News & Pubs Archive

A judge who became Facebook “friends” with a pending litigant before deciding the case created a risk of actual bias such that the case must be reversed and remanded for a rehearing before a different judge, a state appeals court has ruled.

The State Bar of Wisconsin's governing body recently discussed the Office of Lawyer Regulations' proposed changes to rules that regulate Wisconsin lawyers, discussed the proposed State Bar budget for fiscal year 2020, approved the Keller rebate amount, and approved a petition that would allow electronic voting in State Bar elections.

The City of Watertown must determine and allocate the cost of maintaining or constructing a large partition fence that separates property between adjoining farmland owners within the city, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled.

An employee embezzled $34 million from Koss Corporation over 10 years, drawing on Koss’s bank accounts at Park Bank. Recently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Park Bank is not liable despite claims it failed detect the fraud.

Each time the Village of Sister Bay – a tourist hotspot in Door County – puts on a summer concert alleged to be a nuisance, the timer to file a statutory notice of injury with the village restarts, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled.

A federal lawsuit filed by individuals in Ashland and Bayfield counties raises constitutional claims against Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, based on delays in providing legal representation while they languished in county jails.

The federal courts in Wisconsin have issued notices that all cases and proceedings will continue as scheduled, at least through Jan. 18.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld a restitution order of about $8,500 payable to a burglary victim, rejecting the defendant’s argument that the circuit court improperly considered prior, unproven burglaries in determining that amount.

In a tragic case involving a young girl who drowned at summer camp, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that the City of New Berlin does not have a governmental immunity defense to a negligence claim because an exception applies.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has upheld a conviction for operating while intoxicated (OWI), second offense, even though a circuit court ordered expunction of the defendant’s first OWI conviction, five years earlier, from his court record.

Two neurosurgeons will head back to circuit court to determine whether their contractual dispute must go to arbitration, now that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed an appeals court decision that the dispute must be arbitrated

The Wisconsin Supreme Court added four new cases to its docket, all criminal-related cases. One involves jury instructions, another concerns involuntary medication. The two others relate to plea withdrawals and the right to counsel.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled (6-1) that police violated a defendant’s constitutional rights by entering her apartment without valid consent and without any other justified reason to enter without securing a warrant first.

The 2019 State Bar of Wisconsin officer candidates represent differing practice areas and backgrounds – and all are excellent leaders, says State Bar of Wisconsin President-elect Jill Kastner.

The State Bar of Wisconsin's policy-making body also adopted a diversity and inclusion action plan and announced a slate of officer candidates for the 2019 elections.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court may decide whether a police officer unlawfully extended a legal traffic stop for moving and seatbelt violations when he ordered the driver to exit the vehicle to conduct a search, which uncovered drugs.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has unanimously upheld a search warrant for the placement of a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device on a car, even though the warrant was not executed within five days under a state statute.

Courthouse News Service, which covers state and federal courts nationwide, recently lost a fight to compel a circuit court clerk in Illinois to release newly filed complaints to reporters the moment they are received by the clerk’s office.

An arbitrator awarded $10 million in damages to 174 employees in a class arbitration action for wage and hour violations originating in Wisconsin. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit now says that award must be revisited.

A toll-free legal hotline is available to victims of Wisconsin’s recently declared federal disaster area in Crawford, Dane, Juneau, La Crosse, Marquette, Monroe, Richland, Sauk and Vernon counties.