Over $30 Million in Judgments & Settlements
Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum Members
Catastrophic Car Accident Judgment
Case Disposition: $17,000,000 Judgment
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence
Facts: Plaintiff was a young girl seated as a passenger in a car driving on I-70. The driver suddenly lost control of the car. The exact reasons why remain unknown, however, it had been raining and the road was slippery. The car spun out of control and onto an embankment before reentering the interstate and being struck by a commercial motor vehicle.
Comment: This was a very tragic case that resulted in our client suffering extreme brain injury as well as other multiple physical injuries. The judgment was not based upon just the medical bills but based on a life-care plan obtained through an expert life-care planner which calculated for all of the care and medical treatment she would need throughout her lifetime.
Missouri Tractor-Trailer Crash
Case Disposition: $5,500,000 Settlement (during trial)
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence per se, Negligence, Respondeat Superior
Facts: Client was driving a motorcycle on a rural highway in central Missouri when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the motorcycle and caused serious injury. It was heavily disputed whether or not the motorcycle driver had a mechanical problem and whether the truck driver was even working at the time of the crash, which was on a Sunday.
Comment: Accidents involving a tractor-trailer are very serious and require legal representation of lawyers who have a wide knowledge of both federal and state law. These types of crashes are notoriously complicated and time consuming. The documents relevant in a tractor-trailer crash can reach thousands of pages. Only a skilled truck crash lawyer with a detailed understanding of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations can achieve maximum compensation for the client.
Missouri Semi-Truck Accident Settlement
Case Disposition: $2,750,000 Settlement
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence, Negligence Per Se, Negligent Supervision/Training/Retention
Facts: Our client was seated in an automobile which was T-Boned by a Freightliner tractor-trailer being driven by a local delivery company. This was a viciously contested case in which the trucking company filed three separate motions to transfer the case out of the City of St. Louis, where we had chosen to file. They lost each time. Our client suffered severe personal injuries and the case ultimately settled after mediation.
Comment: This case epitomizes the chess match that one goes through in a personal injury case. Quite frankly, the truck company had several good arguments about why they were not responsible for causing this wreck. However, we also had several strong arguments and we leveraged the strength of those arguments to achieve a very substantial settlement in a case where the truck company's insurer originally denied all liability and initially said they would not offer any settlement to the Plaintiff.
Missouri Dram Shop Claim
Case Disposition: $2,300,000 Settlement
Cause(s) of Action: Premises Liability, Negligence,
Facts: Represented surviving parents who tragically lost their children in a serious motor vehicle crash. It was later discovered that the driver of the other car had been drinking alcohol at a local bar. It was further discovered through litigation that the staff at the bar failed to exercise responsible beverage service in violation of Missouri dram shop laws.
Comment: Bars are clearly in business to serve alcohol to patrons. The problem arises when employees fail to observe the training provided by TIPs and other organizations who offer guidance on when to halt beverage service to a "visibly intoxicated" individual. The laws in Missouri make it difficult for a plaintiff to prove that a customer was visibly intoxicated, however, circumstantial evidence and expert testimony can offer guidance in determining fault.
Missouri Commercial Bus Crash
Case Disposition: $2,000,000 Settlement
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence, Negligent Hiring/Retention/Training/Supervision, Respondeat Superior
Facts: Our client was driving his wife to dinner when they came upon stopped traffic. After being stopped for nearly thirty seconds, they were hit from behind by a commercial bus driver. The plaintiff ultimately underwent a spinal fusion in his low back and was unable to return to work and faced a lifetime of lost wages. The matter was filed in federal court and settled several months before trial.
Comment: This was an extremely hard fought case in which the insurance company went to such links as to secretly videotape our client. When of the biggest successes of this case was that we defeated multiple motions to dismiss our claims against the employer of the bus driver for their multiple violations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These defense tactics are fairly new and this case helped create judicial rulings that will be able to used for decades in future cases.
Missouri Tractor-Trailer Crash
Case Disposition: $795,000 ($295,000 settlement, $500,000 verdict)
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence per se, Negligence, Respondeat Superior, Uninsured Motorist (UM)
Facts: Client was a truck driver. He driving a truck for his employer on the highway when another tractor-trailer swerved into his lane without warning, causing an impact. The other driver fled the scene and was later identified in Canada. Following three years of heated litigation, one defendant settled two days prior to trial. The other defendant (a large insurance company) continued to deny liability. We obtained a $500,000 verdict against them at trial.
Comment: Litigation involving trucking companies and large insurance companies is a protracted, expensive process, but this is a fight we take on for the greater good of the public. We feel that our legal fight against unsafe truckers and the insurance companies that choose to insure them is slowly making a difference. These companies need to be reminded that public safety is paramount to profits. Obtaining substantial settlements and judgments against them sends a definitive message and hopefully will save future lives.
Product Liability - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Case Disposition: $750,000
Cause(s) of Action: Defective Design, Defective Manufacturing, Negligent Design, Negligent Manufacturing
Facts: Client was a truck driver. In 2003, she had been given a new (manufacturer confidential) truck with a new engine design. Over the next six months, our client began feeling increasingly sick. She was nauseous, suffered headaches, and increasing concentration problems. Eventually, she realized every time she was in the truck, she became sick. Ultimately, it was discovered that the engine was leaking small amounts of carbon monoxide into the engine. We were among the first to sue the manufacturer for this defective design which allowed small amounts of carbon monoxide to be leaked from the engine and sucked into the cabin. Ultimately, the manufacturer settled during mediation shortly before trial.
Comment: It is a general rule of thumb among personal injury lawyers that to have an effective products liability case, there has to be numerous OSI's - other similar instances. In this case, we had very few of such. However, we overcame that fact with extensive testing and by retaining some of the world's best experts. In fact, this case involved 13 experts and became highly technical.
Drunk Driver Car Accident
Case Disposition: $546,948.26
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence
Facts: Young woman was hit by a drunk driver. She was just 21 years old at the time of the crash. The defendant was on his way home from a party when he broadsided our client's vehicle.
Comment: Our DUI lawyers investigate each drunk driving accident thoroughly to determine if there is potential co-liability for a bar for over-serving alcohol to the defendant. This is known as "dram shop law," and Missouri has established a cause of action based upon this common law doctrine. In this particular case, there was no viable dram shop claim because the defendant was at a private residence consuming alcohol, not a business. A dram shop defendant must have a license to sell intoxicating liquor in order to be held liable to a plaintiff.
Missouri Workers Compensation Claim
Case Disposition: $425,000
Cause(s) of Action: Workers Compensation Claim
Facts: Middle aged man was injured when he slipped at work on concrete steps and injured his head and back.
Comment: Missouri workers compensation laws are not particularly favorable for employees. In fact, our laws favor employers and workers compensation insurance carriers. We need to be aggressive with all work comp claims in order for our clients to be fairly compensated for their work-related injury. In this case, our client had received a work comp settlement offer of $100,000
before we were hired on the case. Thankfully our client did the smart thing and hired our experienced workers compensation law firm and we secured a $425,000 work comp award on his case. Great result for a great client.
Minor Impact Soft Tissue Car Accident
Case Disposition: $355,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence per se, Negligence
Facts: Client was on her way home from the grocery store when she was rear-ended at a stop light. The damage to the two vehicles involved was minimal. In fact, there was less than $800 in property damage to our client's SUV. Unfortunately, the minor impact still resulted in a significant soft-tissue injury to her neck, resulting in pain management and physical therapy.
Comment: Liability car insurance companies love to fight minor impact soft tissue (MIST) claims agressively. These types of cases are rarely settled unless your lawyer can prove that there is no real relationship between the minor property damage and the extent of the injury caused to the victim. We typically use physicians and forensic epidemiologists as experts to debunk the junk science defenses that insurance companies and insurance defense attorneys rely on in an effort to cheat injury victims out of fair compensation.
Head-on Car Accident
Case Disposition: $310,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence
Facts: Young man was seriously injured a car accident when another driver crossed the center line of traffic and struck his car nearly head-on.
Comment: Crossing the center line of traffic is a very common cause of serious car accidents in the state of Missouri and this case is reality of what happens each day due to driver inattention. Don't text message or email when you are driving because an accident will eventually happen.
Missouri Tractor-Trailer Crash
Case Disposition: $225,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence per se, Negligence, Respondeat Superior
Facts: Client was a restaurant employee. Upon entering the restaurant's walk-in cooler, she was injured by a full keg of beer that was negligently stacked by a beer distribution company. Client recovered under her employer's workers' compensation coverage, but also had a viable cause of action against the distributor itself.
Comment: Most of the time if an employee is injured while acting in the course and scope of his/her employment, the sole remedy is workers' compensation. However, on occasion that worker will have a third-party negligence action against a wrongdoer
other than the employer. In this case, the distributor was partially to blame for the injuries sustained. Therefore our client was entitled to recovery under workers' compensation laws AND negligence attributable to the distributor.
Slip & Fall Claim
Case Disposition: $190,000
Cause(s) of Action: Premises Liability, Negligence, Respondeat Superior
Facts: Client was a restaurant employee. Upon entering the restaurant's walk-in cooler, she was injured by a full keg of beer that was negligently stacked by a beer distribution company. Client recovered under her employer's workers' compensation coverage, but also had a viable cause of action against the distributor itself.
Comment: Most of the time if an employee is injured while acting in the course and scope of his/her employment, the sole remedy is workers' compensation. However, on occasion that worker will have a third-party negligence action against a wrongdoer
other than the employer. In this case, the distributor was partially to blame for the injuries sustained. Therefore our client was entitled to recovery under workers' compensation laws AND negligence attributable to the distributor.
School Bus Accident
Case Disposition: $140,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence, Negligence Per Se
Facts: Plaintiff was a student on a school bus when the driver drifted off the road, causing the bus to roll several times and eject students from their seats.
Comment: Drivers of school buses are required to exercise the highest degree of care when transporting students. Bus drivers are required to go through rigorous training in order to make certain they are adequately qualified. We trust our children to these drivers. When they are negligent or reckless, the results can be catastrophic.
Single Vehicle Car Accident Claim
Case Disposition: $121,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence, Negligence per se
Facts: A young woman was injured when the vehicle she was riding in lost control and flipped over. It was suspected that the driver may have consumed alcohol earlier in the evening. Furthermore, the defendant was a relatively new driver and failed to properly obey the Missouri statutory "rules of the road".
Comment: Many of our clients involved in car crashes are struck either from behind or head-on by a car crossing the center line of the road. It is important to always practice defensive driving techniques and anticipate that other drivers can and will cross over into your lane of traffic for reasons as common as using a cell phone or lighting a cigarette. Being inattentive is a common reason for the cause of vehicular collisions in Missouri, so PAY ATTENTION to the road and anticipate that other drivers don't.
Slip & Fall Claim
Case Disposition: $115,000
Cause(s) of Action: Premises Liability, Negligence
Facts: Plaintiff slipped on barbeque sauce inside of a popular restaurant. Plaintiff alleged that the barbeque sauce was concealed by the dark redish color of the tile floor, making it impossible for her to notice in time to avoid the fall.
Comment: Business owners have a duty of care to make certain that the premises is free from hazards, otherwise known as dangerous conditions, that the owner knew, or should have known, existed. Restaurants commonly struggle with this, as liquids are regularly spilled on the floor in customer walking areas. Nonetheless, restaurant owners must take time to sweep the common areas for liquids and other hazards and to warn or remedy the condition. Visit our
slip and fall victim help center for more information on this area of personal injury law.
Minor Impact Car Accident Claim
Case Disposition: $100,000
Cause(s) of Action: Negligence, Negligence Per Se
Facts: Client was injured in a car accident. This particular client had extensive pre-existing treatment to his neck and back, body parts that were also injured in this crash. Doctors could only offer testimony that his injuries were exacerbated by the current crash, not caused by it.
Comment: This case posed several challenges. First, there was only minor damage caused to the vehicles involved in the crash, something insurance companies hand there hat on in most injury claims. Second, this client had a long history of treatment to his neck and back prior to the crash, resulting in a diluted claim value for pre-existing medical conditions. However, our personal injury lawyers were relentless and pushed forward until we were able to obtain the full $100,000 in policy limits available to this incident.
Day Care Negligence
Case Disposition: Policy Limits
Cause(s) of Action:
Wrongful Death, Negligence, Assault, Battery
Facts: 18-month old boy dropped off at a home daycare operated by defendant. Later on that day, the young boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital and was treated for almost three full days before he passed away. The coroner and physicians determined that his death was attributable to
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SKS), brought about by the defendants.
Comment: The facts of this case are tragic in so many respects and received both local and national media coverage. Archived media coverage is available at
KMOV's website. Criminal charges have also been brought against the defendant in this case.
$655,000 + Confidential Settlement
Our firm represented the mother of Rudy Wallace, Jr. When he was fifteen months old, Rudy contracted meningitis. From that time on, he lived at Northwest Habilitation, a State care facility and required constant care. On March 10, 2006, an aide put Rudy into the shower. The water he sprayed onto Rudy was so hot that it immediately caused 3rd degree burns all over his body. Rudy was later transferred to St. John's Mercy Medical Burn Unit where he died nearly a week later due to complications from his burn. Our firm filed suit against the State in Federal Court. Before reaching trial, we attempted to reach a settlement through mediation. After making a one hour presentation, we quickly walked out of the mediation due to the State's unwillingness to settle and what we thought would be fair. However, several weeks later, the State nearly doubled it's offer. In addition to the State, we also sued the manufacturer of a water tempering device that was installed at Northwest Habilitation. The device was supposed to prevent scalding hot water from being emitted through any shower. However, our testing revealed it did not work as the company said it did. We also entered into a confidential settlement with the manufacturer.
$350,000 Wrongful Death Settlement
We represented the family of a 12-year-old boy. He had been selected by his school to serve as a crossing guard on Chambers Road before school. During his second day on duty, he was struck and killed by an inattentive driver. Not only did we settle against the driver for his policy limits, but we also settled with the school. During our investigation, we discovered that the school incorrectly trained its students to come out into the street to stop traffic. Additionally, they were aware of a long history of cars running through red lights at this particular intersection.
$99,000 Slip and Fall Settlement
Our client was an employee of Briarcrest Nursing Home. On a winter day in 2005, she arrived at work and headed inside. As she got to the entrance, she slipped on a patch of ice that had developed due to water dripping from the overhang. It was the defendants policy to routinely clear the ice from the walkways, but they had failed to do so this day. When our client, slipped she fell down directly onto her knee. She later underwent surgery to repair the damage. The defendant's insurance company more than doubled their offer after we filed suit.
$75,000 Dog Bite Settlement
Our client had arrived home when he saw that his neighbor's dog had jumped their chain link fence. The dog was also on a lead line which had gotten caught up on the fence and was choking the dog. Our client went over to rescue the dog. After the dog was freed, it jumped back into the yard. It then jumped back over the fence and bit off the top half of our clients ear. Initially, the defendants' insurance company denied all liability. We filed suit, and through our investigation, learned that the dog had previously jumped the fence and bit another neighbor on the throat. Afterwards, the insurance company wanted to settle the case before trial.