Full Court Press
Marathon County Civil Court Cases for March 2025
Welcome to The Wausonian’s Full Court Press feature, available for paid subscribers only. In this feature we break down the note-worthy civil cases in the previous month and track the outcomes of cases we’re following.
I’d originally meant this post for Monday but I found a bunch of case updates over the weekend so I decided to hold it for today. I think it’ll be worth it.
Randy Cliver vs Denise Rucker
According to the lawsuit, Cliver and Rucker were in a relationship and shared a house in the 800 Block of West Roberts Street which they both put equity toward. Eventually they broke up, but Cliver claims that he had to have a police escort to get his stuff. In the suit, he claims that he had $10,000-$12,000 of coins missing (Morgan Silver Dollars) and about $1,400 of loose change in a large jug also missing. He says Rucker will not respond to him about the missing items. Rucker in a response filing said she contests the lawsuit’s facts and that she would like to countersue.
Greg Stepan et al vs Shirley Schwarz et al
According to the lawsuit, Stepan says Schwarz drove her vehicle into him negligently while he was walking as a pedestrian in the city of Marshfield on Dec. 2, 2021. As a result of the crash, he says he sustained permanent injuries and major medical expenses. He is suing for unspecified damages and costs.
Rose City vs Super Land Co.
Contractor Rose City filed for and was granted a construction lien against Super Land Co. over signage work it says it performed on a property at 1210 N. Division Street in Colby. The judge awarded $21,409 according to court records, which as of this writing has not yet been paid.
Patrick Eger and Brandon Eger vs Cindy Zimmerman
The Egers and Zimmerman went into business together, according to this lawsuit, forming Badger Mulching in 2020 with each getting 1/3 ownership in the business. According to the suit, the business bought a skid steer. For some time the company paid the $1,900 monthly payments, but then the company didn’t have enough business to afford the skid steer, the lawsuit alleges, so Patrick ended up paying about $18,500 toward the payments. The suit alleges that Zimmerman asked to have her name taken off the title of the vehicle and that she later told Brandon to take out a loan to pay off the $49,500 remaining balance on the skid steer. Yet, the suit alleges, the bill of sale went to Zimmerman. They are suing for the amount paid for the skid steer.
Kyle Traeder vs FCA US
Traeder in this suit alleges that he bought a 2024 Dodge Ram pickup truck in 2024 at Brickner’s and alleges it had serious problems from the time he got it, including shuttering and jerking while driving, engine auto-shutoff malfunctioning, fuel gauge inaccuracies, ignition start and stop failures, parking and shifting malfunctions and a malfunctioning cruise control function among other issues. Traeder claims that within the first year of ownership it was undrivable 38 days of that year, and had to be towed to the dealership three times. According to Traeder’s suit, he said a rep for the company told him it qualified for buyback under the state’s lemon law but that they wouldn’t be rebuying it. He is suing for the cost of the vehicle plus court costs.
In its response, CFA US denies that the vehicle is defective and denies most of the claims made in the suit.
Paul Marx vs Schmidtke’s Cleaning Service
Marx in this suit claims that he hired Schmidtke’s Cleaning Service after his house was flooded. He alleges that Schmidtke’s took mitigation steps such as ripping out ceiling and flooring in the basement, but never did the restoration it was contracted to do. The total spent was $48,151. Marx says he demanded a refund but was only refunded $15,354.
Schmidtke in his response admitted to the refund plus another $3,000 in insurance reimbursement but denied the rest of the claim in his response.
Lea Eggebrecht vs Mark King Construction dba Infinite Decks
According to the suit, Eggebrecht hired Infinite Decks to install a deck at his residence for a total of $50,900. Work was supposed to have started in June 2024, but more than a dozen times the day work was to begin there would be an issue and they would delay. In one case, Eggebrecht alleges, he drove three hours in October to return home when they were supposed to start work, only for it to be canceled again. Finally on Nov. 5 the first footings for the deck were installed but since then more delays stopped work. Eggebrecht in the suit claims he went to their physical offices in January but it was empty and abandoned. Eggebrecht then canceled the contract and demanded a refund, and are suing for a refund. He is also suing for $5,000 for damage to the stamped concrete.
Ashley Manion vs William Bell et al
According to this suit, Manion’s husband Raymond participated in an ATV race at ABC Racing’s track in Fountain, WI in May 2024. Manion says an unsafe object used as a barrier to mark the track came loose and entered the raceway, which her husband’s vehicle struck. While lying on the track, he was struck by another racer, which caused spinal injuries.
At no point during the race did race officials attempt to stop the race to prevent injury, the suit alleges. Raymond died at the hospital shortly after the crash. This is a wrongful death suit.
Follow-ups
Andrew Schlagel vs Schult CPA
Schlagel accused Schult CPA of giving him advice that caused him to not take advantage of the 1031 protections that would have saved him on capital gains taxes. Schult responds that he gave him advice but was never a client, and denies the properties would have qualified for those protections and saved on capital gains taxes.
180 Cuts vs Farmhouse, Korey Stern and Eric Thomas
A judge decided that Stern and Thomas through Farmhouse Fitness took out a loan of $100,000 that they agreed to pay back. They did not pay it back, according to the judge’s decision, and owe that money plus interest and other fees and court costs, totaling $124,167.
Paul Blaul vs the State of WI
Blaul says he is disabled as a neurodivergent person with ADHD and PTSD and accused several agencies of discrimination. A judge dismissed the case without prejudice, as he said the case was not diligently prosecuted and a timely copy of the summons and complaint was not served within the statutory time limits.
Jeff Decker vs Nathan Miller
Decker alleged that Miller, when he was assistant city attorney in Wausau, had Decker arrested. A judge dismissed the case with prejudice and ordered Decker to pay Miller’s legal costs.
In city matters…
The final hearing on the complaint filed against Doug Diny over his removal of a ballot box from the steps of city hall was to take place Thursday. But now there is a new meeting of the ethics board scheduled for today, which was just posted yesterday.
One of the those items includes rescheduling the hearing. And another item involves possibly doing more investigation on the complaint.
The Wausonian of course plans to cover the meeting Tuesday, and the hearing should that still take place.
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