Latest News
Man charged with attacking Prenzler gets third attorney, new trial date and new lesser charge
The trial for an Edwardsville man accused of attacking Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler recently was pushed back because the defendant hired a new attorney, his third in the case.
Gibbons defends challenge to criminal defense rule; Says witnesses exposed to intimidation
BENTON – Granting criminal defendants custody of their case files would expose witnesses to intimidation, Madison County counsel Joseph Devereux asserted in U.S. district court on Feb. 27.
St. Clair County settles another jail hanging suit in federal court; Amount not disclosed
BENTON – For the second time in two weeks, St. Clair County sheriff Rick Watson settled a suit over the death of a jail inmate.
Press conference called to raise questions about Wigginton's driving privileges after second DUI
A press conference is scheduled Wednesday at noon outside the Madison County courthouse to draw attention to a clerical error that allows former U.S, Attorney Stephen Wigginton to retain driving privileges while prosecutors pursue a second DUI charge against him.
Judge orders DOJ to name former USA who resigned while being investigated for sexual misconduct
NEW YORK CITY – U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick ordered the Department of Justice to identify a former U.S. attorney who resigned while under investigation for sexual misconduct.
Wigginton to keep license while DUI case pends due to court clerk's scheduling error
After receiving his second DUI in two years, former U.S. attorney Stephen Wigginton, 55, will be allowed to keep his driver’s license while his current charges are pending due to scheduling mistake by the Madison County Circuit Clerk's office.
Belleville cop who sued Bruce Cook over '16 crash, joins in third party suit against fellow cop
BELLEVILLE – Former Belleville police officer Jeffrey Jensen, who sued lawyer Bruce Cook over a traffic accident, has joined Cook in shifting blame to the officer who drove the patrol car.
St. Clair County jury awards motorist $7,500 following Sauget crash
St. Clair County jurors awarded a motorist $7,500 following a 2011 rear-end collision in Sauget.
Crane Co. substitutes Armstrong Teasdale as counsel in local asbestos cases
A frequent target of asbestos litigation, Crane Co. appears to have substituted counsel with a St. Louis asbestos defense firm in all of its local pending asbestos cases in early January.
Two local lawmakers want to create new government agency for development
Metro East Development Authority could borrow money, issue bonds for 'more just economic and social environment'
Lavite, VAC deny affirmative defenses in $1 million funding dispute
The Veterans Assistance Commission and superintendent Brad Lavite denied Madison County’s affirmative defenses alleging the plaintiffs’ suit seeking more than $1 million due to alleged funding shortfalls is “frivolous” and without “basis in fact or law.”
Subpoena hangs over Uconnect class action; Lead plaintiff seeks records from friend at dealership
EAST ST. LOUIS – Belleville city attorney Brian Flynn trusted the Federico family to sell him a Jeep but served a subpoena for their records after one of them wouldn’t help him find plaintiffs for a class action against Chrysler.
Pennsylvania opioid lawsuits are homeless while trial lawyers take shots at each other
Seven appeals and plenty of in-fighting have Pennsylvania counties behind schedule in their quest to hold dozens of companies liable for the nation's painkiller crisis
Paraquat suit against Syngenta, BIPA class action against nursing home land in Hoerner’s court
BELLEVILLE – Rookie Associate Judge Kevin Hoerner holds in his hands two cases that other St. Clair County judges turned loose like hot potatoes.
Trial-lawyer bill would lift filing restrictions in asbestos claims; Critic says proposal would create unlimited liability
A bill that would reverse a 2015 state Supreme Court decision by allowing workers with latent diseases to sue their employers will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon.
Merger of St. Louis city-county would dissolve court where mass litigation has taken root
ST. LOUIS - Merger of St. Louis city and county would shut down one of the nation’s most wide open courts, as the 22nd Judicial District would cease to exist under the current “Metro City” merger plan.
Drug makers, CVS seek eighth extension to respond to opioid suit DOJ wants dismissed
Drug makers and retailer CVS filed their eighth motion for an extension of time to answer an opioid suit alleging an unlawful marketing scheme.
Lead plaintiff in Uconnect class action offered happy hour for new magistrate that would preside in case
EAST ST. LOUIS – Brian Flynn, city attorney of Belleville and plaintiff in a class action against Chrysler, offered to throw a happy hour reception for a new U.S. magistrate judge who would come to preside over discovery in his case.
IL SC to hear parents' class action seeking compensation for lead test paid for entirely by Medicaid
The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear a class action in which the parents of minor children who underwent lead toxicity testing claim they should be able to recover damages for the cost of the tests even though they were paid for entirely by Medicaid.
Wrongful death suit against Sheriff Watson and county settles for $850,000
BENTON – St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson and the estate of former jail inmate Joshua Jurcich settled a wrongful death suit for $850,000 on Feb. 25.