Supreme Court accepts three new cases

Madison, Wisconsin - September 27, 2006

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has voted to accept three new cases. The Court also acted to deny review in a number of cases. The case numbers, issues, and counties of origin are listed below. Court of Appeals opinions available online for the newly accepted cases are hyperlinked.

2004AP1592 State v. Thomas S. Mayo
This case involves a man who was convicted in a 2002 robbery and is challenging the conviction based upon the prosecutor’s statements in closing argument. The question before the Supreme Court is whether a prosecutor’s statements about her role in deciding which charges to bring against a defendant, and an alleged disparaging remark about the defense counsel warrant a new trial, either as plain error or due to ineffective assistance of counsel (for failure to object to the comments). The Court also is expected to determine if a new trial is warranted either in the interest of justice or due to ineffective assistance of counsel because of extensive hearsay testimony given by the state’s witnesses concerning out-of-court statements made to police by the complaining witness. From Racine County.

 04AP2681 Steven J. Wickenhauser, et al. v. Jack Lehtinen, et al.
This case involves a couple of dairy farmers and a retired dentist who invests in real estate. The parties had a falling out, and the farmers sued the dentist. The questions before the Supreme Court involve whether the plaintiffs were required by law to file a counterclaim in the first action if they wished to pursue damages other than restitution. If the plaintiffs were not required to counterclaim in the first action filed by the defendants, and the appropriate measure of damages was not available to make the plaintiffs whole in that action, was it proper for the plaintiffs to pursue a second action seeking compensatory and punitive damages based on a claim that the fraudulent conduct engaged in by the defendants induced them to sign the disputed option contract? From St. Croix County

05AP2962-FT Wendy S. DeHart, et al. v. Wisc. Mut. Ins. Co., et al.

This is a dispute about insurance coverage available to a victim in a so-called ‘hit and miss’ accident where a driver caused an accident among other cars – allegedly without coming into contact with the other vehicles – and then fled. The Supreme Court is expected to decide if a vehicle involved in a hit-and-miss constitutes an “unidentified motor vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident” pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 632.32 (4) (a) (2) (b), for purposes of insurance coverage. From Langlade County

Review denied: The Supreme Court denied review in the following cases. Supreme court review is a matter of judicial discretion, not of right, and will be granted only when special and important reasons are presented. As the state’s law-developing court, the Supreme Court exercises its discretion to consider for review only those cases that fit certain criteria, but these criteria neither control nor fully measure the court’s discretion (see Wis. Stat. (rule) § 809.62). Except where indicated, these cases came to the Court via petition for review by the party who lost in the lower court:

Certification
Calumet County:

• 2005AP2743 Rouse v. Theda Clark
  Justice Ann Walsh Bradley did not participate; Justice David Prosser Jr. dissents.

Petitions for review
Brown County:

• 2005AP922 Society Ins. v. Cities & Villages Mut. Ins.

Buffalo County:

• 2005AP3035 Bernard Kronebusch v. Richard Swatek

Columbia County:

• 2005AP513-CR State v. Sheffey
  Justice Louis B. Butler Jr. dissents.
• 2005AP859 Commitment of Combs: State v. Christopher L. Combs
• 2005AP1642-CR State v. Lee Raven

Dane County:

• 2005AP485 Marriage of: Sara M. Sandberg v. John P. Donahue
• 2005AP631 JK Harris Financial Rec Systems v. Dept. of Financial Inst.
• 2005AP987-CR State v. Earl W. Haase
• 2005AP1256-CR State v. Jack W. Klubertanz
• 2005AP3078- Termination of Parental Rights: Dane Co. DHS v. Todd S. 2005AP3081
• 2005AP3155- Termination of Parental Rights: Dane Co. DHS v. Susan P.S.
  2005AP3158
• 2006AP5 Barbara Schemenauer v. Avis Mueller
• 2006AP193-195 Termination of Parental Rights to James C.P., Megan L.P., & Amber M.P.: Diane L.C. v. Michael D.P.

Douglas County:

• 2004AP2002 Midwest Energy v. DOA

Fond du Lac County:

• 2005AP523-CR State v. James E. Asbury

Jackson County:

• 2005AP2401 State ex rel. James J. Kaufman v. Randy Hepp

Jefferson County:

• 2005AP1288 State v. Daniel D. Brown

Juneau County:

• 2005AP1321 Ronald A. Keith Sr. v. DHFS
  2005AP1322

Kenosha County:

• 2004AP934/ State v. Clarence M. Easterling
  2005AP1224
• 2005AP2271 Jason P. Stempin v. Cynthia K. Weiss

Marathon County:

• 2005AP1142 Nicholas S. Schreiner v. Up North Plastics
• 2005AP3181 State v. Michael J. Hall

Marinette County:

• 2005AP1218 Delvin E. Bauer v. Century Surety Company

Milwaukee County:

• 2004AP1889 State v. Robert E. Tucker
• 2004AP2656-CR State v. Anthony Mark Caravella
• 2004AP3266 City of Milw. Post 2874 v. Redevelopment Authority-
  Justices Jon P. Wilcox and David Prosser Jr. dissent.
• 2005AP186 State v. David E. Thompson
• 2005AP291 State v. Johnny M. McAdoo
• 2005AP1169 State v. Julius M. Covington
• 2005AP1433 Bruce Larson v. Elizabeth Burmaster
• 2005AP1596 Mardie Hartenstein v. Pekin Ins. Co.
• 2005AP1632-CR State v. Joseph R. King
• 2005AP1719-CR State v. Jovan D. Norrington
• 2005AP1817-CR State v. Tony P. Gildemeister
• 2005AP1985-CRNM State v. Jerome V. Metcalfe
• 2005AP2934-CR State v. Daniel Dampier-
  Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson dissents
• 2006AP588 Termination of Parental Rights to David K.: State v. Bobbie K.

Oconto County:

• 2005AP1876 Estate of Goldstein: Eunice Cohodas v. Catherine Hodkiewicz

Ozaukee County:

• 2003AP3405-CRNM State v. Ivan Johnson

Price County:

• 2006AP624-CR State v. Timothy J. Hering

Racine County:

• 2005AP1831-CR State v. Edward Lewis Gamble
• 2005AP2639-CR State v. Duane G. Heath

Rock County:

• 2004AP1294/ Marie Calbert v. Erin Briggs-
  2004AP2703
  Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson dissents.

Rusk County:

• 2005AP2126-CR State v. Robert J. Panosh

Sauk County:

• 2005AP101 State v. Peter T. Kupaza-
  Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson dissents
• 2005AP530 Commitment of Frier: State v. Robert B. Frier

Shawano County:

• 2006AP170-CR State v. John C. Zittlow

Walworth County:

• 2005AP417-CR State v. Jess K. Quinn
• 2005AP1528 State v. Justin D. Gudgeon-
  Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and David Prosser Jr. dissent

Washington County:

• 2005AP2184-CR State v. Calvin R. Herzog

Waukesha County:

• 2003AP1872 Blackhawk State Bank v. Fiserv, Inc.
• 2005AP1147-W State ex rel. Tomas Snyder v. Matthew Frank

Winnebago County:

• 2005AP2039 State v. Garfield Williams

Wood County:

• 2005AP2443 Melanie Bauer v. USAA Casualty Insurance Co.-
  Justices Patience Drake Roggensack and Louis B. Butler Jr. dissent

For more information contact:
Amanda Todd
Court Information Officer
(608) 264-6256

Back to headlines archive 2006