Interco Trading Inc., doing business as Interco Trading Company, filed a lawsuit Aug. 3 in Madison County Circuit Court against Kramer Knotts of Taylorville, Ky., alleging the former employee violated a non-compete agreement and employment contract.

According to the complaint, as a direct and proximate result of Knotts' fraudulent misrepresentations, Interco Trading has suffered monetary losses. The plaintiff alleges Knotts falsified purchase orders, completed the transaction with his own funds, sold the metals and retained all profits.

Interco Trading seeks trial by jury, judgment of more than $50,000, plus court costs. It is represented by attorney Marleen M. Suarez of Suarez Law Office PC in Collinsville.

Madison County Circuit Court case number 16-L-1086

BELLEVILLE — An Alabama woman is suing more than two dozen companies, alleging their negligence led to her husband suffering fatal exposure to asbestos fibers.

Carol Wilson of Saraland, Ala., as special administrator of the estate of Woodrow Wilson, filed a lawsuit Aug. 11 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against multiple companies alleging failure to to exercise due care and caution for the safety of other persons.

According to the complaint, over the course of Woodrow Wilson's employment, he was exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers and/or asbestos fibers emanating from certain products he was working with that were manufactured, sold, distributed and installed by defendants. 

On Jan. 22, the suit says, he first became aware that he had developed lung cancer, which caused his death Feb. 13. 

Carol Wilson alleges the defendants negligently included asbestos fibers in their product, failed to provide adequate warnings of the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibers and failed to provide adequate instructions concerning the safe methods of working with and around products containing asbestos fibers.

Wilson seeks trial by jury and judgment against each defendant for more than $50,000. She is represented by attorneys Ethan A. Flair, Carlos C. Menges and Laci M. Whitley of Flint Law Firm LLC in Glen Carbon.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-424

EDWARDSVILLE — An Illinois debt recovery company is suing a Madison County couple, alleging they owe more than $250,000.

RCS Recovery Services LLC filed a lawsuit Aug. 8 in Madison County Circuit Court against Dale Huff and Linda Huff, alleging failure to comply with their promissory note.

According to the complaint, on July 13, 2007, the Huffs received, made and delivered a note to Wells Fargo Bank in the principal amount of $199,000, which was assigned to plaintiff, which became the bona fide owner and holder of note. 

Despite repeated demands for payments, the suit says, the balance remains unpaid. The plaintiff alleges the Huffs have failed and refused to pay the balance due, or any amounts.

RCS Recovery Services seeks a trial by jury, judgment of $250,243.87, plus interest of 3.25 percent through date of judgment, plus attorney fees of $450 or greater and court costs. 

It is represented by attorney Casey B. Hicks of Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., LPA in Chicago.

Madison County Circuit Court case number 16-L1126

EDWARDSVILLE — A Madison County woman is suing a Hardin restaurant owner, alleging negligence in failing to fix a leak that caused her to fall in a restroom. 

Rose Porter filed a lawsuit Aug. 8 in Madison County Circuit Court against Barefoot LLC, alleging the restaurant owner deliberately failed to properly maintain the toilet in a restroom.

According to the complaint, on Jan. 17, Porter was a customer at the defendant's restaurant in Hardin. Shortly after arrival, the suit says, Porter entered the restroom facility where she slipped on a puddled water from a toilet leak, 

Due to the fall, the lawsuit states, Porter fractured her hip and sustained medical expenses. The plaintiff alleges the defendant failed to recognize that water was leaking from the toilet, failed to inspect the restroom and failed to remove the puddle of water from the restroom floor.

Porter seeks a trial by jury, judgment of at least $50,000, plus cost of suit. She is represented by attorneys Lanny Darr of Darr Law Offices LTD in Alton, and Michael Sudekum of Mandel and Mandel in St Louis.

Madison County Circuit Court case number 16L1121

BELLEVILLE — A St. Clair County motorist is suing another driver, alleging the defendant's negligence caused a crash that injured the plaintiff. 

Karn E. Morris filed a lawsuit July 28 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Skylar D. Minich, alleging negligence in failing to exercise ordinary care in operating her vehicle.

According to the complaint, on Aug. 18, 2014, Morris was driving in O'Fallon when Minich's vehicle ran into the rear of the plaintiff's vehicle. The suit says the crash caused internal and external injuries to Morris.

The lawsuit says Morris suffered great pain, mental anguish, loss of earnings and incurred medical expenses. The plaintiff alleges Minich drove her vehicle while distracted, failed to observe vehicles on the road and failed to apply breaks in a timely manner.

Morris seeks a trial by jury, judgment of more than $50,000, court costs and whatever other remedy the court deems appropriate. She is represented by attorney Gregory M. Tobin of Pratt & Tobin PC in East Alton.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-397

BELLEVILLE — A St. Clair County man is suing a motorist, alleging his negligence caused a crash that injured the plaintiff and damaged his bicycle.

Harvey J. Lewallen IV filed a complaint July 28 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Jerry R. Vinson, alleging assault and battery in failing to keep his vehicle under proper control.

According to the complaint, on Aug. 5, 2014, Lewallen was riding his bicycle south on North Lincoln in Fairview Heights. The suit says Vinson, traveling in the same direction, attempted to pass Lewallen's path of travel, forcing the plaintiff and his bike up onto and over a curb and off the road surface. 

As a result, the lawsuit states, the bicycle was severely damaged and non-functional. while Lewallen sustained injuries to his neck, head and right hand. 

The plaintiff alleges Vinson shouted at the cyclist's group to "get off the road," aggressively swerved his vehicle directly into plaintiff's path in an effort to create fear and struck plaintiff with his vehicle.

Lewallen seeks trial by jury, judgment of more than $50,000, plus costs of suit. He is represented by attorney David C. Nelson of Nelson & Nelson, Attorneys at Law PC in Belleville.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-398

EAST ST. LOUIS — A Madison County man is suing Monsanto, alleging they manufactured and sold harmful products.

Charles Bridgeman filed a lawsuit July 18 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Monsanto Company and John Does 1-50, alleging fraud, negligence, and product liability.

According to the complaint, beginning in 1990, Bridgeman regularly used the defendants' product, Roundup, to control weeds. The suit says in 2011 Bridgeman was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a direct result from his exposure to the weed product.

The lawsuit states he suffered serious and dangerous side effects, as well as other severe and permanent injuries, physical pain and mental anguish, incurred medical expenses and diminished enjoyment of life. The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to use ordinary care in designing and manufacturing Roundup, failed to accompany their product with proper warnings and failed to conduct adequate testing and post-marketing surveillance to determine the safety of product.

Bridgeman seeks trial by jury, compensatory and punitive damages, interest, court costs, attorney fees and all relief the court deems just and proper. He is represented by attorneys Edward A. Wallace and by Corey G. Lorenz of Wexler Wallace LLP in Chicago, and by Yvonne Flaherty of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP in Minneapolis.

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:16-cv-00812

BELLEVILLE — An estate administrator is suing a St. Clair County sports bar owner, alleging it overserved a drunk customer, leading to a fatal motorcycle crash.

Angel Whaley, special administrator for the estate of Brittany Belle Johnson, filed a lawsuit July 11 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Robert L. "Bobbie" Menard, doing business Schatzes Sports Bar in Belleville, alleging violation of the Dram Shop Act.

According to the complaint, on July 9, 2015, Johnson was a passenger on the motorcycle of Lincoln R. Shaw. The suit says Shaw's cycle slammed into the vehicle of Theresa Freeman, killing Shaw and Johnson.

The lawsuit states Shaw was highly intoxicated when he operated his motorcycle, which resulted in Johnson's fatal injuries. Whaley alleges Schatzes Sports Bar violated the Dram Shop Act when it served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated Shaw.

Whaley seeks trial by jury, judgment of more than $50,000 and costs of action. She is represented by attorney Jeffrey S. Hammel of Belleville..

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-357

Hoping to benefit from Illinois’ economic hardships, public universities in states bordering Illinois have aggressively sought to recruit Illinois students in recent years.

The result: An increasing flow of young Illinoisans crossing state lines in pursuit of affordable higher education. If the trend continues, this fall won’t be any different.

What tends to draw prospective Illinoisan collegians to other states are out-of-state tuition rates at some public schools below what Illinois students would pay in-state at many of their home state’s institutions.

National data shows that in 2004, approximately 15 percent of Illinois high school graduates attended college outside of their home state. By 2014 that had risen to 22 percent — 10,000 more students than a decade earlier — making Illinois’ migration percentage the highest among Midwestern states, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Last fall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison attracted 2,636 undergraduate students from Illinois.

The University of Wisconsin’s Whitewater campus, which is only 25 miles from the Illinois border, is charging out-of-state students $16,222 for tuition for the 2016-17 school year.

By comparison, in-state students attending the University of Illinois will pay between $15,630 and $20,634 in tuition for the upcoming school year, depending on when they enrolled. In-state students at Illinois State in Bloomington-Normal will pay $14,062 for tuition for the 2016-17 school year.

The national average for tuition fees at public four-year colleges is $9,410 for in-state students and $23,893 for non-residents, the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges 2015-16 reported.

“We have certainly seen an increase in the number of Illinois students attending UW-Whitewater,” Jeremy Smith, non-resident admissions coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, said. “Currently, we have over 1,500 Illinois students attending UW-Whitewater, and this year, we plan to enroll about 360 new freshmen from Illinois for the Fall 2016 semester.”

Smith said he believes there are a number of driving factors as to why more Illinois students are attending UW-Whitewater.

“Our non-resident tuition costs are very competitive and oftentimes favorable in comparison to in-state tuition rates in Illinois,” Smith said.

UW-Whitewater has hired an additional staff member devoted to non-resident recruitment from Illinois.

“The budget crisis in Illinois has lasted more than a year, and funding cuts have caused some Illinois colleges to make significant changes,” Smith said. “The growing concern regarding the state budget may be causing more students to explore their options outside of the state.”

State Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said the out-migration of Illinois students is a bigger problem than many realize.

“This is what’s (threatening) the state’s future," Batinick said. "This is one of the biggest ticking time bombs that we have. (It’s) bigger than the pension crisis."

The loss of young Illinoisans to other states is one of the issues Batinick has taken on since joining the General Assembly in 2015.

“They are poaching our smart kids because if you have a certain ACT score or GPA, they’ll give you in-state tuition at a lot of schools,” Batinick said.

Several years ago, UW-Whitewater established a Non-Resident New Freshmen Scholarship program for non-resident students who have a minimum of a 3.25 un-weighted GPA on a four-point scale, and a composite score of 23 on the ACT. The scholarships range from $2,000 to $4,000, depending on the students’ academic merit.

The core issue here at home is why tuition rates at Illinois public universities are so high. Batinick once thought the reason was limited state funding, but his view has changed.

“In 2014, we were actually spending nearly double the national average per student on higher education in Illinois,” Batinick said. “So it’s not a funding issue from the state.”

The reason why it is expensive to do business in Illinois is the same reason it is expensive to run government in Illinois, Batinick said.

“For example, the University of Illinois’ liability insurance has gone up 1,000 percent since 1996,” Batinick said. “When workman's compensation rates are high, guess what, universities pay workman's compensation.”

Wisconsin isn’t the only state attracting Illinois students. The University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, also has seen an increasing number of students from Illinois in recent years.

“We’ve had very strong interest from students living in Illinois for years,” Anne Bassett, media relations director from the Office of Strategic Communication at the University of Iowa, said. “The University of Iowa is a great choice for many reasons, including being a Big Ten institution where students can receive a high-quality education at a great value that’s only a few hours from home.”

Although the university is still finalizing its Fall 2016 numbers, last year, 30 percent of first-year students were from Illinois, Bassett said.

According to the school’s website, the University of Iowa welcomed 5,241 new first-year students in fall 2015, or roughly nearly 1,600 from Illinois.

Out-of-state tuition at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., is $14,110, for 2016-17, according to the university. Missouri State also allows students from Illinois to apply for an out-of-state fee waiver, which affords Illinois students the opportunity to enjoy the same rates that Missouri students pay. That cuts tuition by nearly half – to $7,060 per academic year.

“We need to make everything that we do as a state more efficient, but it’s really easy to see the effect of it in higher education,” Batinick said.

BELLEVILLE — An O'Fallon homeowner is suing real estate agent and a real estate company, alleging breach of duty and fraud.

Kathryn Mister filed a lawsuit July 14 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Kappert Bennett Real Estate Inc., doing business as Remax Signature Properties and Steven Bennett, alleging they violated the Real Estate License Act of 2000.

According to the complaint, on Feb. 17, 2014, she entered into a contract with defendant to market/sell her home at 1061 Edgewood Drive, O'Fallon. Once the buyer had confirmed to buy the property, the suit says, she had it checked if it is within a flood zone area, which it was and that gave the buyer the option to cancel purchase agreement. 

The lawsuit says the defendants released a falsified report showing otherwise, and in the process prolonged the holding time for the property. The suit says when the defendant was informed by the buyer that she was finally canceling contract to buy, they kept the knowledge from the plaintiff. 

Not knowing that the contract to buy was canceled within the grace period, Mister sued the buyer but eventually lost, the suit states. She also incurred litigation expenses and loss of contract price. 

The plaintiff alleges the defendants breached their duties to Mister by providing false information, fabricated a flood zone report, failed to relist the property and failed to assist plaintiff in her lawsuit.

Mister seeks a trial by jury, judgment against the defendants for more than $50,000, and all relief the court deems appropriate. She is represented by attorney Andrew K. Carruthers of Heplerbroom LLC in Edwardsville.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-366

BELLEVILLE — A St. Clair County woman is suing a motorist, alleging the defendant's negligence caused a car crash that injured the plaintiff.

Lisa Cooper filed a lawsuit July 11 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Janet White, alleging negligence in failing to exercise due care under the circumstances.

According to the complaint, on Oct. 6, 2015, Cooper was a passenger in a motor vehicle traveling north on North Illinois Street in Fairview Heights. White, the suit says, was traveling from the opposite direction and collided with the vehicle Cooper was riding in.

The subsequent crash caused Cooper to sustain injuries to her head, body and limbs, the lawsuit says, and these injuries caused great pain and suffering and incurred medical-related expenses. 

The plaintiff alleges White failed to keep proper lookout, failed to timely apply her breaks, failed to yield right of way and negligently drove in the center of the turn lane.

Cooper seeks trial by jury, judgment of more than $50,000, plus costs of suit. She is represented by John H. Hustava of Collinsville.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 16-L-356