Author: LawtonCates

During emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak, it is not unusual for unscrupulous businesses, profiteers and scam artists to prey on consumers. Governor Evers has declared a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Wisconsin and that means Wisconsin’s Anti Price Gouging Law is in effect. The law prohibits sellers from selling consumer goods […]

Contractors have the ability to use liens to protect their ability to get paid for the work they have done. Generally speaking, a lien is a legal interest in someone else’s property that a creditor, in this case the contractor, possesses until the debt is paid. Various parties involved in a construction project can get […]

A lot of misinformation is being spread about malpractice and the need for tort reform to protect doctors. Some of the popular myths are that patients file frivolous claims, that the threat of malpractice is driving doctors away from the practice, and that malpractice claims drive up the cost of health care. In Wisconsin, there is a special […]

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, the state agency that, in part, has a role regulating certain businesses in this state, released an important press release on the growing problem of collections fraud, specifically collectors or persons acting as collectors making phone calls to attempt to collect a debt that may never have existed, […]

On August 7, 2019 LawtonCates filed a lawsuit that will seek class action status to obtain protection and remedies for Wisconsin consumers affected by the Capital One data breach. The suit alleges that Capital One violated the Wisconsin Consumer Act when it failed to provide adequate protection for personal private information submitted by people who […]

On June 30, 2013, Governor Scott Walker signed into law substantial changes to Wisconsin’s statutes governing the extraction and use of Deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”) information from people forced into the criminal justice system. These recent changes in the law raise interesting policy issues such as to what extent does our interest in apprehending and punishing criminals […]

Check out my latest video where I do my best to answer some questions that I have received related to the entry and search of college dorm rooms. For example, can the cops enter and search your room without a warrant? What about a RA or other University employee? I answer those questions and a […]

Our Wisconsin Supreme Court recently decided a case that has sparked some controversy about whether a person can lawfully drive away from a police officer who knocks on his or her car window during a traffic stop.  Judging by some media reports of this case, one would think that we all have nothing to fear […]

The Wisconsin budget was recently signed by the Governor. It contains a section that makes it easier for plaintiffs to collect the full value of their medical expenses from the person that hurt them. The law should help limit the expense of a lawsuit and allow people hurt through no fault of their own to receive […]

Spring is here and summer is right around the corner. With the warmer weather, more and more people are out bicycling. It is a good time to consider bicycle safety and how to prevent bicycle injuries. Increased consciousness about fitness and the benefits of bicycling has led to a vast increase in bicycling for recreation […]