Rice v. Poppe

Case Number(s)
S-18-0701
Call Date
Court Number
Lancaster
Case Location
Lincoln
Case Summary

S-18-0701 Brenda R. Rice (Appellant) v. Terrance A. Poppe, an individual, and Morrow, Poppe, Watermeier & Lonowski, P.C. (Appellees)

Lancaster County District Court, Judge James Kube

Attorneys: James R. Welsh, Christopher Welsh (Welsh & Welsh, PC, LLO) attorneys for Appellants --- Randall L. Goyette, Christopher M. Schmidt (Baylor Evnen, LLP) attorneys for Appellees

Civil: Legal malpractice

Proceedings below: The trial court concluded that Appellees did not breach the applicable standard of care, a further found that Appellant’s own failure to disclose necessary information broke the causal chain of any possible negligence. The trial court ordered Appellant’s claim to be dismissed.

Issues: Whether the trial court’s finding that Appellant failed to meet her burden of showing that Appellees breach the standard of care was clear error and whether the trial court erred in holding that Appellant’s failure to provide information about the life insurance policies and their beneficiary designations to Appellees was a misrepresentation that broke the causal chain of the legal malpractice claim.