Latest News
Mikal Watts defeats competitor's lawsuit that claims he misled farmers who wanted to sue Syngenta
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Legal Newsline) – A federal judge in Kansas has dismissed a lawsuit brought against plaintiffs attorney Mikal Watts by one of his competitors who cried foul over the recruitment of farmers to sue Syngenta.
Rosenstengel dismisses class action against Chrysler over alleged sludge
EAST ST. LOUIS – U. S District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel dismissed a class action complaint over Chrysler warranties on March 18, and questioned her jurisdiction over a remaining claim of consumer fraud.
Sanctions recommended for Doctor John’s lawyers after judge finds his court has no cure
BENTON – U.S. Magistrate Reona Daly recommends that Thomas Maag of Wood River and Utah lawyer Andrew McCullough pay Cahokia $6,707.83 as a sanction for discovery violations.
Police took Edwardsville killing suspect to hospital in 2017 following call for 'mental subject'
Subsequent court filings in multiple cases do not address mental health
Proposed class action claiming State Farm depreciated labor, materials in ACV calculation heads to Fifth District
SPRINGFIELD – The Supreme Court has ordered the Fifth District appellate court to let State Farm appeal a decision of Madison County Circuit Judge William Mudge in a potential class action.
Cook firm and Keefe file med mal suits against U.S., seeking $20 and $25 million
Bruce Cook’s law firm and Tom Keefe filed medical malpractice suits against the United States in federal court on successive days, with Cook’s client seeking $20 million and Keefe’s client seeking $25 million.
Educator, well-known NCAA basketball ref Hightower fighting hometown Alton in discrimination suit
BENTON – A housing development business owned by former NCAA basketball referee and educator Ed Hightower is accused of lying in a discrimination lawsuit the business is pursuing against the City of Alton, Hightower's hometown.
Father sues school bus companies after bullies allegedly gave Alton boy a concussion
EDWARDSVILLE -- The father of a young Alton boy is suing a school bus company, alleging his son sustained a concussion when attacked by older students aboard a private school bus.
DUI cases affected by clerical error include woman driving on revoked license
The list of drivers whose DUI cases were affected by a clerical error along with former U.S. attorney Stephen Wigginton when a Madison County clerk failed to timely schedule statutory summary suspension hearings includes a woman with a long criminal history who had been driving on a revoked license.
Multidistrict litigation swamps courts as rules struggle to catch up; Is reform on the way?
Multidistrict litigation – sprawling cases sometimes involving thousands of plaintiffs from all over the country – now represents more than half of the civil caseload in federal courts, according to a new survey, yet defendants complain the rules governing them are largely judge-made and haphazardly enforced.
Suspect in double-murder was caught weeks before at SIUE, trying to get into locked rooms
Plea deal in vehicle-theft case set suspect free, weeks before killings
Former Madison County department head claims she was sexually harassed by county board member
BENTON – Former Madison County community development director Kristen Poshard alleges county Board member Phil Chapman sexually harassed her in a lawsuit filed in U.S. district court on March 19.
Confirming voter registration, particularly elderly, is routine, says Clerk Holbrook
BELLEVILLE – Every month St. Clair County Clerk Tom Holbrook mails hundreds of requests for citizens to confirm their voter registrations, and every month some see it as a threat to their vote.
Lawyer against Just for Men seeks to keep jurisdiction in Southern District of Illinois
BENTON – To preserve jurisdiction over 8,655 claims of injury from Just for Men hair dye, John Driscoll of St. Louis proposes to treat four defendants as one.
Katz awards $112K in fees to prevailing lawyer in overtime pay suit against ESL
BELLEVILLE – East St. Louis must pay George Ripplinger $112,506.77 as winner of an overtime pay suit for former assistant fire chief William Clossen, Associate Judge Julie Katz ruled on March 5.
Sides spar over clerical error that allows Wigginton to keep license - and just who is politicizing it?
Did former U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton receive intentionally favorable treatment in the handling of his Madison County DUI case, or, is an admitted clerical error that allows him to retain his driving privileges being unfairly politicized?
State passes bill lifting 25-year statute of repose for occupational disease lawsuits
The state has passed a bill that lifts restrictions for when workers suffering from occupational disease, such as asbestos, must file suit against an employer.
New law would require landlords in Cook County, possibly elsewhere in IL, to give financial data to tax assessors
If a Democrat-sponsored bill passes in Springfield, owners of countless rental properties in Cook County and potentially elsewhere in Illinois will have to turn over the property's financial records every year to their county assessor's office for tax calculation.
Madison County Circuit Clerk says clerical error rescinding license suspension for former U.S. attorney not political
During a press conference Wednesday, Madison County Circuit Clerk Mark Von Nida said a clerical error that allows former U.S. Attorney Stephen Wigginton, 55, to retain driving privileges after his second DUI in two years was not politically motivated.
Chemetco Site Group dismisses 483 defendants from pollution suit
BENTON – Thirteen days after U.S. District Judge Staci Yandle told lawyer Gary Justis he used her authority to extract payments from defenseless parties, he dismissed 483 defendants in a suit about pollution at the former Chemetco scrap smelter.