Suit against lender backfires 
In 2007, Citizens Bank agreed to lend up to $7.95 million to a company called Smithville 169 to develop a piece of land near the intersection of U.S. Highway 169 and Missouri Highway 92. The bank ultimately disbursed about $7.3 million.
UPDATE: Huge award against Vatterott exceeds expectations 
A Jackson County jury ordered Vatterott to pay Kerr $27,677 in actual damages, representing the amount she owed in student loans. In a second phase of the trial, the jury awarded $13 million in punitive damages.
Jury awards $13M over college’s career promises 
Vatterott doesn’t offer a registered nursing degree, but student Jennifer Kerr alleged that school officials said its medical assistant program would put her on a “fast track” to nursing because her credits could be transferred to other schools.
DNA frees man convicted of 1983 rape 
Robert E. Nelson left prison on Wednesday after a Jackson County circuit judge threw out his nearly 30-year-old conviction.
Woman scalded in shower settles with apartment owner 
Anne Barth suffered severe burns to approximately 40 percent of her body and was hospitalized for nearly two months while she underwent multiple skin graft surgeries.
Lay member named to 16th Circuit Judicial Commission 
Gov. Jay Nixon appointed William C. Gautreaux as a lay member of the 16th Circuit Judicial Commission.
Round-Up: Missouri Supreme Court OKs arbitration in dispute with car dealer 
The case is one of numerous suits claiming an American Suzuki advertising campaign was misleading.
Scott Turow: Lawyers must be storytellers 
“Every lawyer is an author — at least, every courtroom lawyer,” the author and attorney tells a Kansas City audience.
Larsen & Hess attorney named to Labor and Industrial Relations Commission 
John J. Larsen, Jr. was among several attorneys whom the governor appointed to state boards and commissions on Monday.
Truman Courthouse prepares for new life 
The Truman Courthouse in Independence hasn’t been used as a courthouse in a long time, but a long-awaited restoration of the historic structure could help free up space the judges who work down the street.
Unfindable victim awarded uncollectable judgment 
A federal judge awarded $2 million to a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a former Jackson County sheriff’s deputy. Complicating matters, however, the victim failed to attend the hearing.
