The end of an employment relationship can often lead to the filing of a claim for unemployment compensation benefits. In Wisconsin, the unemployment compensation program is overseen by the Department of Workforce Development ("DWD"). The DWD not only monitors...
News & Publications
You Can Say That! New NLRB Stance Allows For Expanded Speech and Conduct Restrictions in Employee Handbooks
It has been a common misconception among non-union employers that they do not need to be concerned about the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) because it only applies to union organization or bargaining. Yet, under President Obama's administration, the National...
Stroud Attorneys Co-Author Wisconsin Civil Procedure Before Trial
Stroud, Willink & Howard is proud to announce the contribution of its attorneys, Norm Farnam and John Laubmeier, to the newly published 6th Edition of Wisconsin Civil Procedure Before Trial. Wisconsin Civil Procedure Before Trial is a two-volume book published by...
Lenders and Landlords Beware: The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (PTFA) Is Back Again
President Trump recently signed into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the "Act"). The Act is intended to scale back parts of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Act enjoyed bi-partisan support and focused on consumer protection, mortgage...
Laubmeier Named President-Elect of Dane County Bar Association
Stroud, Willink & Howard is pleased to announce that John J. Laubmeier has been elected as President-Elect of the Dane County Bar Association. The Dane County Bar Association was founded in 1858. It provides educational, mentoring, social, and pro bono...
Here It Is! “Show Me the Note” Defense Unsuccessful After Original Note Presented
As we have previously written, a foreclosing bank must prove that it holds the original note in order to obtain a foreclosure judgment in Wisconsin. Consequently, banks, borrowers, attorneys, and judges often question how a bank may go about proving it is the holder...
Wisconsin Amends Foreclosure Statute
Wisconsin's foreclosure statute (Chapter 846) recently has been amended by three separate legislative acts. First, the process for recording sheriff's deeds after sale has been changed. Second, the foreclosure statute has been amended to permit counties to conduct...
Supreme Court Rules That Confirmation of Winning Bid at Sheriff’s Sale Does Not Establish Guarantor’s Debt
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that a circuit court may "decouple" the confirmation of a winning bid at sheriff's sale in a foreclosure action from the determination of the debt owed by a guarantor. Horizon Bank v. Marshall Point Realty, LLC, et al., 2018 WI...
Lender Must Pay Borrower’s Attorney Fees as Equitable Remedy for its Bad Faith
In a 6-0 decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided that circuit courts have the power to award attorney fees as part of an equitable remedy "in exceptional cases and for dominating reasons of justice." Nationstar Mortgage LLC v. Stafsholt, 2018 WI 21. The...
Wisconsin’s Circuit Court Access Website Will No Longer Display Certain Cases After Two Years
The State of Wisconsin maintains a website (wccabeta.wicourts.gov) that provides public access to certain records of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The website is very user-friendly and can be searched in a variety of different ways, including by the name of a party...