Kentucky Court of Justice
Kentucky Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Oct. 8 in Lexington
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Kentucky Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in three cases Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse, Fayette Circuit Court, in Lexington. Proceedings will be open to the public.
A three-judge panel consisting of Court of Appeals Judges Glenn E. Acree and Laurance B. VanMeter and Senior Judge Michael L. Henry will hear oral arguments starting at 10 a.m. in Courtroom I on the fourth floor of the courthouse, which is located at 120 North Limestone.
The cases are on appeal from circuit courts in Elliott, Laurel and Perry counties.
A case docket containing summaries of the cases is below.
LEXINGTON DOCKET
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008
10 AM 2007CA002598
KATHY JONES v. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF LAUREL COUNTY,
KENTUCKY ET AL.
Summary: Civil; employment law. Issue is whether trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the school board based on an interpretation of KRS 161.740.
Laurel County judge who ruled in the case – Judge Roderick Messer
Appellant’s attorneys: J. Follace Fields II and Carrie C. Mullins
Appellees’ attorney: Larry Glenn Bryson
10:45 AM 2007CA001947
ROBERT MCCOWN v. GRAY KENTUCKY TELEVISION INC. ET AL.
Summary: Civil; employment law. Issue is whether trial court erred in dismissing appellant’s wrongful termination action.
Perry County judge who ruled in the case – Judge William Engle III
Appellant’s attorney: Daniel F. Dotson
Appellees’ attorneys: Robert H. Buckler, Randall Scott May and Rebecca Lyn Williams
11:30 AM 2007CA001509 and 2007CA001510
LARRY SKAGGS v. DEBORAH SKAGGS
Summary: Family Court. Issue regarding property division of marital and non-marital property.
Elliott County judge who ruled in the case – Judge Kristi Hogg Gossett
Appellant’s attorney: W. Jeffrey Scott
Appellee’s attorney: Malenda S. Haynes
Judge Glenn E. Acree
Judge Glenn E. Acree was elected judge for the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2006 to serve Division 2 of the 5th Appellate District. He was appointed to that position in August 2006 to fill a vacancy created when Judge Julia K. Tackett retired June 30, 2006.
The 5th Appellate District is comprised of Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties.
Judge Acree resides in Lexington, where he has had a solo practice since 1997. Prior to 1997, he practiced law with Stidham & Acree from 1996 to 1997; with Thomas, Stidham & Acree from 1994 to 1996; and with McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland from 1985 to 1994.
Before his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Acree handled litigation and appeals in the areas of criminal law, administrative law, employment discrimination, civil procedure, insurance law, domestic relations, environmental law and construction law.
Judge Acree has a bachelor’s degree and juris doctor from the University of Kentucky. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.
He is married to the former Lisa T. Hahn of Versailles. He has two sons, Matt and Taylor.
Judge Laurance B. VanMeter
Judge Laurance B. VanMeter was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2003 to serve Division 1 of the 5th Appellate District. He was re-elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2006. The 5th Appellate District is comprised of Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties.
Judge VanMeter also serves as Court of Appeals representative on the Ethics Committee of the Kentucky Judiciary.
Prior to being elected to the Court of Appeals, Judge VanMeter was appointed to serve as a Fayette County circuit judge in 1999. From 1994 to 1999, he was a district judge for Fayette County, Division 1 of the 22nd Judicial District. He practiced law with the Lexington firm of Stoll, Keenon & Park from 1983 to 1994.
Judge VanMeter has been actively involved in many community organizations, including Little League Baseball, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Parents Place.
He received his undergraduate degree in 1980 from Vanderbilt University and his law degree in 1983 from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Kentucky Law Journal.
Judge VanMeter was born in 1958 and is a native of Winchester.
Judge Michael L. Henry
Judge Michael L. Henry is a senior judge assigned to the Court of Appeals. He has served as a senior judge since January 2007.
Judge Henry previously served as a Court of Appeals judge after being elected to the seat in 2004. He was a District Court judge for Pulaski and Rockcastle counties for 12 years. Judge Henry was assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Pulaski and Rockcastle counties from 1981 to 1984 and from 1989 until his appointment as district judge in 1992. He was a partner in the Somerset law firm of Ham and Henry from 1989 to 1992 and was an associate in a private law firm from 1981 to 1984. He served as a law clerk for the Supreme Court of Kentucky after graduating from law school and was a staff attorney for the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1985.
Judge Henry is a member of the Kentucky and Pulaski County bar associations.
Judge Henry serves as a member of the Troop Committee for Troop 170 of the Boy Scouts of America in Somerset and as a member of the parish council for St. Mildred Church.
Judge Henry and his wife Julie have two children: a daughter, Lauren, and a son, Christopher.
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Nearly all cases heard by the Kentucky Court of Appeals come to it on appeal from a lower court. If a case is tried in Circuit Court or District Court and the losing parties involved are not satisfied with the outcome, they may ask for a higher court to review the correctness of the trial court’s decision. Some cases, such as criminal case acquittals and divorces, may not be appealed. In a divorce case, however, child custody and property rights decisions may be appealed. Cases are not retried in the Court of Appeals. Only the record of the original court trial is reviewed, with attorneys presenting the legal issues to the court for a decision.
Fourteen judges, two elected from seven appellate court districts, serve on the Court of Appeals. The judges are divided into panels of three to review and decide cases, with the majority determining the decision. The panels do not sit permanently in one location, but travel throughout the state to hear cases.
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort supports the activities of 4,000 Kentucky Court of Justice employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC prepares a biennial budget draft and executes the Judicial Branch budget.