2012; and
- Defendant's retained opinion witnesses, if any, and examiner shall be made available for deposition by April 1, 2012.
Callis set a case management conference for trial setting on March 28, 2012.
Jarrod Beasley represents Sara Buske in the case at hand.
A.J. Bronsky represents the Feldman firm.
The case is Madison case number 10-L-1211.