Missouri

Third trial in little more than a week for one defendant results in triple-murder conviction

Two mistrials were declared last week, on two successive days, after Derek Hubbard reportedly created a courtroom disturbance on Monday and then created another disturbance and attacked his public defender in court on Tuesday, in front of prospective jurors. But after a third trial this week a Missouri jury convicted…

Jul 3, 2014 4:55 PM CDT

Paralegal takes federal plea in fake-bribery case

A former paralegal for a Missouri criminal defense attorney has taken a plea in a convoluted fake-bribery case linked both to a client of her ex-boss and a St. Louis County prosecutor she knew. Jillian Nichols, 26, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court in St. Louis to wire fraud…

Jul 2, 2014 3:50 PM CDT

Being hit by a flying hot dog isn’t an inherent risk of watching baseball, state supreme court says

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled on behalf of a baseball fan who says he was hit in the eye with a hot dog thrown by Sluggerrr, the Kansas City Royals mascot. The court found that being hit in the eye with a flying hot dog was not one of…

Jun 25, 2014 1:52 PM CDT

Judge grants execution stay, cites possible intimidation of prison worker supporting clemency bid

A federal judge has issued a stay of execution for a Missouri inmate because of evidence suggesting that correctional officials tried to intimidate a prison laundry director who supported the inmate’s clemency request. U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry stayed the execution of John Winfield, who was scheduled to die June…

Jun 12, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

AG’s unique solution to dearth of execution drugs: State should manufacture its own supply

The Missouri attorney general has proposed a unique solution to a dearth of execution drugs. His state, AG Chris Koster suggested to a bar association group on Thursday, should manufacture its own supply, the Kansas City Star reports. If that occurs, Missouri would be the first state in the country…

May 29, 2014 11:10 PM CDT

Courts face bullying and intimidation by pols and partisans, say two retired state justices

Two retired state justices are condemning an “atmosphere of bullying” that threatens the independence of the nation’s courts. Writing for the Washington Post, retired chief justices Ruth McGregor of Arizona and Randall Shepard of Indiana cite some examples. In Oklahoma, the supreme court dissolved its stay of execution for Clayton…

May 20, 2014 12:44 PM CDT

Clerical error kept man out of prison for 13 years; incarceration is cruel and unusual, he argues

A Missouri man who wasn’t ordered to report to prison until 13 years after his conviction is seeking an early release. Because of a clerical error, Cornealious “Mike” Anderson didn’t get the order to report to prison after his 13-year sentence for armed robbery was affirmed in 2002. The problem…

Apr 16, 2014 2:51 PM CDT

Law firm leader’s divorce is over, but bad breakup with his matrimonial attorney is ongoing

It took a little over a year for a 2012 divorce case between attorney Chris Hesse and his ex-wife to be resolved with a consent judgment. But a bad breakup between the managing partner of a 16-attorney employment boutique based in St. Louis and his former matrimonial counsel is still…

Apr 7, 2014 6:14 PM CDT

Former law firm worker gets 3 years in federal prison for $212K theft

A former employee of a Missouri law firm was sentenced Thursday to a little over three years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for embezzling $212,000 between 2006 and 2009. As part of her duties at Carmichael & Neal, account manager Peggy J. Duncan, 63, wrote checks and…

Mar 21, 2014 4:55 PM CDT

Missing lawyer is arrested upon return from Turkey; indictment alleges bank fraud

A missing Missouri lawyer was arrested on Friday as he arrived in New York on a flight from Istanbul. An indictment unsealed on Friday accuses the lawyer, Jeffrey Witt, of using a client to impersonate a homeowner to take out a $100,000 line of credit on another person’s home, the…

Mar 10, 2014 12:50 PM CDT

Courthouse tests face-recognition system to ID individuals thought to be threats

Angry litigants and criminal defendants can pose serious or even lethal threats to lawyers and judges. So it isn’t surprising that a group of retired police officers in St. Louis thought of the downtown Carnahan Courthouse when they developed a system to identify individuals considered to be threats through facial…

Feb 24, 2014 10:54 PM CST

Ex-lawyer who used his firm’s credit card to start new firm gets probation

Updated and corrected: A disbarred Missouri lawyer has been placed on four years of probation after a guilty finding in a bench trial in which he was accused of using his former law firm’s credit card to start a new law firm. James A. Clampitt was put on probation last…

Feb 11, 2014 2:24 PM CST

Woman sues in effort to prove she is alive

A St. Louis-area woman has sued her bank and the credit-reporting-agency Equifax in an effort to correct reports that she is dead. Kimberly Haman says she has been turned down for a credit card and twice denied refinancing on her mortgage because of her status as deceased, report the St.…

Feb 11, 2014 1:44 PM CST

Sedgwick to move back-office operations from San Francisco to Kansas City

A 370-attorney longtime San Francisco-based law firm is moving its back-office functions to downtown Kansas City, Mo. Sedgwick says the move will take place in June, and the new facility will be fully operational by September, the Kansas City Star reports. It will serve as the headquarters for the firm’s…

Feb 7, 2014 9:30 PM CST

California law banning eggs from hens kept in small cages is unconstitutional, Missouri suit says

Image from Shutterstock. A California law banning the sale of eggs from hens housed in small cages violates the commerce clause, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster alleges in a lawsuit filed on Monday. What’s at stake, Koster says in a press release, is whether lawmakers in one state may regulate…

Feb 5, 2014 4:47 PM CST