Further, under Wis. Stat. sections 102.29(6) and 102.01(2)(f), WPL was a “temporary help agency” and plaintiff was placed with WPSC by WPL, thereby affording WPSC the protection of the exclusive remedy rule. “The exclusive remedy rule is critical to the ...
Read More »02-0485 County of Sheboygan v. Jacobsen
Michael L. Jacobsen waived his right to appeal when he entered a “no contest” plea to the civil forfeiture charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Appeal is dismissed. This opinion will not be published. Dist II, Sheboygan County, ...
Read More »01-2993 Nissan North America, Inc. v. Jim M'Lady Oldsmobile, Inc. (57927)
“Nissan characterizes M’Lady’s argument concerning expiration as a ‘defense to the enforcement’ of the agreement containing the arbitration clause and asserts that where a broadly-worded arbitration clause creates a ‘presumption of arbitrability,’ any doubts concerning whether a particular ‘defense’ falls ...
Read More »02-0789 State v. Schertz
“There is nothing in Wis. Stat. sec. 971.17’s legislative history to suggest it should be mandatory, nor does the statute prescribe any penalty for its violation. In fact, the absence of a penalty provision within a statute suggests that a ...
Read More »02-0358 La Crosse County v. Watters
David W. Watters appeals a judgment of conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVWI), in violation of a La Crosse County ordinance adopting Wis. Stat. sec. 346.63(1)(a), as a first offense. Affirmed. This opinion will not be published. ...
Read More »01-3077 Carmain v. Affiliated Capital Corp. (57928)
“No explanation was provided as to why Loeb, president of the corporation and a nonpracticing lawyer, gave the complaint to Barkelar, a nonlawyer who ‘deals’ only with small claims cases on behalf of ACC. No explanation was provided as to ...
Read More »Statements must be considered individually
Hon. Ralph Adam Fine When determining whether to admit a hearsay statement as a statement against interest, each declaration is to be viewed separately, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals held on Sept. 24. Conflicting Stories In September 2000, ninety-two-year-old Constance ...
Read More »Hearsay
The decision is the second by the court of appeals this year to apply the rule of Williamson that a court must determine the admissibility of each declaration separately to determine if it is a statement against interest. In July, ...
Read More »401(k) losses must be shared by divorcees
We fail to see how “fairness” would be served by shielding Susan from any post-divorce decline in plan value, while imposing the entire loss on Daniel. Judge David G. Deininger Wisconsin Court of Appeals Where a marital settlement agreement unambiguously ...
Read More »Market Losses
Given the recent bear market, especially in some sectors, there is obviously a lot of money riding on the interpretation of this case. Future marital settlement agreements should be carefully reviewed to ensure that they unambiguously allocate risk. The decision ...
Read More »Make the most of opening statements
Jeffery Robinson Silence, during opening statements, is not golden, according to a Seattle criminal defense attorney. Jeffery Robinson of Schroeter Gold-mark & Bender in Seattle has handled more than 200 trials during his time in practice. Robinson drew on his ...
Read More »01-3186 City of Milwaukee v. Derynda
Thaddeus J. Derynda appeals from a judgment entered in favor of the City of Milwaukee and dismissing his counterclaim. Derynda argues that: (1) he was denied due process of law because he was not personally served with a raze order ...
Read More »01-1355 Gray v. Briley
“We recognized in Brooks that there are some situations, such as the one the U.S. Supreme Court itself faced in Saffold, or the one we faced in Rice v. Bowen, 264 F.3d 698 (7th Cir. 2001), in which it is ...
Read More »02-0118 In Re: the Marriage of Daniel R. Taylor v. Susan M. Taylor
Accordingly, we reject her claim that she should receive a sum equal to 35 percent of the market value as of the date of her divorce without any deduction for the losses which ensued. “We conclude the language at issue ...
Read More »02-0750 Kempf v. Lilek
Melvin and Irene Kempf appeal a judgment establishing the boundary of their vacation property on Long Lake in Lincoln County. The Kempfs initiated the suit to prevent their neighbors, Michael and Jill Lilek, from further encroaching on what they believed ...
Read More »01-3867 Perry v. McCaughtry
“The charges, the attorneys’ arguments, Perry’s own statements offered into evidence and the jury instructions as a whole all spoke in terms of Perry’s culpability on each count as a party to the crime. Thus, it was absolutely clear at ...
Read More »01-1434 State v. Fenz
This is because the court determined that defendant needed to receive institutional sexual offender treatment and that completion of the program required at least six years’ incarceration. “In order to accomplish this very specific incarceration goal, it was necessary for ...
Read More »01-3416 Associates Financial Services Company of Wisconsin Inc. v. Brown, et al.
Alex and Mary Lee Lockhart appeal from the trial court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of Associates Financial Services Company of Wisconsin, Inc. The trial court concluded that Associates Financial received a mortgage free and clear of the Lockharts’ ...
Read More »02-1412 Godoski v. U.S.
“[C]oram nobis is used only in those rare situations when the defendant is no longer ‘in custody’ (rendering §2255 unavailable) yet collateral relief remains imperative to deal with lingering civil disabilities. … A person whose incarceration lies in the future ...
Read More »01-3049 State v. Joyner
“Inexplicably, the Dissent ignores that Shelleen Joyner’s ‘alibi’ was, to use the Dissent’s word, ‘torpedoed’ by her own statements to Officer Becker. Her admission to Officer Becker that she had ‘gone to that area on the east side to visit ...
Read More »02-0666 Gregory v. Webster
Samuel Webster appeals from the judgment entered after a bench trial awarding the plaintiff, Michael D. Gregory, Jr., $4,087.39 in damages and costs as the result of an injury that occurred on Webster’s property. Webster contends: (1) Gregory failed to ...
Read More »01-2839 U.S. v. Costello
“The examples in the application notes to the guideline are limited to such cases, see U.S.S.G. § 2G1.1 Application Note 2, and the history and logic of prostitution offenses argue strongly for the limitation. Prostitution is a business, and when ...
Read More »02-1018 State ex rel. Darby v. Litscher, Secretary, Department of Corrections
The statute does not distinguish between the portion of the original sentence for felony offenses and the portion of an original sentence for misdemeanor offenses. “Thus, the remainder of the aggregate sentence necessarily includes remainders from all offenses, whether felony ...
Read More »02-0097-CR State v. Mann
Timothy Shawn Mann appeals from a judgment of conviction entered after a jury convicted him of two counts of delivery of cocaine, and one count of bail jumping. He also appeals from the trial court’s order denying his postconviction motion ...
Read More »01-3186 City of Milwaukee v. Derynda (57890)
Thaddeus J. Derynda appeals from a judgment entered in favor of the City of Milwaukee and dismissing his counterclaim. Derynda argues that: (1) he was denied due process of law because he was not personally served with a raze order ...
Read More »99-0635 In Re: the Commitment of Richard A. Brown, Jr.
“Thus, even if Brown is correct in asserting that, despite his objection at the beginning of the trial, the trial court should have employed the Kienitz standard from the beginning, its failure to do so did not, as he claims, ...
Read More »02-0250-CR State v. Doyle
Dontae L. Doyle appeals from a judgment entered after a jury found him guilty of eight counts of armed robbery (while concealing identity), one count of attempted armed robbery, two counts of recklessly endangering safety, and one count of fleeing ...
Read More »01-3186 City of Milwaukee v. Derynda (57891)
Thaddeus J. Derynda appeals from a judgment entered in favor of the City of Milwaukee and dismissing his counterclaim. Derynda argues that: (1) he was denied due process of law because he was not personally served with a raze order ...
Read More »01-2828 Legend Diamonds Inc. v. Diamond Cutters of Milwaukee, et al.
Armond Messnick appeals from a judgment awarding Legend Diamonds Inc. summary judgment against him and Diamond Cutters of Milwaukee jointly and severally after Messnick and Diamond Cutters failed to respond to Legend Diamonds’ discovery requests. We conclude that the circuit ...
Read More »01-2253-CR State v. Zoellick
Timothy P. Zoellick appeals a judgment of the circuit court convicting him of one count of disorderly conduct and one count of bail jumping, both as a habitual criminal. Zoellick presents the following four issues: (1) the evidence presented was ...
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