Judge Matt J. Whitworth dies at 61
Matt J. Whitworth, the chief magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, has died. He was 61. Whitworth died Oct. 8, according to an obituary posted online Friday morning. No cause of death was listed. Todd Graves of Graves Garrett, a former U.S. attorney who worked alongside Whitworth when […]
Graves to lead review of KC diocese
Former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves will conduct an independent review of recent allegations of sexual misconduct by priests in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, the diocese said Thursday.
Court plan bills could be DOA in Legislature
The Missouri Senate tackled alterations to the Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan for the first time last year. But after the measure failed to come to a vote in the Senate, legislative prospects are dim this year for changing the system for choosing certain judges. House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, says he won’t even assign any […]
Better Courts steps into court plan legal challenge
It turns out those opposed to changing judicial selection aren’t the only ones who can tap well-known legal names in Missouri. James Harris leads an organization that wants to change the way Missouri chooses its judges. But supporters of the current system have filed legal challenges to the state-approved ballot summaries, so they’re tied up […]
Jury finds for defense after 8-week trial
Eight weeks of trying to convince a jury that one of the country’s largest banks wiped out a start-up credit card processing company came to nothing on Wednesday. Following a complex trial that began in late January, the Jackson County jury returned a defense verdict for U.S. Bank and Multi Service Corp. The plaintiffs had […]
Short tenure, no regrets
John Wood has the distinction of being the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri who wasn’t touched by the national attorney firing scandal. Todd Graves, who left the office in March 2006, later revealed that he had been forced out over his refusal to prosecute a voter fraud case. Graves’ interim successor, Bradley […]
Lengthy trial gets under way
A Jackson County jury will begin hearing weeks of evidence today in a highly complex fraud case where the plaintiff is seeking to recover tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in damages. Pier to Pier wants approximately $60 million in compensatory damages, said its attorney, Todd Graves, of Graves Bartle & Marcus. He […]
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