Kansas

Lawyer Is Suspended for Two Years for False Claim About Judge’s Behind-the-Bench Activity

A Kansas lawyer has been suspended for two years for falsely claiming that the judge mediating her divorce appeared to be masturbating under the bench. Kimberly Ireland made the claim in an ethics complaint and a federal lawsuit, according to findings of fact by a hearing panel. At the time…

May 31, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Kansas Attorney Cleared of Ethics Violation Files Complaint Against State Official

An Kansas attorney filed a complaint this week accusing a state legal ethics official of professional misconduct in retaliation for the lawyer’s public revelation of sexual abuse at a state prison. Keen Umbehr, who was cleared in November of professional misconduct allegations for bringing a reporter into a prison to…

May 25, 2012 8:30 PM CDT

5 Kansas Supreme Court Justices Recuse Themselves From Ex-AG’s Ethics Case

Five of Kansas’ seven supreme court justices have recused themselves from a pending disciplinary case against former state Attorney General Phill Kline. The five justices voluntarily stepped aside, citing a Kansas Code of Judicial Conduct rule that requires recusal when a judge previously presided as a judge over the matter…

May 22, 2012 8:22 PM CDT

Lawyer Loses License for 1 Year, Represented Both Wife Suspected of Arson and Husband in Fire Claim

A longtime Kansas lawyer has been suspended from practice for one year, due in part to his concurrent representation of two spouses. One (the wife) was a suspect in a criminal arson investigation concerning the couple’s home and had been videotaped purchasing accelerants on the day of the fire, according…

May 18, 2012 5:19 PM CDT

Reporter’s Tweeted Photo Leads to Mistrial in Topeka Murder Case

A Topeka judge has declared a mistrial in a murder case because a reporter inadvertently tweeted a photo of one of the jurors. Reporter Ann Marie Bush of the Topeka Capital-Journal was allowed to take photos with a camera phone as long as no jurors were pictured, the Topeka Capital-Journal…

Apr 12, 2012 12:07 PM CDT

Slain Kansas Lawyer Was Shot to Death Last Year in Robbery at Her Home, Eyewitness Testifies

A Kansas lawyer was the victim of a robbery when she was shot to death in the carport of her home as she and her friend returned from celebrating the attorney’s birthday one evening last summer, according to testimony Tuesday in the Shawnee County District Court case. And those charged…

Apr 10, 2012 10:30 PM CDT

Seattle Lawyer Meets Suspect in Afghan Civilian Shooting

A Seattle defense lawyer who has been retained to represent an Army staff sergeant suspected of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan says he has now met with his client, who is being held in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His meeting with Robert Bales, 38, was emotional, says…

Mar 19, 2012 8:11 PM CDT

Wesley Brown, a Kennedy Appointee and Oldest-Sitting Federal Judge, Has Died at 104

Corrected: U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown, who continued working in Wichita until about a month ago, has died. He was 104. Brown died Monday evening at Larksfield Place, where he’d lived for several years, the Wichita Eagle reports. “There comes a time, and he was just ready,” said Judge Monti…

Jan 24, 2012 4:07 PM CST

Lawyer’s Book Helped Dozens of Abandoned Pets Get New Homes

A Kansas lawyer’s fictional book about an animal shelter’s program of placing abandoned pets in temporary homes for the Christmas holidays has helped dozens of homeless cats and dogs find new families. Inspired by Greg Kincaid’s book, A Dog Named Christmas, which was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame…

Jan 12, 2012 7:15 PM CST

Convicted Kidnapper Sues His Victims for Breach of Contract

A convicted kidnapper in Kansas has filed a pro se lawsuit against his victims alleging they breached an oral agreement to hide him from police in exchange for an unspecified amount of money. Jesse Dimmick is seeking $235,000 from Jared and Lindsay Rowley in a counterclaim to their suit against…

Nov 30, 2011 2:51 PM CST

Cleared of Wrongdoing re Paper’s Prison Sex Story, Lawyer Calls Ethics Panel’s Advice ‘Ridiculous’

Updated: A Kansas lawyer said he is relieved that a “dark cloud” over his head has been lifted, with a ruling by the Kansas Board for the Discipline of Attorneys that he committed no ethics violation by helping a newspaper reporter write about prison sex. However, Keen Umbehr said he…

Nov 8, 2011 11:07 PM CST

City Put Municipal Judge Under Surveillance in Residency Probe, Found She Rarely Spent Night at Home

A Kansas City municipal judge owns a home within the city limits and is registered to vote there. However, Judge Elena Franco rarely spent the night at home, the city determined after hiring a private detective and putting her under 24-hour surveillance, reports the Kansas City Star. She has been…

Nov 4, 2011 3:21 PM CDT

Ethics Panel Recommends Indefinite Suspension for Ex-Kansas AG

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline should be indefinitely suspended from practicing law for his alleged misconduct in the handling of criminal investigations of abortion providers in the mid-2000s, a professional ethics panel says. A three-member panel of the state Board for Discipline of Attorneys says Kline repeatedly misled other…

Oct 14, 2011 9:19 PM CDT

Topeka Decriminalizes Domestic Violence in Prosecution Budget Spat; Suspects Go Free

The city of Topeka, Kan., has repealed its law making domestic violence a crime in hopes of saving some money and forcing the county D.A. to resume prosecutions. Domestic violence is still a crime in the state, and that means Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor should be prosecuting such…

Oct 12, 2011 11:38 AM CDT

Lawyer Sues Facebook, Says Tracking Cookie Violates Wiretap Laws, Seeks Class Action Status

A lawyer and Facebook user has sued the social networking site in federal court in Kansas, contending that a tracking cookie violates wiretap laws. Lead plaintiff John Graham, a 42-year-old attorney in Leawood, Kan., also alleges in the suit that the cookie violates state consumer-protection law, reports the Associated Press.…

Oct 6, 2011 10:44 PM CDT