Verdict . News

May 21, 2025•4 min read

•Mark Gregory Ayesh voluntarily surrendered his Kansas law license on May 6, 2025, leading to automatic disbarment

Kansas Supreme Court Disbarrs Attorney After License Surrender

The Kansas Supreme Court has disbarred Mark Gregory Ayesh after accepting his voluntary surrender of his law license in May 2025. Ayesh, admitted to practice in 1979, had previously been suspended twice for professional conduct violations.

•Ayesh had been suspended twice previously, including a 2023 indefinite suspension for unauthorized practice of law and dishonest conduct

May 9, 2025•4 min read

•Court defined 'substantial' mitigating factors as real and of substance, not imagined or ephemeral

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Murder Sentence Reductions

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in State v. Young, defining legal standards judges must apply when considering whether to reduce minimum sentences for first-degree murder convictions from 50 years to 25 years. The court established clear definitions for substantial and compelling mitigating factors while affirming the abuse of discretion standard for reviewing such decisions.

•Established that 'compelling' reasons must be based on case facts that justify departing from 50-year minimum

Apr 25, 2025•4 min read

•Kansas Supreme Court upheld summary judgment protecting Bass Pro and Beretta under federal firearms immunity law

Kansas Supreme Court Clarifies Gun Manufacturer Immunity Under Federal Law

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled on the scope of firearm manufacturer immunity under the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in Johnson v. Bass Pro Outdoor World. The court distinguished between product liability claims involving criminal misuse versus defective products.

•Court distinguished product liability claims involving criminal misuse (protected) versus defective products (potentially allowed)

Apr 11, 2025•4 min read

•Prosecutors have wide latitude but cannot argue facts beyond evidence presented at trial

Kansas Supreme Court Sets Prosecutorial Limits in State v. Ervin

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in State v. Javan Jermaine Ervin, establishing clear boundaries for prosecutorial conduct during criminal trials. The court affirmed that prosecutors have wide latitude but cannot argue facts beyond evidence presented.

•District judges may properly instruct juries about prior crime evidence under K.S.A. 60-455

Apr 11, 2025•4 min read

•District judge failed to instruct jury on statutory definitions of 'transient,' 'residence,' and 'reside' under Kansas Offender Registration Act

Kansas Supreme Court Reverses Conviction Over Missing Jury Instructions

The Kansas Supreme Court reversed a sex offender registration conviction, ruling that the district judge committed clear error by failing to provide jury instructions on statutory definitions. The court found that proper instruction on the meaning of 'transient' status under the Kansas Offender Registration Act was essential given conflicting evidence.

•Kansas law requires transient offenders to register every 30 days and creates specific legal presumptions about residence

Mar 21, 2025•4 min read

•Kansas Supreme Court affirmed Court of Appeals decision upholding 15-year violent offender registration requirement for Aaron Douglas Unruh

Kansas Supreme Court Affirms Offender Registration in Appellate Procedure Case

The Kansas Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's decision requiring Aaron Douglas Unruh to register as a violent offender for 15 years, while establishing an important precedent about appellate procedure. The court held that appellate courts abuse their discretion when they invoke exceptions to procedural rules without sufficient record evidence.

•Court established precedent that appellate courts abuse discretion when invoking exceptions to preservation rules without sufficient record evidence

Mar 14, 2025•4 min read

•Scott William Anderson was convicted on 14 counts of financial fraud in November 2024

Kansas Supreme Court Disbars Attorney After 14-Count Fraud Conviction

The Kansas Supreme Court has disbarred Scott William Anderson following his conviction on 14 counts of financial fraud. The court accepted Anderson's voluntary surrender of his law license after a jury found he provided false information on loan applications, forged signatures, and directed employees to impersonate others.

•The fraud involved false loan applications, forged signatures, and directing employee impersonation

Mar 7, 2025•4 min read

•Kansas Supreme Court partially vacated Ronald Johnson's first-degree murder sentence and remanded the case

Kansas Supreme Court Rules on Sentencing Error Corrections in Murder Case

The Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling in State v. Johnson, partially vacating a first-degree murder sentence and remanding the case with directions. The court established that clerical errors in sentencing journal entries may be corrected through nunc pro tunc orders.

•Court established that clerical errors in sentencing journal entries can be corrected by nunc pro tunc orders

Mar 7, 2025•4 min read

•Kansas Supreme Court affirmed Ronald Johnson's hard 50 sentence for 2001 first-degree murder conviction

Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Hard 50 Sentence in 2001 Murder Case

The Kansas Supreme Court has affirmed a "hard 50" life sentence for Ronald Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with a 2001 stabbing death. The court rejected Johnson's appeal seeking modification of his sentence under the doctrine of stare decisis.

•Court rejected Johnson's appeal seeking sentence modification, citing stare decisis doctrine