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The last time I was in a Dane County courtroom in the City-County Building was in late October, and former state Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala was pleading guilty to two felonies. As I sat in the spectator seats in Judge David Flanagan’s small courtroom, it dawned on me it might be my last time […]

Richard Lyman Cates Sr. died surrounded by family of natural causes Wednesday morning, Aug 3, 2011, in Madison, finishing his 85-year adventure that began on Nov. 22, 1925, in New York City. He was an only child, who lived almost four of his first nine years in an orphanage and spent his depression boyhood playing […]

The Plaintiff’s, Charlie Neitzel and the families of Bradley Schultz, Lianne Thomas, Lindsey Stahl, and Katrina McCorkle in the case against the City of Crandon and Forest County, Forest County Case No. 08 CV 100, will file an appeal of Circuit Court Judge Mangerson’s decision to dismiss their case. As a result of this decision, […]

The right to a trial is America’s great equalizer, protecting individuals from those with more power and influence. We should all be aware and concerned whenever this right is threatened, as we discuss in this month’s issue of You Should Know. “In suits at common law, trial by jury in civil cases is as essential […]

LawtonCates helps establish the University of Wisconsin’s Consumer Law Clinic. Out of three Madison entities comes one Consumer Law Clinic. The U.W.-Madison Law School, the Center for Public Representation and the law firm of LawtonCates have joined forces to give law students hands-on learning experiences while helping consumers in need. The new clinic promotes consumer […]

What do these three terms have to do with each other and more importantly, you if you have been injured by someone else’s negligence? In Wisconsin, a lot. If you have been hurt, and are permanently injured you deserve to be compensated for the rest of your life. If someone ran a red light and […]

A federal judge ruled Monday that a jury should decide if Oscar Mayer production workers should get paid for time spent putting on and taking off safety and sanitation equipment required by federal law and the company.In denying Oscar Mayer’s motion to dismiss the suit brought by four employees, District Judge John Shabaz concluded that […]

  In 2010, the U.S. Census recorded 40 million Americans aged 65 or older. By 2050 that number will double! The long-term care industry has exploded, posting more than $300 billion in profits in 2015 alone. Unfortunately, some providers treat residents as a commodity rather than patients. Abuse, assault, fraud and forced arbitration contracts have […]

Revelations that GM chose profit over safety highlight once again why it is so important to stand up for every American’s constitutional right to pursue justice in a court of law. It is the great equalizer between the individual and the powerful. On March 10, 2010, Brooke Melton experienced the worst kind of déjà vu. […]

Many people try to pursue a Lemon Law claim on their own without hiring an attorney. After all, the Lemon Law is supposed to be a self-enforcing consumer statute, providing lemon owners with a full refund or a comparable new vehicle. What can possibly go wrong? The answer is, unfortunately, plenty. Despite lawmakers’ intent in […]