Wisconsin

Lawyer’s alleged gift card offer to a court assistant spurs disciplinary complaint

Wisconsin disciplinary officials are recommending a private reprimand for a lawyer accused of offering a gift card to a Winnebago County court assistant after he spoke with her in an “agitated and angry tone” about a default judgment entered against his client. The Office of Lawyer Regulation filed the complaint…

Jun 18, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Three Wisconsin justices skip law grad ceremonies amid dispute over the rightful chief justice

A dispute over the rightful chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court may have led three justices to boycott Monday ceremonies to admit to the bar recent graduates of Marquette University Law School. The three justices who stayed away–former Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley and Justice N.…

May 19, 2015 10:29 AM CDT

Former cop’s ALS brain-disorder defense succeeds; jurors find him not responsible in double slaying

Jurors in Wisconsin have found a former sheriff’s deputy wasn’t responsible for the slayings of his wife and her sister after his lawyers argued at trial that he suffered from a brain disorder associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dane County jurors delivered the verdict early Thursday, finding that Andrew Steele,…

Apr 30, 2015 8:21 AM CDT

Wisconsin chief justice sues over voter-approved measure that could demote her

Wisconsin Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson has filed a lawsuit contending that a voter-approved constitutional amendment changing the way the chief justice is selected should not take effect until her term ends in 2019. The amendment, approved on Tuesday, requires the court’s seven justices to choose their own leader every two…

Apr 10, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

As a growing number of states enact ‘rehoming’ laws, Facebook reportedly disables adoption page

Responding to news of parents placing children they find difficult to deal with in the care of strangers they identify as potential caretakers via the Internet, a growing number of lawmakers are enacting legislation to curtail the controversial practice. Meanwhile, Facebook has disabled an “Adoption Through Disruption” page being used…

Mar 23, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Was crash that killed 3 kids negligent homicide? Prosecutors cite Facebook posts, drugs, bad tires

A Wisconsin woman is now facing negligent homicide charges over a fatal accident in 2013 that took the lives of her 11-year-old daughter and two 5-year-old nieces. Kari Jo Milberg, 34, is also charged with misdemeanor reckless driving in the Dec. 12, 2013 crash. Witnesses said her SUV had suddenly…

Mar 5, 2015 9:10 AM CST

Judge blasts Wisconsin crime lab over evidence issues in first-degree murder case

A Wisconsin judge on Monday delayed a first-degree murder trial over evidence issues and blasted the state crime lab for what he called a “totally inexcusable” delay in providing material to lawyers for both sides. Calling the delay “an egregious violation of due process,” Columbia County Circuit Court Judge Alan…

Jan 27, 2015 2:10 PM CST

Sheriff takes to the streets to round up jurors

A sheriff in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, took to the streets last week to round up potential jurors for an upcoming trial. Sheriff Ron Cramer acted after the clerk of courts in Eau Claire County notified him of the juror shortage, WEAU reports. A Wisconsin law on insufficient jurors authorizes such…

Jan 27, 2015 9:28 AM CST

Did damage caps discourage suits that could have spotlighted GM ignition defect?

After a 2006 fatal Chevy Cobalt crash was linked to a defective ignition switch, families of two teens killed in the Wisconsin accident decided to sue. The families, however, were unable to find contingency lawyers to take the case. The reason: a $350,000 damages cap in WIsconsin, the New York…

Dec 30, 2014 8:59 AM CST

Unconscious woman with medical insurance is taken to out-of-network hospital, owes $50K

When Megan Rothbauer had a heart attack in 2013, she was, luckily, covered by medical insurance. Unfortunately, she wound up in the emergency room of a Madison, Wisconsin, hospital outside her Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance network. Ironically, another hospital a few blocks away was in-network. Now the 30-year-old is…

Nov 12, 2014 5:20 PM CST

Judge refuses to follow state supreme court order to dismiss voter ID suit, steps aside from case

Faced with a state supreme court order telling him to dismiss a lawsuit that challenged a state statute requiring voters to produce identification, a Wisconsin judge is pursuing a highly unusual course of action. In a Thursday order, Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess said he could not in good…

Sep 24, 2014 2:15 PM CDT

With ‘eye-popping speed,’ 7th Circuit strikes 2 states’ same-sex marriage bans 9 days after argument

Acting with what USA Today describes as “eye-popping speed,” a Chicago-based federal appeals court on Thursday struck same-sex marriage bans in two states only nine days after hearing oral arguments. Joining with federal appeals courts that have declared bans on same-sex marriage in Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia to be unconstitutional…

Sep 4, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds law curbing collective bargaining for public workers

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld a law that limits collective bargaining for public workers and requires them to make increased contributions to pensions and health care. The state supreme court ruled in a 5-2 decision (PDF) on Thursday that the law does not violate associational and equal protection rights…

Jul 31, 2014 4:03 PM CDT

Lead-paint liability without proof of specific maker doesn’t violate due process, 7th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has upheld a legal theory that holds lead-paint manufacturers liable for neurological problems in children who lived in homes with the product, even without proof of the specific maker of the paint that caused the harm. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that…

Jul 25, 2014 12:18 PM CDT

Lawyer gets 30 years for abusing his wife

A suspended 49-year-old Wisconsin lawyer was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison after being convicted in a jury trial earlier this year of 30 of the 31 counts he faced concerning the abuse, strangulation and sexual assault of his wife. David Dudas did not speak at his sentencing in…

Jul 24, 2014 10:40 PM CDT