Lawsuit

A security system company is facing a lawsuit.      Pinnacle Security, LLC  is accused of defrauding people in Missouri. The attorney general says Pinnacle workers targeted homeowners with an existing security system.      They would claim they were there to upgrade their current system.   Attorney General Chris Koster says the company told customers their monthly bills would not increase, they would install a panic alarm for those who were injured and that homeowner's insurance would help pay for a portion of the costs.

Legal efforts by the state of Missouri to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from blasting the levee at Birds Point-New Madrid failed. But on Tuesday, attorneys filed a new private class-action complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on behalf of farmers whose land was flooded. "In the process of breaching the levee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also destroyed or is in the process of destroying 90 households and more than 100,000 acres of the country's richest farmland," said J. Michael Ponder, the attorney from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, who filed the suit.

A federal judge today ruled the Corps of Engineers can, if necessary, blow up the Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri. The move is aimed at reducing pressure on the flood wall protecting Cairo, Illinois. Missouri had filed a lawsuit against the plan because it would flood 130-thousand acres of farmland and about 100 homes. Officials from Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee urged the judge to allow the Corps to move forward if necessary. The Corps says it's monitoring river levels and may not make a final decision on an intentional break until the weekend.

A Springfield native who used a group of Kickapoo High students as his inspiration to invent Bratz dolls finds himself on the winning side of a federal lawsuit between the Mattel Toy Co. and the company that makes Bratz dolls.       A jury Thursday ruled that Mattel should pay Carter Bryant's employer, a company named MGA Entertainment, more than 88 million dollars.       Mattel sued MGA, claiming Bratz dolls infringed on Mattel's Barbie franchise.       Mattel won the first round but a jury on thursday sided with MGA and Bryant.

Spring is the time most of us take to our gardens to plant flowers and vegetables but for some a lawsuit and debate is brewing in federal court.       In a pre-emptive strike a group of "pure-foods" farmers and organic trade organizations are challenging a seed giant.       It's all over patent privileges and the ability to sue farmers over genetically altered products.       The suit really comes down to cross-pollination between farms and which way the wind blows.

Update: A former teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with one of her students in three different counties has filed a civil lawsuit against her probation officer Rebecca Martin and Martin’s brother. Martin’s brother is listed as John Doe in the lawsuit that claims both he and Martin harassed and intimidated Alison Peck. Peck also filed a formal complaint against her probation officer. Peck’s attorney sent a letter to the Probation and Parole Board of District 10-R asking to immediately remove the probation officer.

In our Springfield Busines Journal Report a former Springfield man ousted as President of Integrity Home Care faced a lawsuit after he filed a suit. Philip Melugin filed a suit in December against his former partners. Both parties reached a settlement in that suit. But in the settlement Melugin's former employerr filed a suit against him. Oxford HealthCare said Melugin breeched a noncompete clause after statements he made during his suit against Integrity partners Greg Horton and Paul Reinert.

Former Kanakuk Camp counselor Pete Newman is already serving two life sentences for child sex crimes at a Christian summer camp in the Ozarks.   Now he's facing a civil lawsuit KSPR NEWS has learned an out of state law firm has filed the case in Taney County Court against Newman. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of a minor known only as John Doe.     It seeks unspecified damages. Branson attorney Mike Merrell is the local counsel in the case.     He says the case was filed January 31-st but was entered into the system today (2-9)

A 93-million-dollar lawsuit against John Q Hammons is over. A judge ruled Hammons valued shares fairly when he purchased back his stocks to make it a private company. Before selling Hammons commissioned a special independent committee to negotiate a fair price for his companies shares and Hammons contractual rights and interests. According to the committee minority stock holders shares were valued at 24 dollars per share. But they challenged that price after their experts valued the stock at 49 per share more than twice what they received.

A Springfield bank takes over more than 13-hundred acres of land near  Wilson's Creek Battlefield.       Arvest bank paid nearly 8-million dollars for the land commonly referred to as the Terrell Creek Ranch last month.       Little is known about what the bank plans to do with the land. "They're not in the business of owning real estate, so I'm sure they're looking for a buyer. " says Eric Olson.       Hollister-based Missouri Partners Inc. were the previous owners of the land.