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Law Office of David J. Brown
In the News
David Brown and The Law Office of David J. Brown have been the focus of various news articles over the years. Below are brief summaries of some of the articles with links to the appropriate news site for those who want the whole story.
Included in the list are stories about developments and people in our office, legal issues we handle, people we have represented and cases that received attention. In every case, the summary is just a part of the related story. For the whole picture, please click on the respective links.
June 30, 2017
Lawrence Journal World: “City wins early victory in lawsuit alleging landlord discriminated against veteran and his support dog”
A judge has denied the landlords’ request for documents such as journal entries, drug tests and disability records relating to a housing discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of the Lawrence Human Relations Commission and the city by attorney David J. Brown.
November 19, 2016
Topeka Capital Journal: “City of Lawrence files housing lawsuit on behalf of veteran”
David J. Brown, acting on behalf of the City of Lawrence’s Human Relations Commission and the City of Lawrence, has field suit against a local management company, saying a veteran with an emotional support animal was discriminated against when he tried to rent a townhome.
July 24, 2015
Lawrence Journal World: “Court rules for gay couples in Kansas tax case“
A district court judge in Topeka ruled Friday that the Kansas Department of Revenue’s former policy of not allowing same-sex married couples to file joint tax returns is not only unconstitutional now, but was unconstitutional from the day it began.
June 18, 2015
Lawrence Journal World: “Best Lawyer|Best of Lawrence|Services”
“David Brown began his law practice in Lawrence in 1992, and in the decades since has developed a reputation for civic commitment.
“This community has been generous to me, and I want to give back as much as I can,” he says. “Really, that is what community means. You give back, and it’s our civic responsibility.”
October 28, 2014
Salon: “What’s the matter with Kansas?”
A dispatch from the front lines of its fight for marriage equality. Despite the state’s fiercely conservative politics, its LGBT movement is slowly but surely gaining traction. David Brown is quoted in this Salon article.
October 18, 2014
Kansas City Star “Attorney’s lawsuit against Kansas seeks tax equality for married same-sex couples”
On New Year’s Eve 2013, Lawrence attorney David Brown quietly filed a case called Nelson v. Kansas Department of Revenue.
May 18, 2010
Lawrence Journal World: “Local Verizon, AT&T cell phone users having trouble getting connected”
Lawrence attorney David Brown feels as if his lifeline has been cut off.
“It’s a very disconcerting feeling,” Brown said. “It’s not unlike those silly TV commercials that say, ‘you’re living in the dead zone,’ and that’s exactly what we kept making jokes about all night.”
Brown and his wife, both AT&T wireless customers, have been without cell service at their home in West Lawrence for the past two days. Their phones, however, both seem to work once they’re east of Sixth Street and Kasold Drive.
“You realize how connected you are to a piece of electronics that didn’t exist 10 years ago,” Brown said.
March 22, 2010
Lawrence.com “Wills important part of family planning”
You’re going to die. Maybe not today, and probably not tomorrow, but some day you will die. You’ll leave everything you own behind: the house, the car, the book collection, the fine china, the sparkling jewelry.
All of it will linger long after you’re gone. And that’s why you should consider drafting a will.
“Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone who should not have a will,” says Lawrence attorney David Brown. “On the assumption that someone wants to take control of their property upon death, they should have a will.”
December 12, 2008
Lawrence Journal World: “Sebelius names Sally Davis Pokorny to replace Judge Jack Murphy in Douglas County District Court”
Sally Davis Pokorny of Lawrence has been picked by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as a district court judge in Douglas County, it was announced Friday.
Pokorny will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jack Murphy, who is leaving Jan. 12.
Pokorny currently is an attorney in the law offices of David J. Brown, LC.
March 14, 2008
Lawrence Journal World; “Contest offers awards”
Douglas County high school seniors can enter to win scholarships in the first essay contest sponsored by the county’s law library and bar association.
The topic for 2008 is: “The Importance of an Independent Judiciary.” First place will earn a $1,100 scholarship; second place, $850; third place, $500.
The panel of judges will be Gail B. Agrawal, dean of the Kansas University law school; Douglas Hamilton, clerk of Douglas County District Court; and attorneys Kenzie Singleton and David J. Brown.
February 12, 2008
Lawrence Journal World: “Encyclopedia of Privacy earns scholarly honor”
The Encyclopedia of Privacy – which was edited by a Kansas University professor and included a Lawrence attorney on its editorial advisory board – was included among the best scholarly publications of 2007 by Choice magazine.
The two-volume encyclopedia was edited by William Staples, a professor and chairman of KU’s sociology department. Serving on the encyclopedia’s three-member advisory board included David J. Brown, managing attorney for The Law Offices of David J. Brown LC, Lawrence.
Choice magazine’s January issue included the encyclopedia on a list of Outstanding Academic Titles, reflecting the best in scholarly titles reviewed by Choice. The list includes about 10 percent of the 7,000 titles reviewed by the magazine each year.
December 13, 2007
Lawrence Journal World: “Rush’s court date moved”
A case in Lawrence Municipal Court against a Kansas University basketball player has been continued to April 11 – after the season is over.
The player, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., was supposed to appear in court Wednesday morning on charges of failing to appear in court on two other occasions for traffic violations.
Instead, the athlete’s appearance in court Wednesday was entered by his attorney, David Brown, according to the city prosecutor’s office. His case was rescheduled before Judge Randy McGrath for 7 a.m., April 11, four days after the NCAA title game.
December 12, 2007
Lawrence Journal World “Rush court hearing is delayed”
A case in Lawrence Municipal Court againsta Kansas University basketball player has been continued to April 11 – after the basketball season is over.
The student, a junior, was supposed to appear in court this morning on charges of failing to appear in court on two other occasions for traffic violations.
Instead, the athlete’s appearance in court this morning was entered by his attorney David Brown, according to the city prosecutor’s office.
October 21, 2007
Lawrence Journal World: “Family law attorney writes for ‘Bencher’”
An article on life perspectives of a family law practitioner by attorney David J. Brown, Lawrence, will appear in the November/ December issue of The Bencher, the magazine of the American Inns of Court.
The article focuses on nonmaterial satisfaction that lawyers receive from their practices.
Brown is managing attorney for The Law Offices of David J. Brown LC, and is immediate past president of the Judge Hugh Means Inn of Court in Lawrence.
January 1, 2007
Lawrence Journal World: “Attorney consults on legal software”
David J. Brown, a Lawrence attorney, has been selected as a consultant by Attorneys’ Computer Network Inc. to assist in development of computer software for use by Kansas divorce lawyers.
The software, marketed as a Drafting Libraries product, is designed as a state-specific document-assembly program for divorce and family law attorneys. The company has been producing such systems for attorneys nationwide since 1983.
Brown, managing attorney for The Law Offices of David J. Brown, is testing beta versions of the latest program. He also has offered advice regarding content and language necessary for the Drafting Libraries forms to comply with Kansas statutes and practice.
Brown, who regularly writes and lectures on divorce and family law issues, has worked as a divorce and family law attorney since his office opened in 1992.
December 5, 2006
Lawrence Journal World: “Encyclopedia teams professor, attorney”
A Kansas University professor and a Lawrence attorney have collaborated on a new two-volume book that examines the issue of privacy in the United States through current and historical perspectives.
“The Encyclopedia of Privacy,” listed for $199.99 through Amazon.com, contains 226 entries ranging from brief technical explanations of computer technologies to lengthy essays exploring the philosophical, cultural and legal bases for understandings and beliefs regarding privacy.
William Steeples, a KU professor and chairman of the university’s Department of Philosophy, served as the encyclopedia’s editor. He has written a number of articles regarding privacy, and is author of “Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life.”
David J. Brown, managing attorney for The Law Offices of David J. Brown, Lawrence, served as legal consultant for the encyclopedia and as a member of the publication’s advisory board.
August 15, 2006
Lawrence Journal World: “Attorneys to present advice one estates”
Lawrence attorneys David Brown and Scott Stockwell are scheduled to make presentations during a seminar, “The Eight Greatest Estate Planning Techniques,” which will be Aug. 22 in Overland Park.
June 7, 2006
Lawrence Journal World “Kansas Bar leader joins Lawrence firm”
David Brown, founder and managing attorney of The Law Offices of David J. Brown LC, has announced the association of Sally Pokorny, president of the Kansas Bar Foundation, with his Lawrence firm at 1040 N.H.
February 5, 2006
Lawrence Journal World: “Lawrence attorney finds fiction writing suits him just fine”
Most of David Brown’s writings are filled with facts and legalese. He welcomes the chance to create fiction for a change.
“What I find is it’s a matter of time,” the Lawrence attorney says. “You have to block out everything else and just kind of let your mind wander. It’s fun – it’s really fun. But we have two kids, and I have a practice to run. The time to sit back and daydream is somewhat limited.”
Brown, 53, managed enough of that free time recently to write “It Didn’t Add Up,” a short story that will become his first published piece of fiction. It was selected for publication in the March/April issue of The Bencher, the magazine of the American Inns of Court, an organization that promotes professionalism and ethics in the field of law.
January 20, 2006
Lawrence Journal World: “New murder trial denied”
Newly analyzed gunshot evidence isn’t strong enough to justify a new trial for a man convicted in the 1992 murder of a local builder, a judge found this week.
District Court Judge Jack Murphy turned down the convicted man’s request for a new trial in the 1992 shooting death of a local builder. The convicted man claimed he had an unfair trial because his attorney didn’t investigate bullet wounds and fragments he said could have indicated that a different person shot the contractor.
But after a weeklong hearing last spring and a 500-page brief filed by attorney David J. Brown, Murphy found “there is nothing that would have changed the outcome of the trial.”
December 13, 2005
Lawrence Journal World: “KU: Mirecki left leadership post voluntarily”
Kansas University stands firm, maintaining that a religious studies professor voluntarily left his post as chairman of the department and disputing professor’s recent allegations he was fired.
The professor of a proposed class on intelligent design came under fire recently after his disparaging remarks about Catholics and religious fundamentalists were made public on an Internet discussion board. The professor on Dec. 5 reported being attacked on a roadside by two men who connected him to the controversy. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
KU announced Wednesday that the chairman had resigned from his department chairmanship, which he had held for more than three years.
In a fiery statement to the Journal-World on Friday, the professor said he had “no choice about signing the resignation” and he pointed out the resignation letter was typed on stationery from the office of the interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The professor’s attorney, David J. Brown, said the issue was a frequent matter of dispute in labor situations.
“If you’re forced to sign a resignation letter, have you voluntarily resigned or have you been fired?” Brown said. “If he’d typed his own resignation letter, it would probably have been on his stationery.”
December 10, 2005
Lawrence Journal World: “Professor blasts KU, sheriff’s investigation”
A Kansas University professor or religious studies said he’s hired an attorney and is ready to go to the mat with KU and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
“If I have to sue, I will,” he said.
The professor said he’s angry because KU didn’t back him after religious conservatives attacked him for his plan to teach a course dealing with intelligent design.
The professor became a political lightning rod after his new course was announced and his derisive comments on an Internet message board about conservative Christians and Catholics were later widely distributed.
The professor said he has hired Lawrence attorney David Brown to represent him.
August 21, 2005
Lawrence Journal World: “Faces and places”
An article by Lawrence attorney David Brown has been published in the July/August issue of The Bencher, the magazine of the American Inns of Court. The article stresses that lawyers benefit when they follow the common rules of civility, both in and out of court. The American Inns of Court is a national organization of lawyers, judges and educators. Lawrence resident Deanell Tacha, chief judge for the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver, is president of the organization.
Brown is managing attorney for the Law Offices of David J. Brown LC. He is immediate past president of the Judge Hugh Means Inn of Court in Lawrence. He also is former president of the Douglas County Bar Assn. Brown was a founder and president of the Douglas County Criminal Defense Bar Assn. He regularly practices in the areas of family law.
April 2, 2005
Lawrence Journal World: “Local briefs”
A hearing to decide whether a convicted murderer, 36, had an ineffective trial attorney ended Friday in Douglas County District Court after three days of testimony.
Instead of making closing arguments, attorneys will submit written arguments to Judge Jack Murphy.
David J. Brown, the attorney arguing for a new trial for the convicted man, will have 30 days to prepare his written argument after he receives a transcript of this week’s hearing. Jared Maag, the deputy attorney general handling the case for the state, will then have 20 days to respond. Brown will then have 10 days to respond to Maag’s response.
March 31, 2005
Lawrence Journal World: “New murder trial requested”
Two attorneys for a man convicted of murder in the early 1990s squared off in court Wednesday, as one argued the other ineptly handled the case at trial.
“I was satisfied that the evidence showed that [the Defendant] was the shooter,” the man’s original attorney said.
But the convicted man’s new attorney said the first defense counsel shouldn’t have been satisfied. David J. Brown is asking Douglas County District Judge Jack Murphy this week to give the convicted man a new trial, based on forensic evidence he says casts doubt on the credibility of the only eyewitness.
To win a new trial, Brown must convince Murphy that the original defense attorney was ineffective at trial and that it affected the outcome of the case.
December 21, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “Murder appeal conflict for attorney who aided Branson during election”
An outside prosecutor may be needed in the appeal of a decade-old murder conviction, because the defense attorney helped lead the election campaign of incoming Douglas County Dist. Atty. Charles Branson.
David Brown, lawyer for the convicted murderer said his involvement with Branson’s campaign created an appearance of conflict in the case. Last week he asked Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy to order prosecutors to turn the case over to outside attorneys.
Branson on Monday said such conflicts would be rare but inevitable as he made the transition from defense to prosecution work.
The convicted man has been in prison the past decade for the Nov. 22, 1992, shooting death of a local contractor. The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 1994.
But only recently did the convicted man’s family put together enough money to hire Brown, a private attorney, to argue that that the man had ineffective court-appointed attorneys during the trial and on appeal.
December 11, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “Blending traditions”
Anyone who enters the front door of the west Lawrence home of David Brown and Mary Klayder quickly observes that holiday celebrations are a little different here.
In the family’s music room just off the entry hall, careful hands have decorated a festive Christmas tree, strung with strands of twinkling, white lights and a glowing star on top. And behind it, on a wooden pedestal, someone has placed a big, modernistic weldedsteel menorah, its tall, tapered candles waiting to be lit.
To some, this tableau might be a jarring juxtaposition of clashing religious symbols — a Christmas tree for Christians, a menorah for Jews.
But to this family, a seamless (well, almost) blending of two holiday traditions makes perfect sense. Each December, Brown, Klayder and their teenage children celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.
December 10, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “Judge absolves plaintiffs of Watkins legal fees”
Former Kansas University students who sued the university over repairs at their scholarship halls will not be required to pay their opponents’ attorney fees in the case, a judge has ruled.
Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy ruled that Bank of America, which administers a trust fund for the halls left by Elizabeth Miller Watkins, will recoup only a portion of its attorney fees, and that the money must come from the trust fund and not from the former students.
“I’d call it a complete victory for my clients,” said David Brown, the Lawrence attorney representing the students.
The former students, then residents of Miller and Watkins scholarship halls, sued the university and Bank of America in 2001, saying money from the trust fund wasn’t being spent on upkeep of the halls.
November 28, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “Convicted murderer seeks new trial”
More than 12 years after the murder of a Lawrence builder, the man convicted of the shooting says newly analyzed evidence shows the only eyewitness to the killing lied to jurors.
Based on a trail of evidence that includes bullet fragments that were never analyzed and a mysteriously lost and found bullet slug that didn’t surface until a year after his trial, the convicted man, 36, is asking for a new trial.
The man has been in prison the past decade for the Nov. 22, 1992, shooting death of the contractor in his Lawrence home. The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 1994.
In a hearing set for Dec. 22, the attorney, David J. Brown of Lawrence, will ask Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy to give the convicted man a new trial.
June 29, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “KU wants students to pay $283K bill”
Kansas University officials want former students and their attorneys to pay for a fouryear court battle over management of a trust fund for Watkins and Miller scholarship halls.
According to documents filed in Douglas County District Court, KU is asking for $283,533 in fees charged by attorneys for Bank of America, which administers the trust, to be paid by the 26 former residents of the halls who sued the bank and KU.
David Brown, the attorney who represents the former scholarship hall residents, said he would fight to keep the plaintiffs from having to pay the fees themselves. He said KU’s request was especially inappropriate considering Murphy sided with his clients on a majority of legal issues.
“It’s ridiculous,” Brown said. “It lacks merit. There’s no basis for law on this.”
March 4, 2004
Lawrence Journal World: “Rejection of appeals ends scholarship hall trust case”
The final appeals by plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Kansas University and Bank of America over the operations of Watkins and Miller scholarship halls have been denied by a Douglas County District Court judge.
At issue was a trust fund established by Elizabeth Miller Watkins for maintenance of the halls, both on Lilac Lane on the KU campus. Bank of America oversees the trust. A lawsuit filed in March 2001 accused KU and the bank of not spending the interest from the trust for maintaining the buildings.
Attorney David Brown, who represented the students, said he would meet his clients to discuss what might be done next.
June 27, 2003
Lawrence Journal World: “Kansas sodomy law nullified”
Until Thursday, Kansas was one of four states with laws prohibiting homosexual sex.
No more.
The U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark ruling Thursday struck down a similar Texas law, also invalidating same-sex sodomy bans in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Though the majority opinion said the case did not “involve whether the government must give formal recognition to any relationship that homosexual persons seek to enter,” Scalia said the ruling invited laws allowing gay marriage.
David Brown, a Lawrence family court lawyer who frequently represents gays and lesbians, agreed with Scalia’s last point.
“You can bet that in the future, someone will be in court to say this case proves the courts should allow gay and lesbian marriage as well,” Brown said.
“It’s unclear what the ramifications will be,” Brown said. “The court ruled on privacy issues; commentators are already discussing what the effects will be in other areas, and family court law is one.”
September 10, 2002
Lawrence Journal World: “AG candidate stresses experience”
Ask candidate Chris Biggs what this year’s attorney general race boils down to, and he offers a simple answer: Do Kansans want a politician or a prosecutor?
Now in his fourth term as the Geary County attorney, Biggs has been prosecuting cases for more than 13 years.
“I’m running on my experience,” he told about 30 people at a Monday evening fundraiser at the Lawrence home of Mary Klayder and David Brown.
September 8, 2002
Lawrence Journal World: “Local Briefs”
Chris Biggs, Democratic candidate for Kansas attorney general, will be in Lawrence on Monday for a 7 p.m. rally and fund-raiser at the home of Mary Klayder and David Brown, 1212 Vantuyl. Refreshments will be provided.
May 12, 2002
Lawrence Journal World: “Judge decides that KU, Bank of America mishandled money in Watkins trust fund”
Residents of two Kansas University scholarship halls who are suing over the use of their trust fund have scored a victory in court.
Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy on Friday ruled that KU and Bank of America, which administers the trust left by Elizabeth Miller Watkins, have been mishandling money in the trust fund.
David Brown, the Lawrence attorney who is representing 26 current and former residents of Miller and Watkins women’s scholarship halls, called the ruling “a phenomenal victory for the students.”
“That is really the foundation of the entire case,” Brown said. “If he ruled what the university and Bank of America were doing was OK, the rest of my lawsuit would have crumbled. What he said was, ‘Students, you’re right, the fund was mismanaged.’
October 7, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Taking time to do advance directives now causes less stress on family later”
The 49-year-old Lawrence woman is a social worker at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where she works with patients on developing advance directives — instructions to doctors and family members on how to provide health care should a patient become too ill to speak.
The social worker has made out her own living will on what measures should be taken — and not taken — to keep her alive if she becomes catastrophically ill or injured.
“Those documents are the way you take control of those times in your life when you can’t take control otherwise,” said Lawrence attorney David Brown.
More people should do so, Brown said.
“I advise all of my clients to draft those documents and say exactly what they want,” he said. “It’s one way that people can take control. Otherwise, they leave those decisions to judges or other people who may or may not know what they really wish.”
September 23, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Business briefs”
Two new law school graduates have joined the Lawrence law practice of attorney David Brown, who also announced the promotions of two employees.
A former legal clerk in the office, has been promoted to full-time attorney after passing the Kansas Bar examination in July. She handles domestic, family and bankruptcy law. Hess began working for Brown in 1992. She graduated from KU’s School of Law.
Glenda Kelly, formerly an administrative assistant, has been promoted to office manager. Kelly has worked in the law office since October 1999. She previously worked as an administrative assistant for Douglas County District Court Judge Paula Martin. Kelly earned a degree in criminal justice from Washburn University.
August 24, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Area briefs”
A 60-year-old Lawrence man charged with molesting teen-age boys is negotiating a plea agreement with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
The suspect appeared Wednesday before District Judge Mike Malone. A preliminary hearing had been scheduled in cases alleging four counts of criminal sodomy and one count of indecent liberties with a child.
The suspect’s attorney, David Brown, said his client would waive his right to a preliminary hearing and asked for a week to work on a plea agreement.
July 16, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Courts brace for cutbacks ––— Reductions to include delays in business, tighter workdays, officials say”
A 90-minute closing every work day will be increased to 2 1/2 hours, said Douglas County District Court Administrative Judge Michael Malone.
And even when the office is open, don’t expect service to be quick. Three part-time clerk’s positions will be eliminated by October. One may be filled after a 28-day wait.
“I would think it’s safe to say there will be concerns by attorneys and the public,” said Kay Huff, Lawrence attorney and president of the Douglas County Bar Assn.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney who sits on the advisory board for the Douglas County Criminal Defense Assn., agreed.
“It presents problems for all of us,” Brown said. “If they reduce their hours further we just can’t get in there and get things done.”
June 30, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Watkins trust suit to move forward”
The lawsuit filed by residents of Kansas University’s Watkins and Miller halls will be allowed to move forward, a judge ruled Thursday.
Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy rejected a request by attorneys from Bank of America and KU to dismiss the suit filed in March.
The residents claim that the bank hasn’t used money left by Elizabeth Miller Watkins in 1939 to fix their aging buildings. Instead, they say, the bank has sent the money to KU, which has passed it on to the KU Endowment Association. The suit asks for “more than $75,000.”
“I’m very pleased with the judge’s decision” said David Brown, the attorney representing the residents. “I’m eager for this matter to go forward. Hopefully, we’ll begin getting answers to questions we’ve been asking all along.”
June 18, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “State goes after child support”
Two or three times a month, Marcie Martinez puts a legal notice in the Journal-World to let someone a father, usually know she hasn’t forgotten about past-due child support.
Martinez isn’t giving up. She’s a staff attorney with DynCorp, a Virginia-based company that last year was awarded the contract to help the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services’ office in Douglas County enforce court-ordered child support payments.
“I do everything I can to keep these cases alive,” Martinez said.
David Brown, a Lawrence divorce attorney, said he’s noticed an improvement in local child support enforcement efforts.
“There’s no question that it’s getting better,” he said.
But going after arrearages raises questions about the merits of “getting blood from a stone,” he said.
“I can tell you that in the vast majority of cases, those who have the money are paying their child support because it’s taken out of their paycheck. That’s the way the system works now,” he said.
“But when somebody doesn’t have the money say they’re making $7 an hour you have to wonder what good it does to hit them with a $20,000 arrearage that’s built up over 10 years. It’s unrealistic to think they’re ever going to be able to pay it.”
But Brown, who also represents custodial parents, said he’s all too familiar with the other side of the equation.
“The costs of living through the deprivation that comes with a parent raising a family (without child support) are extremely high. And the arguments for going after that money are certainly there,” he said. “There aren’t any easy answers.”
May 1, 2001
A motion to dismiss a lawsuit over the Elizabeth Watkins Trust Fund has been taken under advisement by a Douglas County District Court judge.
Arguments for dismissal were heard Monday morning by Judge Jack Murphy.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney for the Watkins residents, argued against the dismissal. He said he had no other comments at this time.
April 25, 2001
Lawrence Journal World: “Watkins Hall resident alleges retribution from lawsuit”
A Watkins Hall resident says she joined a lawsuit against Kansas University and Bank of America because of her dedication to the residents of Watkins Scholarship Hall.
Now, she says, her involvement in that lawsuit has cost her a job as the hall’s proctor.
Officials from KU’s department of student housing have announced that another student, who was not involved in the lawsuit, will be the hall’s proctor during the 2001-2002 school year. A three-member committee of Watkins residents had recommended the current proctor for the job despite her involvement in the lawsuit.
Thirty-seven hall residents signed a petition protesting the decision, which was presented to the housing department
Although housing officials haven’t confirmed it, the current proctor attributed the university’s decision to the lawsuit filed by her and 25 other residents of Watkins and Miller halls in March.
The suit alleges that KU and Bank of America, which administers the trust left by Elizabeth Miller Watkins, have mishandled millions of dollars intended for upkeep on the halls.
Bank of America attorneys initially discussed settling the lawsuit, but a new firm hired by the bank has stopped negotiations, said David Brown, the attorney representing the hall residents. A hearing on the suit is scheduled for Monday.
March 8, 2001
Lawrence Journal World “Lawsuit targets Watkins trust”
Residents of two Kansas University scholarship halls have filed a lawsuit claiming Bank of America has improperly administered the trust designed to maintain their buildings.
The lawsuit, which includes 26 residents of the Watkins and Miller halls, was filed Tuesday.
Residents say the bank hasn’t used money left by Elizabeth Miller Watkins in 1939 to fix their aging buildings. Instead, the bank has sent the money to KU, which has passed it on to the Kansas University Endowment Fund.
The students are asking the bank to repay “more than $75,000” to the trust fund, although documents indicate the bank has transferred several million dollars from the trust to KU since 1984. The suit also alleges KU improperly used the money when it was transferred to the Endowment Fund.
David Brown, the students’ attorney, said he and representatives from Bank of America and KU began settlement negotiations almost immediately after the suit was filed.
March 7, 2001
Lawrence Journal World “Lawsuit targets Watkins trust”
A 22-year-old Lawrence man is to appear before a jury in three months to face a misdemeanor charge of mangling a feline and throwing its body into a trash container at a Lawrence apartment complex.
The man appeared Tuesday in Douglas County District Court, where Judge Robert Fairchild scheduled a jury trial for June 13. The defendant was accompanied by his attorney, David Brown.
March 2, 2001
Lawrence Journal World “Law library planned for judicial center”
Attorneys have approved a plan to establish a law library at the Douglas County Judicial & Law Enforcement Center.
The library will give lawyers 24-hour access to books and electronic resources for their cases.
“Attorneys working at the courthouse have long complained about the lack of legal resources,” said David Brown, president of the Douglas County Bar Assn., who led the drive for creation of the library.
February 14, 2001
Lawrence Journal World “Suspect in cat killing pleads innocent”
A man charged with killing a cat at a Lawrence apartment complex entered an innocent plea Tuesday during his first appearance in Douglas County District Court.
The defendant, 23, is scheduled to be tried on a charge of misdemeanor cruelty to animals at 1:30 p.m. March 6 in Division One.
The defendant and his attorney, David Brown, appeared before Pro Tem Judge Peggy Kittel.
February 8, 2001
Lawrence Journal World “Habitat for Humanity offers training for volunteers”
The Kansas Supreme Court won’t review a Douglas County District Court case involving Watkins Hall trust funds.
More than a year ago, Kansas University students living at Watkins Scholarship Hall filed a court claim that the fund’s trustee, Bank of America, cannot prove the trust’s income is being spent for purposes it was originally intended.
The bank was ordered by District Judge Jack Murphy to provide more detailed documentation about the trust fund.
The bank sought review of Murphy’s order by the Kansas Court of Appeals and the Kansas Supreme Court, both of which refused.
The case now returns to Douglas Count District Court.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney representing the students, said he was pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision, handed down Wednesday.
December 5, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “Expansion of nondiscrimination policy endorsed”
Lawrence school board members Monday endorsed significant expansion of the district’s nondiscrimination policy.
The board’s intention is to add “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” “socio-economic status” and “physical characteristics” to a seven-item list of protected categories.
The policy adjustments were lauded by several members of the public. No one spoke against the amendments.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney and parent of two school-age children, convinced the board to clarify that students were prohibited from harassing employees.
November 16, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “Watkins trust ruling stands”
Watkins Hall residents have won another round in their legal quest to learn more about management of a trust fund set up to support the KU scholarship hall.
The Kansas Court of Appeals on Tuesday denied a request from Bank of America for review of a Douglas County judge’s ruling on questions raised by a group of Watkins Hall residents.
David Brown, attorney for the Watkins Hall residents said the excess income account is a “slush fund.”
September 21, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “Ex-businessman gets 11 years for molesting boy”
A former Lawrence businessman was ordered Wednesday to spend more than 11 years in prison for molesting a young boy.
The defendant, 60, pleaded guilty in August to a single charge of aggravated criminal sodomy for an alleged series of 1998 incidents he originally faced 10 counts with a 13-year-old boy.
Defense attorney David Brown said his client’s “honorable past” including Navy service and activism in Lawrence real estate and politics had been tarnished by the crimes.
“It’s really a dual tragedy,” Brown said. “One for the victim … but this is also a tragedy for (the defendant).
September 9, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “Court berates trust manager”
A Douglas County District Court judge sided with 13 Kansas University students Friday in questioning the operation of the Watkins and Miller Scholarship Hall trust.
Judge Jack Murphy said too little information is being provided by the trust fund’s manager, multistate giant Bank of America, for the court to monitor the operation of the $3 million trust intended to fund the two halls.
In his ruling, Murphy also asked some of the same questions as the students.
“The accountings also raise questions regarding the declining return on the trust assets,” Murphy wrote. “The market value has steadily increased while the income has decreased.”
David Brown, attorney for the Watkins Hall residents who challenged Bank of America’s report on the trust’s operation, was pleased with Murphy’s decision.
“I alleged their reports were deficient,” Brown said. “It’s a big victory for my clients. This means a lot to them. They’ve gotten a lot of pressure from the university for filing this in the first place.”
May 30, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “Attorney disputes KU’s Watkins trust claim”
The attorney for Watkins Hall residents has challenged Kansas University’s claim to be the sole beneficiary of a trust established to operate and maintain the women’s scholarship hall.
David Brown’s comments follow a KU motion filed last week to kill an attempt by 14 Watkins Hall residents to establish legal standing to question the administration of a $3 million trust.
“I think it’s ironic the university would do this,” Brown said. “In the view of my clients, the university is a big part of the problem. The university has refused to spend the money for Miller and Watkins halls. Instead the university has been building a slush fund.”
May 24, 2000
Lawrence Journal World “KU enters Watkins Hall fray”
Kansas University on Tuesday called for an end to the court battle over the Watkins Scholarship Hall trust.
The university asked Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy to rule it the sole beneficiary of the trust created by Elizabeth Miller Watkins to run and maintain the scholarship halls that bear her name.
If Murphy decides KU is the only beneficiary of the trust, it would eliminate a possible challenge to a bank’s administration of the trust raised by some of the hall’s residents.
The residents are asking Murphy to recognize them as beneficiaries of the trust established by Watkins’ will in 1939.
David Brown, attorney for the residents, did not reply to a phone message left at his office.
October 9, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Braiden Maidens are back in business”
The Braiden Maidens will go back to plaiting tresses at the Renaissance Festival after a judge decided in their favor Friday.
After weeks of using their nimble fingers on garlic, the Braiden Maidens will be back to plaiting hair this weekend at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival.
Friday, a Shawnee County district judge ruled in favor of part-time hair braiders Deb Jennings, Lawrence, and Wendy Moody, Bonner Springs, over the Kansas Board of Cosmetology.
District Judge Eric S. Rosen said that the board’s order for the women to stop braiding hair at the festival was invalid because the pair were not licensed cosmetologists, and the board has authority to give such orders only to license-holders.
The judge’s decision allows the two to weave elaborate hairdos for the last two weeks of the festival but didn’t address the 26-page petition the two filed on an issue at the heart of the matter — whether the cosmetology board has jurisdiction over hair braiding. Braiden Maidens hopes to have the Legislature clarify that issue.
Jennings and Moody’s lawyer, David Brown of Lawrence, said the matter could be taken up again later by the judge, but probably won’t be before the Legislature has a say. Braiden Maidens is already gearing up to make a case for regulation-free plaiting.
October 8, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Await cout decision”
Two women who were ordered to stop braiding hair at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival might find out by this evening if they can resume their craft this weekend.
A Shawnee County District Court judge said during a hearing Thursday that a decision on the matter could come by 5 p.m. today, said the women’s attorney, David Brown of Lawrence.
October 7, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Injunction filed in braiding case”
Two woman who were ordered to stop braiding hair are fighting the State Board of Cosmetology in court.
Two women who were ordered to stop braiding hair at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival have filed a restraining order against the Kansas State Board of Cosmetology.
The women, Deb Jennings and Wendy Moody, are hoping to be able to braid hair during the last two weekends of the festival.
“That’s what the fight is for now,” Jennings said.
A Shawnee County district judge will decide on the restraining order at 9 a.m. today in Topeka.
The State Board of Cosmetology in mid-September formally ordered the women to “cease and desist” from braiding hair at the festival, following a unanimous vote by the board.
Jennings, of Lawrence, and Moody, of Bonner Springs, have operated the “Braidin’ Maidens” booth at the festival for the last five years, without a problem until this year.
The board took action after receiving a complaint this year from a licensed cosmetologist, said Mary Lou Davis, executive director of the board.
She said the transfer of head lice and scalpworm and other problems could result without proper licensing and regulations.
Jennings and Moody say hair-braiding is not cosmetology.
Through their attorney, David Brown of Lawrence, the women are arguing that the State Board of Cosmetology does not have the legal authority to order them to stop braiding hair.
October 4, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “S parents”
The parents of a shooting victim are questioning a judge’s decision to dismiss the case against the alleged gunman after a prosecutor failed to attend a court appearance.
On March 21, when the defendant allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and pulled the trigger nine times, it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment attack, according to witnesses who say they heard him make threats against her earlier that day.
The shooting still chills the victim’s parents.
But now they’re worried about something else. Their daughter’s alleged shooter has been released of his $125,000 bond obligations, and prosecutors aren’t sure of his whereabouts.
“We’re just outraged by this and feel totally betrayed,” said the victim’s father.
By “this,” the father was referring to a recent decision by a Douglas County District Judge to dismiss attempted first-degree murder and kidnapping charges against the defendant after a representative of the district attorney’s office missed a 2 p.m. Sept. 21 pre-trial conference.
Douglas County District Attorney Christine Tonkovich said she was not aware of any similar dismissals in the county during her 10-year tenure in the district attorney’s office.
Local defense attorneys declined to comment about the case but said the judicial system relies on both sides meeting appointments.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney and president of the Douglas County Criminal Defense Attorney Assn., said he and other attorneys also face consequences if they or their clients don’t show up to hearings, and bench warrants are routinely ordered for defendants who miss court appearances.
October 2, 1999
Lawrence Journal World“Police call attack a bias crime”
Two men who allegedly said they “hate faggots” while beating up another man downtown face battery charges in what police are calling a bias crime because of the discriminatory statements made during the attack.
The incident occurred at 1:06 a.m. Thursday in the 800 block of Massachusetts, according to a police report released Friday.
Kansas doesn’t have any statutes specifically designating hate crimes, but sentencing guidelines allow a judge to consider a stricter sentence if the offense was “motivated entirely or in part by the race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation” of the victim, said David Brown, a Lawrence attorney and president of the Douglas County Criminal Defense Attorney Assn.
September 7, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Defense attorneys form peer association”
A newly incorporated group provides mentoring for criminal defense attorneys practicing in Douglas County.
The newly incorporated Douglas County Criminal Defense Bar Assn. is like a big support group, its president says.
The group’s monthly meetings over lunch at the Free State Brewery allow criminal defense attorneys to exchange ideas, president David J. Brown said.
About 30 attorneys belong to the group, which has been meeting informally for the past year and a half.
“We discuss legal developments, pending legislation and recent cases that have occurred in Douglas County,” Brown said. “We share stories about what’s happened to each of us, the problems we’ve had. We talk about how problems were resolved and talk about alternative ways to deal with things.”
Attorneys who’ve been in practice for a while also mentor the younger lawyers in the group, he said.
July 28, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Police, drivers trade tickets, tempers”
A wrong turn became costly for dozens of Lawrence drivers Tuesday.
At $57.50, it was the most expensive trip to the post office on driver said he has ever taken, and he’s not alone. Police officers wrote 57 tickets Tuesday to drivers who ignored or didn’t see a barricade at 10th and Kentucky streets.
Lawrence attorney David J. Brown avoided a ticket because he had an appointment on the block, but he said the officers lacked compassion for drivers who were confused by the ever-changing street closings in the area.
“I think the situation was poorly handled,” Brown said. “It’s possible that by then, they’d had all sorts of abuse, but let’s just say they were not polite in any way, shape or form. … I was immediately accused of breaking the law; I had no intention of breaking any law, and I didn’t, but they approached it that way.”
April 28, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Underberg will get out of jail early”
A Douglas County District Court judge reconsidered sentencing for a Baldwin man Tuesday, sparing him a year in jail for three counts of endangering a child.
The defendant will serve two years of probation, Judge Robert Fairchild ruled, modifying the punishment he handed down in March for the 56-year-old man.
The man’s attorney, David Brown, filed a motion to modify the punishment, saying “prejudicial and improper” comments made by the father of one of the victims tainted the sentencing.
His motion also argued that the punishment didn’t follow terms of the plea agreementthe defendant signed with prosecutors.
April 16, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Blotter”
Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild rescheduled a sentencing modification hearing for a 56-year-old defendant, for April 27. The man initially faced five charges of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of rape from incidents involving 9-, 12- and 13-year-old girls from November 1994 to September 1997. He later reached a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office, pleading to three counts of child endangerment. Fairchild sentenced the man to one year for each count and ordered him to actually serve one year of his sentence. The man’s attorney, David Brown, filed a motion to modify the sentence, saying the father of one of the girls made “prejudicial and improper” comments at sentencing and tainted his punishment. Brown also said the man had complied with conditions of the agreement he worked out with prosecutors. Judges are not bound by plea agreements.
March 24, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Fired official avoids jail time”
The Baldwin city clerk fired for embezzling town funds won’t have to spend 30 days in jail but must follow through with a plan to repay about $21,000, a judge has ruled.
Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone on Monday canceled a court hearing for the former city office later this week and indefinitely stayed her jail term.
Malone was scheduled to decide Friday if the woman should have to report to jail. The woman’s attorney, David Brown, filed a motion on March 15 asking the judge to suspend the jail sentence, arguing that his client had worked out a tentative restitution plan.
March 13, 1999
Lawrence Journal World
The defendant already has served a year in the Douglas County Jail.
On Tuesday, Judge Robert Fairchild ordered him to spend another year under lock and key. He sentenced the man to three one-year sentences but said the third year only would be served if the 56-year-old Baldwin man violated two years of probation.
Under the plea agreement the man’s attorney worked out with district attorneys, his defense lawyer David Brown argues, “(the defendant) understood the district attorney’s office and his attorney would ask the court to impose two concurrent one-year sentences and to impose one one-year sentence consecutive to the first two sentences. Further, he understood he would receive credit for time served and be placed on probation for the balance of the sentence imposed.”
January 7, 1999
Lawrence Journal World “Ex-city clerk in Baldwin gets probation”
A former Baldwin City clerk, convicted in an embezzlement case, could spend 30 days in jail if she decides not to help officials sort out financial records.
Plagued by personal financial trouble, the former clerk turned to city accounts to “borrow” money, her attorney told a judge before the woman was sentenced Wednesday.
The defendant, 41, was placed on two years probation and still faces a possible 30-day jail term.
She didn’t make any statements during the hearing that shed light on why she embezzled an estimated $20,000 from the city. However her attorney, David Brown, said the woman was trying to financially help her two sons. At the same time, Brown said, she was dealing with a “morass” in Baldwin’s accounting and record-keeping system. “She worked phenomenally hard and long hours” to bring the city’s records into control, he said.
November 26, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Ex-Baldwin clerk pleads guilty to fraud”
Douglas County Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney Tonkovich said she would recommend probation for a former Baldwin City clerk.
Baldwin’s former city clerk “basically got away” with probation when she pleaded guilty in an embezzlement case Wednesday, the city’s mayor said.
However, her attorney, David Brown, said, “The district attorney decided what was appropriate and that’s their decision.”
October 22, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “S hearing postponed”
A judge postponed a preliminary hearing Wednesday for a former Baldwin city clerk accused of misusing city funds.
The woman, 40, faces two felony counts of misuse of public funds and three felony counts of making a false writing.
Douglas County Asst. Dist. Atty. Marlon Williams said Wednesday’s hearing was rescheduled for Nov. 4 because the defendant’s attorney, David Brown, was ill.
October 6, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Suspect in rape case wants jury consultant”
A judge delayed a decision on whether to allow a suspect in a sexual assault case to hire a jury consultant for his Feb. 1 trial.
The attorney for a man accused of sexually abusing children is asking a judge permission to hire a jury consultant, against the protests of the district attorney’s prosecutor.
Court-appointed attorney David Brown appeared before Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild on Monday to request funds to hire a consultant who will help choose jurors in the case against the defendant.
August 28, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Attorney seeking funds for expert in sleep disorders”
A state board will decide if state money can be spent on a sleep disorder expert, who will then examine a rural Baldwin man who is charged with molesting three girls.
A rural Baldwin man accused of molesting three girls might receive state money to pay for a sleep disorder expert who will explore whether he was actually in a sleeping state during some of the alleged acts.
District Judge Robert Fairchild didn’t deny the $2,000 expense requested by Lawrence attorney David Brown. Brown filed a motion requesting the expert’s examination on behalf of his client. During a Thursday morning hearing on the motion, however, Fairchild said the final decision on whether the funds can be spent will lie with the Board of Indigent’s Defense Service.
August 18, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Sex trial delayed”
A man who frequently testifies on behalf of men accused of sexual abuse believes it’s possible a rural Baldwin man may have been sleepwalking during the alleged abuse.
The attorney for a rural Baldwin man charged with molesting three girls says his client exhibited signs of sleepwalking during some of the alleged acts and is requesting permission to spend $2,000 to have him examined by a sleep disorder expert. Lawrence attorney David Brown wants District Judge Robert Fairchild to approve the expense based on the findings of Edward Nichols, a New York consultant who has written a book on false allegations of sexual abuse and testifies for defendants in child sexual abuse cases. Nichols, owner of Nichols Consulting, Astoria, N.Y., says in court documents that the defendant exhibited symptoms of sleepwalking during some of the alleged incidents.
July 8, 1998
Lawrence Journal World“Second hostage-taker gets 19 years”
Tuesday morning’s sentencing brought a close to an ordeal that began Jan. 22 when twom men violently entered the home of a Lawrence couple.
The last kidnapper to be sentenced will spend the next 19 years in prison for his role in a two-day hostage standoff south of Lawrence in January.
District Judge Robert Fairchild on Tuesday morning sentenced the man, 36, to 226 months in prison. Prosecutors agreed to the sentence and dropped attempted escape charges in return for his guilty plea. The other kidnapper, 33, was sentenced to 292 months in prison.
There were extenuating circumstances for Cox’s lighter sentence, prosecutors said.
David Brown, Cox’s attorney, filed a motion this spring asking for a hearing on his client’s mental health. The results of the competency tests, conducted by the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, showed that the defendant was competent during the hostage standoff.
Brown again brought up the issue during the sentencing hearing. Tonkovich, however, disputed any belief that the man wasn’t mentally competent when he was inside the victim’s house.
June 3, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Kidnapper admits guilt, accepts plea”
Both suspects in a January hostage standoff south of Lawrence have pleaded guilty to all charges relating to that incident, in return for immunity from charges concerning an attempted jailbreak.
A husband and wife held hostage in January at their rural Lawrence farmhouse won’t have to relive the ordeal on the witness stand, after all. The second and final assailant in the kidnapping pleaded guilty to all charges Tuesday.
As a result of their pleas, the men won’t have to face additional charges for trying to break out of the Douglas County Jail while awaiting their trials.
The victims won’t have to testify against their captors, thanks to the plea agreement reached between attorney David Brown and local prosecutors.
May 22, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Suspect in standoff loses rulings”
A judge has ruled that a suspect in a hostage standoff is competent to stand trial, and that his statements to police following his arrest can be used as evidence.
The alleged kidnapper, anxious and nervous because of the methamphetamine coursing through his veins, was certain police were going to kill him after his Jan. 22 surrender at a rural Lawrence farmhouse.
“I thought they was going to kill me,” said the man, 36, who testified that he had injected half a gram of methamphetamine just minutes before his surrender.
The testimony came during a hearing to determine the outcome of four motions filed by the man’s attorney, David Brown. Brown had requested that the defendant undergo a competency evaluation to determine if he was able to know right from wrong during the hostage ordeal, that his statements to police following his arrest be suppressed, that prosecutors make their charges clearer and that Brown could pay for an expert witness in the case.
May 9, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Hostage-teaker pleads guilty”
One defendant pleaded guilty to eight charges in connection with a January hostage crisis, and his partner’s trial is pending while he undergoes a mental evaluation.
A ex-con who held a rural Lawrence couple hostage for two days in January will return to prison after pleading guilty to eight charges Friday morning.
Also on Friday, the attorney for the man’s alleged accomplice got a postponement of a trial scheduled for Monday by questioning his client’s competency. The second defendant, 36, rejected a plea agreement and behaved in an “irrational” manner, said his court-appointed attorney, David Brown.
“I have serious doubts about my client’s competency at this time,” said Brown, who declined outside court to elaborate.
May 6, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Duo face kidnapping, plus escape charges”
Two men charged with taking a rural Lawrence couple hostage in January and later trying to break out of the Douglas County Jail won’t face attempted escape charges until the kidnapping trial is over.
The men appeared in court Tuesday afternoon for a preliminary hearing for attempted aggravated escape and criminal damage to property charges. Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild rescheduled the hearing for after their trial on numerous charges for the kidnapping of a local couple. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday and prosecutors expect it to last all week.
David Brown, one of the defendants’ attorney, has filed motions asking for funds to bring an expert witness to next week’s trial and to suppress evidence. Brown declined to answer questions about the motions, which were not available Tuesday.
March 4, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Judge orders trial for suspect in molestations”
A Baldwin man will face six counts in what may be three separate trials, depending on the outcome of an upcoming hearing.
The man, 55, was bound over for trial on four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of rape Tuesday after often-emotional testimony from the three girls he is accused of molesting at his home.
Brown asked for three separate trials, one for each of the alleged victims. Brown called the charge for the incident involving the last girl “ludicrous” because there was no sexual touching involved and because his client wasn’t specifically identified.
February 25, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Trial set for duo in kidnappings”
Two men will face kidnapping and aggravated burglary charges in May for a January hostage standoff south of Lawrence.
Two former convicts who are accused of holding a rural Douglas County couple hostage in January pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday afternoon.
The men, who have extensive criminal records for robberies and burglaries and were paroled in December, are being represented by David Brown of Lawrence and Tom Bath of Overland Park.
February 18, 1998
Lawrence Journal World “Hearing postponed for suspect in rapes”
A hearing for a rural Baldwin man accused of raping and molesting three girls has been postponed for two weeks.
Testimony against the man, 55, will be presented by prosecutors on March 3. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, but Assistant Dist. Atty. John Wilcox and the defendnat’s attorney, David Brown, both requested a continuance.
December 5, 1997
Lawrence Journal World “Hearing postponed due to attorney change”
Conflict of interest complaints brought about a change in attorneys and postponement of a preliminary hearing.
David Brown won’t be the court-appointed attorney representing the defendant n an attempted murder case, after all.
Brown on Thursday withdrew from the case because in the past he represented the man whom the defendant is accused of attempting to shoot on Nov. 24.
November 14, 1997
Lawrence Journal World “Attorneys, divorced fathers, air court concerns”
Lecompton — Douglas County has the third highest caseload per judge in the state, administrative judge Michael Malone said.
The Kansas court system has problems ranging from understaffed and underpaid clerk offices to unfair treatment of fathers seeking custody of their children, speakers told a governor’s panel.
“The simple fact is the case load had mushroomed, but the staff hasn’t increased at all,”said Lawrence attorney David Brown.
October 31, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “S fiance in court”
As a woman’s family lays her to rest today near Pontoon Beach, Ill., her fiance will appear in Douglas County court to face charges that he battered the woman and resisted arrest.
The misdemeanor charges stem from an incident a week before the woman disappeared Sept. 17 from the outskirts of Eudora. Her body was discovered Oct. 24, near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers.
At 1:30 p.m. today, the defendant will be in court on battery and resisting arrest charges. A trial date might be set, but the man’s appointed attorney, David Brown, said that is doubtful.
“I think a continuance is likely under the circumstances,” Brown said. “But any decision about a continuance is a judge’s to make.”
September 28, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “City agenda”
In regular city business, the Lawrence City Commission approved reappointments of Lisa Blair, David Brown, J.R. Denby and Lois Schneider to the Human Relations Commission, and Allen Belot and Marcia Epstein to the Board of Zoning Appeals/Sign Code Board of Appeals.
August 23, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “Shooting suspect pleads to lesser charge”
Four days before his trial was set to begin, a Topeka man pleaded guilty of trying to shoot and kill a Lawrence resident.
The man who pulled the trigger in a Lawrence gang-related shooting pleaded guilty Thursday to attempted second degree murder in a plea agreement.
The mant, 20, Topeka, admitted that on May 28 he aimed a .22-caliber handgun at a Lawrence resident and fired several shots in his direction, attempting to kill him.
Defense attorney, David Brown, said his only comment was that his client has explained it all in court as he entered his plea.
August 8, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “Results announced for precint races”
The following are vote totals in precinct committee races contested Tuesday in Douglas County. Winners become members of the central committees of their respective parties. The following shows the unofficial vote totals in each contested race:
Democrats
13-2, committeeman, David J. Brown; committeewoman, no candidate.
June 13, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “Suspects bound over for drive-by shooting”
At least two bullets struck a vehicle with six people inside during a drive-by shooting last month.
Three men charged in a May 28 drive-by shooting were bound over for trial after apreliminary hearing Wednesday.
Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone found probable cause to bind over for trial all three defendants.
David Brown, one of the men’s attorney, argued that there was not sufficient evidence to bind the men over for trial.
May 25, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “S plug”
A lawsuit against a couple who allegedly refused to modify an outdoor security light that a neighbor objected to now may be dropped.
Five days after a lawsuit was filed, a 14-month dispute over an outdoor security light ended when the light was taken down Friday.
The 20,000-lumen mercury-vapor security light was taken down Friday by KPL at the request of the property owner.
A rural Eudora neighbor on Monday filed a lawsuit against the property owner and his wife, alleging that the light was too bright and compromised her privacy and quality of life.
The woman’s attorney, David Brown, said the property owner has “shown remarkably good faith.”
“I think that he did not realize how seriously upset my client was about the light,” he said.
May 23, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “Light lawsuit”
A dispute between neighbors over an outdoor security light has resulted in a lawsuit.
A Eudora dispute has illuminated a dispute with views as different as night and day.
On one side is a Edora woman. All she wants is a little peace, quiet and darkness.
On the other are is her neighbor and his wife. All they want is a little security and illumination.
The neighbors’ argument began when the the couple requested and installed an outdoor security light 14 months ago on their property on North 1500 Road.
This week a lawsuit was filed against the couple for damages in excess of $50,000.
“This light can be fixed with a $45 light shield that my client is willing to pay for,” said the woman’s attorney, David Brown of Lawrence. “They won’t allow any changes. We understand he has a desire to illuminate his yard but … she doesn’t want her house lit up.”
January 6, 1996
Lawrence Journal World “Drunken driving costs and costs and costs”
Holiday spirits can drain a driver’s bank account.
Drivers who partied a little too hearty over the holidays soon may be getting a lesson in the high cost of drunken driving.
David Brown, a Lawrence attorney, said attorney’s fees for an OUI range between $400 and $2,000. The fee depends on the complexity of the case and whether it goes to trial.
Brown said most drivers don’t know how much those extra drinks can cost them.
“They have no idea how expensive it is or how involved with the legal system they are going to become as a result of it,” he said.
July 2, 1993
Lawrence Journal World “Unmarried couples must create own legal security”
Whether it’s by choice or because marriage is not an option, more and more couples are living together in long-term relationships without the formality of nuptials.
And although it appears this trend will not reverse any time in the near future, one local attorney says nonmarried couples should realize the law does not provide the same amount of security and protection for them as it does for people who are married.
“I think if you get the latest census reports for this area, you will see it’s true that more nonmarried people are living together,” attorney David J. Brown said. “Marriage is on the decline — fewer and fewer people are living as married couples. The question is, what rights do those couples have and how does the law protect married couples?”
ON ISSUES RANGING from insurance, workers compensation and insurance benefits to inheritance, medical care and dividing property after a break-up, the laws are designed for those who are married and virtually ignores nonmarried couples, Brown said.
“It’s phenomenal how the law protects married couples,” he said. “… The best an unmarried couple can do is to recognize that and try to protect themselves.”
March 31, 1993
The Douglas County AIDS Project ended its annual meeting Tuesday night with a reaffirmation of its two-fold mission: client support and community education.
Currently the project is seeing 14 clients who have tested positive for HIV, said Rose Rousseau, executive director of the project.
Brett Brenner, a Kansas University law student, was elected to DCAP’s 12-member board of directors. Dr. Charles Loveland, a local pediatrician; Mike Slotsky, an employee at Sallie Mae; and David Brown, a local attorney, were re-elected to the board. All will serve three-year terms.
February 28, 1991
Lawrence Journal World “Differing groups see eye-to-eye on peace”
Even though they voiced differing views on U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf war, local residents aligned with various organizations shared a sense of relief following President Bush’s announcement Wednesday of a cease-fire.
DAVID BROWN, another member of the Lawrence Coalition of Peace and Justice, said he was pleased with the cease-fire and was “glad that the killing had stopped.”
January 17, 1991
Lawrence Journal World “Differing groups see eye-to-eye on peace”
The U.S. military offensive against Iraq prompted an outpouring of protest at Kansas University and around Lawrence today.
About 150 students, staff members and other interested people marched from Kansas University to the Douglas County Courthouse where they joined a similar-sized gathering of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice to demonstrate against the U.S. action and renew calls for a peaceful solution in the war in the Persian Gulf.
David Brown, another member of the coalition, said he was angry with President Bush.
“One of the first victims of war is truth, and he gave us a mantra of lies,” he said about Wednesday’s presidential address. “The war was not necessary. The conflict could have been resolved peacefully if only the United States had been patient.” Brown termed the military offensive as “one we’ll come to regret.”
January 14, 1991
Lawrence Journal World “Crowd at peace vigil swells to 650”
An estimated 650 people gathered at the Douglas County Courthouse Sunday as a statement against both U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf and Saturday’s congressional approval of military action in that region.
David Brown, a member of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice and a coordinator of the vigil, said the crowd was triple what it had been in recent weeks. He said a lot of people attended to say how angry they were at Rep. Jim Slattery, D-Kan., and Republican Sens. Nancy Kassebaum and Bob Dole, for voting to empower President Bush to wage war in the Persian Gulf.
January 18, 1991
Lawrence Journal World “At part rally, protesters call for end to war”
The expression of frustration about the war in the Persian Gulf was the common theme Thursday as about 500 people gathered at South Park to protest the war.
DAVID BROWN, another coalition member, said that people should let their congressional representatives know that they do not support the war.
“People are incredibly angry,” he said. “They want the war to end now.”
December 10, 1990
Lawrence Journal World “Turnout grows at weekly peace vigil”
A large turnout Sunday at a weekly Lawrence peace vigil indicates that local residents are increasingly concerned about the possibility of war in the Persian Gulf, organizers of the vigil said today.
The vigil, sponsored by the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, takes place at noon Sundays in front of the Douglas County Courthouse, 11th and Massachusetts.
DAVID BROWN, another member of the coalition, said many of the vigil participants he talked with were upset with President Bush’s response to the hostage release, which already is under way.
“President Bush’s comments seem to indicate that the hostages being freed clears the way for American troops to move in,” Brown said. “The release of the hostages should be seen as a positive gesture by Saddam Hussein. But President Bush, for whatever reason, seems intent on armed conflict.”