A lawsuit filed last week against Don Brown Automotive in St. Louis alleging an illegal practice of law is the most recent in a string of dozens of lawsuits filed in the wake of a 2007 Missouri Supreme Court decision, which upheld similar claims against a mortgage company. The suit filed by Joe Partney, which is seeking class action status, alleges that the car dealership engaged in an illegal practice of law when it charged documentation preparation or processing fees in connection with the lease or purchase of a car. Partney purchased a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer from Don Brown Automotive and alleges he was charged a $65 "Notary & Doc Fee."

Tagged with: Carpenter v. Countrwide Home Loans class action documentation preparation or processing fees Don Brown Automotive illegal practice of law Joe Partney lawsuit lease Missouri Supreme Court purchase of a car Simon Law Firm

Lawmakers from both parties introduced legislation in the House and Senate on Wednesday aimed at limiting the U.S. Justice Department’s ability to invoke national security to block lawsuits accusing the government of misconduct. The measures would bolster the power of ...

Tagged with: Barack Obama Boeing Eric Holder Justice Department lawsuit national security Patrick Leahy state secrets

A week after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges, a former president of First Bank Mortgage is facing a civil suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC suit against Mark T. Turkcan was filed Feb. 4 in ...

Tagged with: Bill Margulis civil suit Daniel Ryan First Bank Mortgage First Banks Inc. fraud lawsuit Mark Turkcan Securities and Exchange Commission Sheahan Financial

The California Supreme Court will consider on March 5 whether to overturn a voter-approved ballot measure that repealed its ruling legalizing same-sex marriages, a court official said. The court scheduled oral arguments in three lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Proposition ...

Tagged with: American Civil Liberties Union California Supreme Court lawsuit Proposition 8 same-sex marriage San Francisco

Altria Group, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, began defending the first of more than 8,000 suits against the tobacco industry in Florida after the state’s Supreme Court threw out a record $145 billion verdict in 2006. Lawyers for Altria and ...

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A Bridgeton gynecologist says anti-abortion protesters are harassing his patients, and he wants them to stop. Dr. Allen Palmer and his office, WomensCare Gynecology, named members from the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Maryland Heights and ThriVe, which operates the Greater St. Louis Pregnancy Center, as the protesters in a lawsuit filed in St. Louis County. Palmer asked the court for a preliminary injunction against the protesters.

Tagged with: anti-abortion protestors Bridgeton gynecologist Dr. Allen Palmer lawsuit WomensCare Gynecology

The family of a man who died in police custody three years ago is suing the Kansas City Police Department for his death. Karl Marshall, 32, was pronounced dead on Jan. 28, 2006, nearly two hours after he was booked ...

Tagged with: cocaine abuse died in police custody Jackson County Kansas City Police Department Karl Marshall lawsuit

Two clients of a legal document preparation company are now suing it, claiming We The People is practicing law without a license. St. Louis attorney Neil Smith, of the Smith Law Firm, filed suit last week in St. Louis County Circuit Court against parent company Dollar Financial Corp., We The People USA Inc. and We The People of Greater St. Louis. Smith is seeking class action status for his litigation. In essence, he argues the companies are violating state laws by charging fees, typically hundreds of dollars, to draw up papers to use in courts, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

Tagged with: Dollar Financial Corp. lawsuit legal document preparation company practicing law without a license We the People

More lawsuits filed against The Bullet Hole An Overland Park gun shop faces more lawsuits for allegedly selling items used in a deadly shooting at the Ward Parkway Center in 2007. The Bullet Hole, which was first sued in December ...

Tagged with: Bullet Hole gun shop Jackson County Circuit judge John O'Malley lawsuit Overland Park U.S. Immigration Court

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by General Motors Corp., refusing to stop a lawsuit that accuses the automaker of concealing a parking-brake defect on almost 4 million pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles. The justices, without comment, left intact ...

Tagged with: class action General Motors Corp. lawsuit parking brake pickup trucks sport utility vehicles U.S. Supreme Court

Extension granted in Blagojevich case Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was granted a 90-day extension to obtain an indictment against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom he has accused of corruption in a criminal complaint. U.S. District Judge James Holderman in ...

Tagged with: Barack Obama Bill Clinton California corruption Cuba grand jury Guantanamo Bay H&R Block James Holderman lawsuit Patrick Fitzgerald prison Rod Blagojevich settle U.S. Justice Department