Federal Judge Pans Pimp Who Owed $146K in Child Support to 10 Women

U.S. District Judge of Rudolph Randa had little sympathy for a convicted pimp last Thursday when he sentenced him to 30 years in prison. But Randa did express empathy for 10 women owed $146,000 in child support for the pimp’s 12 children, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel blog Proof…

Apr 3, 2012 2:43 PM CDT

Prosecutor and Defense Lawyer Hit with 30-Day Suspensions re Contentious Case, Must Pay $63K

Both the prosecutor and the defense lawyer in a contentious negligent homicide case have been hit with 30-day suspensions and required to pay a combined $63,000 to help cover the cost of their attorney disciplinary proceedings. The Wisconsin Supreme Court imposed the penalties on Friday, in separate opinions concerning the…

Apr 2, 2012 3:36 PM CDT

For One Prisoner, Nutriloaf Diet May Violate Eighth Amendment, Posner Opinion Says

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit filed by a prisoner who claimed the nutriloaf he ate in the Milwaukee County Jail was cruel and unusual punishment. The opinion (PDF) by Judge Richard Posner of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals suggested appointment of counsel for the…

Mar 28, 2012 11:25 AM CDT

Lawyer Who Kept Law License Despite Criminal Record Is Charged with Similar Offense

A Wisconsin bankruptcy lawyer has been accused of using the Internet to entice a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him, seven years after he was snared in an undercover probe in which a police officer posed online as a 14-year-old girl. Joseph Engl is charged with second-degree sexual assault…

Mar 27, 2012 3:16 PM CDT

State Lawmakers Consider Changing Alcohol Laws to Allay Home Brewers’ Concerns

Home brewers in Wisconsin who want to enter their beers in tasting competitions will be safe from prosecution under a bill sent to Gov. Scott Walker. Walker plans to sign the bill, which allows homemade beer and wine to be transported and shared with other adults, the Associated Press reports.…

Mar 23, 2012 2:59 PM CDT

Ethics Sanction Requested for Wisconsin Justice over B-Word, Neck-Touching Incidents

A special prosecutor for the Wisconsin Judicial Commission is recommending discipline for a justice for his behavior in two separate conflicts with his colleagues, including one in which he is accused of putting his hands around a justice’s neck. Justice David Prosser says charges in the ethics complaint (PDF) filed…

Mar 19, 2012 2:04 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Partner’s Jail Time in $370K Client Theft Case Will Let Him Work and Make Restitution

A former partner of Quarles & Brady was sentenced to five years of probation today following his December conviction in a $370,000 client theft case. As a condition of his probation, Jeffrey Elverman, 52, will spend seven months in jail, but will be allowed out on 72 hours of work…

Mar 8, 2012 11:21 PM CST

The Badgering State: Wis. Battles over Worker’s Rights and Skirmishes in the Supreme Court

Feb 1, 2012 11:10 AM CST

Law Prof Takes Sabbatical as Unpaid Rookie Prosecutor

When Patricia Bradford went to law school, she thought she might be headed to a job as a prosecutor. And she was right, as it turns out, except that it took her just a bit longer to land the job than she expected—more than three decades after her 1981 graduation.…

Jan 25, 2012 10:07 PM CST

DA Mulls Call for Case Review, Because Top Court Justice Got Free Legal Services from Party’s Firm

A Wisconsin district attorney is pondering whether to ask the state supreme court to reconsider a controversial ruling over a state collective bargaining law for public employees, following news that one of the justices who voted on the case received free legal representation from a party’s law firm, the Milwaukee…

Dec 22, 2011 8:55 PM CST

Man Charged in Wife’s Murder Can Use Retirement Funds to Pay Defense Lawyer, Judge Rules

Charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his wife last month, a Wisconsin man has been granted permission by a judge to withdraw $37,000 from a retirement account to pay his defense lawyer. Earlier this month, a Fond du Lac Circuit Court judge restrained Jason E. Anderson, 35, from…

Dec 21, 2011 6:12 PM CST

Wisconsin Lawyer Accused of Stealing Unclaimed Funds Is a No-Show in Court

A Wisconsin lawyer accused of stealing $542,000 in unclaimed funds failed to show up for a court appearance on Monday. Brookfield lawyer Thomas Bielinski was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in the case, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Proof & Hearsay blog reports. He was accused of stealing the money…

Dec 20, 2011 6:47 PM CST

Paper Says Wis. Supreme Court Justice Voted on Cases of Law Firm That Represented Him for Free

Updated: Represented for free by Michael Best & Friedrich in a legal ethics matter, a Wisconsin supreme court justice then helped decide cases in which a party was represented by the same law firm, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In one of those cases, State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman…

Dec 20, 2011 5:40 PM CST

Rescuing Deer Puts Wisconsin Man at Risk of Jail Time

Updated: There’s a happy ending to the case of Charlotte the deer. According to a report on Thursday, a Wisconsin man who rescued the fawn was being threatened with a fine and jail time for “unauthorized taking” of the animal. Marvin Graaf took the fawn to his farm in Lake…

Dec 15, 2011 5:33 PM CST

Ga. Man Arrested In Wis. on 36-Year-Old Child Support Warrant

A Georgia man stopped for a traffic violation on his first trip back to Wisconsin in three decades has been arrested on a 36-year-old unpaid child support warrant. Stephen Schmidt, 70, of Jonesboro, Ga., was later released on $2,000 bond, Reuters reported. Schmidt had been driving through Fond du Lac,…

Dec 14, 2011 10:47 PM CST