Civil Litigation

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March 4, 2026 – The Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA) allowed the defendant to remedy the claim with the individual plaintiff, preventing a class action lawsuit, a 6-1 majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided in Gudex v. Franklin Collection Service, Inc., 2026 WI 6.

Reversing the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Justice Brian K. Hagedorn for the majority wrote, “when a customer brings a class action for damages under” Wis. Stat. section 426.110(4)(c) “requires an appropriate remedy be given


Continue Reading Supreme Court: WCA ‘Appropriate Remedy’ Prevents Class Action

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Feb. 25, 2026 – An appeal challenging the constitutionality of involuntary medication to restore a defendant’s competency to stand trial gave the Wisconsin Supreme Court the opportunity to set standards of review for the
Sell factors in
State v. J.D.B., 2026 WI 5. Justice Brian K. Hagedorn, writing for the 6-1 majority, said “we independently conclude – and agree with the circuit court – that the [s]tate has an important interest in prosecuting Jared for his serious crime


Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Sets Involuntary Medication Standards of Review

Milwaukee, WI Personal Injury LawyerWisconsin winters are brutal, and nowhere is this more true than the road conditions in February. Many lives are lost and many more people are injured on snowy and icy roads. What makes many of these crashes so frustrating is that so many of them are not truly accidents. They are the direct result of bad choices made by other drivers. 
Wisconsin personal injury law allows people injured by negligent drivers to hold them accountable for those choices, even
Continue Reading Five Winter Driving Mistakes that Lead to Personal Injury Cases in Wisconsin

Attorney Mason Higgins presents on ethical advocacy in bankruptcy proceedings for the State Bar of Wisconsin
Attorney Mason Higgins presented “Dazed & Pro Se: Ethical Advocacy When the Other Side Has No Bankruptcy Lawyer” at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors’ Rights Section’s educational retreat on February 26, 2026. Attorney Higgins presented alongside the Hon. Meredith S. Grabill of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Atty. Kelly M. Smith of
Continue Reading Attorney Mason Higgins Presents to State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, & Creditors’ Rights Section

stock photoFeb. 24, 2026 – Google’s scan of four files that its employee confirmed contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM) operated outside of the Fourth Amendment as a private search, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously decided today in State v. Rauch Sharak, 2026 WI 4.

“Google scanned and viewed Rauch Sharak’s files on its own. It had a business reason to do so. Law enforcement became involved only after Google submitted a CyberTip,” summarized Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz, who


Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: Google was a Private Actor in File Search

Milwaukee physician's license defense lawyerBy Attorney Adam J. Schleis
Physicians in Wisconsin work long hours, handle life-and-death situations, and carry enormous responsibility. During off hours, many practitioners use THC to manage stress, pain, or simply to relax. Most of these professionals never use marijuana before or during work, and take care to ensure they are clear-headed when treating patients.
Perhaps one day, a colleague or patient makes an offhand comment suggesting an MD or surgeon seems impaired. An employer orders a drug test.
Continue Reading How Should a Physician Manage the Discovery of Off-Hour THC Use?

In Wisconsin, negligent supervision claims are only available when there is an employer-employee relationship.

Independent contractor (“IC”) or agency relationships do not suffice and, crucially, the individual must be an IC in practice, not just on paper.

This is one of many reasons it is important to actively review and manage your independent contractor relationships to ensure they don’t unwittingly morph into employees.
Wisconsin Appellate Court Clarifies Limits on Negligent Supervision Claims
In 2021, a customer was tragically shot


Continue Reading Independent Contractors in Wisconsin Can Create Additional Liability for Employers in the Form of Negligent Supervision Claims 

GRGB and its Milwaukee criminal defense team lawyers have long been involved in efforts to obtain the release of wrongfully convicted persons and help them seek and obtain compensation for wrongful incarceration. These efforts include not only direct representation in court with postconviction motions and appeals, but also representing exonerees with claims for exonerated compensation and joint efforts with the Wisconsin Innocence Project to obtain the release of wrongfully convicted individuals.

However, being exonerated of a crime is
Continue Reading Exonerated Compensation Reform Bills Are Once Again Pending Before the Legislature

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Jan. 23, 2026 – The Fourth Amendment’s private search doctrine protected a warrantless view of a video that Snapchat flagged as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), a majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday in State v. Gasper, 2026 WI 3.

“The government did not exceed the scope of Snapchat’s search when it viewed the video because any expectation of privacy [Michael Joseph] Gasper may have had in the video was frustrated by the private


Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: Video View OK Within Private Search

Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Jessica Mederson recognized in Wisconsin Law Journal for construction law
Originally published on wislawjournal.com on January 7, 2026.
A commercial litigator for over 20 years, Jessica Mederson began her career in Texas before bringing her national perspective and experience to Wisconsin, representing clients in construction, manufacturing, business and intellectual property disputes across the country. Mederson is a partner in Stafford Rosenbaum’s Madison office and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors.
Known for her pragmatic and
Continue Reading Attorney Jessica Mederson Earns Wisconsin Law Journal Construction Law Honor

Attorney Scott Smith authors post for State Bar of Wisconsin Business Law Section Blog
Attorney Scott Smith published a blog post with the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Business Law Section in December 2025. The post, “Five Terms Wisconsin Municipalities Should Revise Before Signing Construction Contracts,” discusses how cities, villages, school districts, and utilities across Wisconsin routinely rely on American Institute of Architects forms for public construction projects, but these documents are imbalanced—Scott’s blog post highlights some key
Continue Reading Attorney Scott Smith Authors State Bar Blog Post on Wisconsin Municipal Construction Contracts

Milwaukee guardianship lawyerGuardianship is a legal relationship where a court appoints someone to make decisions for another person who cannot make those decisions themselves. This might be a grandparent raising your grandchild, an adult child caring for an aging parent, or someone stepping in after a family tragedy.
The guardianship process can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to figure it out alone. Our Milwaukee guardianship attorneys offer free consultations for family law issues. We can guide you through every
Continue Reading What Are the Different Types of Guardianship in Wisconsin?

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Dec. 16, 2025 – A car enthusiast who likes vanity plates to express his opinions recently lost his First Amendment claim on summary judgment before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

The court in M J Nichols Company, Inc. v. Thompson, No. 24-cv-566-amb (W.D. Wis., Dec. 12, 2025), held that a license plate is government speech.

Whether the language on a license plate is individual expression or government speech to which the First Amendment doesn’t


Continue Reading U.S. District Court: First Amendment Doesn’t Protect ‘RD RRAGE’

In Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. section 101.11, known as the safe place statute, imposes a variety of duties on employers, owners of places of employment, and owners of public buildings. The statute, first enacted in 1911, is nonspecific as to the exact nature and extent of the duty required to render a premises “safe:” Every employer shall furnish employment which shall be safe for the employees therein and shall furnish a place of employment which shall be safe for employees


Continue Reading Wisconsin’s Safe Place Statute: Methods and Processes Still Matter

Milwaukee, WI property rights lawyerBreaking up when you are not married can feel just as painful as divorce, but Wisconsin law treats these situations very differently. Unlike married couples who have clear divorce procedures, unmarried partners must rely on property law and contract principles to divide what they own together. This gap in the law can leave people without guidance when relationships end and shared assets need to be split.
You will need to handle your split through negotiation or civil lawsuits.
Continue Reading When Unmarried Couples Break Up, What Happens to The Stuff They Own Together?

If you are reading this blog, you probably have already suffered significant harm. Maybe you lost your business, suffered serious injuries, or are dealing with serious partnership disputes. But when you talk to lawyers about suing, you learn that Wisconsin law caps your damages at an amount far below what you actually lost.

These statutory damage caps may seem to prevent you from recovering fair compensation, and sometimes they do; but often, the reality is more
Continue Reading Strategic Litigation for Getting Around Statutory Damage Caps in Wisconsin