St. Louis Injury Lawyer Blog

A former Alton School District employee is headed to prison for engaging in sexual relations with a minor under his supervision as a teacher.

According to an article in The Telegraph, a local newspaper based in Alton, Illinois, the defendant received a six-year prison sentence in the criminal case. Judge Charles Romani, Jr. presided over the case in Madison County Circuit Court. It is alleged that the defendant committed similar offenses in O'Fallon, Illinois public schools prior to becoming employed in Alton.

This inappropriate behavior by a teacher, a person in a position of trust, led to a sexual assault civil suit against the band director and school district. WWF&G attorney Thomas O. Falb represented the plaintiff--the mother of the underage victim--in the case of Doe v. Alton School District.

The Alton High School student was referred to as Mary Doe. The case ended prior to trial due to a confidential settlement reached between both parties. Falb's suit had demonstrated that a long-term friendship between the teacher and student that existed outside of the bounds of school developed into a sexual relationship.

According to a Juvenile Justice Bulletin published by the U.S. Department of Justice, 95 percent of statutory rape victims are female and 99 percent of perpetrators are male.

Continue reading "Alton High School Band Director Receives Prison Sentence" »

The family of a drowning victim has alleged that negligence on the part of Holiday Shores and its lifeguards led to the drowning and death of a man swimming in the lake with his family.

On a late summer afternoon, a man began coughing and struggling to swim in the lake. Other people in the lake began screaming, alerting the lifeguard about the man's struggle, but it is alleged the lifeguard did not respond in time. Witnesses saw the lifeguard using her cell for texting or internet use throughout the day. Despite making several dives to attempt finding the body, the man was not found for more than an hour.

The lawsuit has revealed that the lifeguard sent and received more than 200 text messages on the day of the incident, including several messages in the minutes leading up to the drowning incident.

Represented by WWFG attorney Michael P. Glisson, the family has filed a suit against Holiday Shores with three counts, including wrongful death, survival act and family expense act. The case is expected to go to trial in 12-18 months.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3,443 people died in fatal unintentional drownings in 2007.

Continue reading "Holiday Shores Illinois Drowning Death Leads to Wrongful Death Suit" »