Top Verdicts & Settlements 2024: Defense wins

Staff Report//February 12, 2025//

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NOTE: Defense wins include jury- or judge-tried cases that resulted in a victory for the defense. Also counted are cases in which the plaintiffs’ award was far less than what was sought or was significantly reduced by comparative fault. Cases are listed in chronological order.

Jury Request	Date	Type of Action	Venue	Caption	Defendant(s) Attorney(s)
$0	1/26/2024	Product Liability	U.S. Western District of Missouri	Andrew Martinez v. Roberts Sinto Corporation	Justin Hardin and Jeff Abney of Brown & James (St. Louis)
$0	1/29/2024	Medical Malpractice	Kansas	Megan Wasson v. Harish Panicker, M.D.	David M. Tyrrell and John F. Logan of Logan Logan & Watson (Prairie Village, Kansas)
$0	2/1/2024	Professional liability	St. Louis County	Allison Miller, Copper Tan LLC v. L3 Corporation	Steven Schwartz and Rebecca Verble of Brown & James (St. Louis)
$750,000	2/1/2024	Medical Malpractice	Cape Girardeau	Arnita Cook v. Cape Radiology Group, PC, Thomas Brumitt, M.D.	Joe Shull and Kasey Klenda of Shull & Klenda, LLC (Kansas City)
$0	2/1/2024	Insurance	Boone	Debra Lancaster v. Shelter Mutual Insurance Company	Scott E. Bellm and George “Jake” W. Reinbold IV of Turner Reid Duncan Loomer & Patton, PC (Springfield)
$0	2/2/2024	Wrongful Death	St. Louis County	Brianna Fessler v. Lloyd Belt Automotive, LLC	Jacqueline M. Kinder and Brendon T. Sanders of Watters Wolf Bub & Hansmann, LLC (St Louis)
$0	2/7/2024	Product Liability	U.S. Western District of Missouri	Karen Carrolll, Honor Carroll, Trace Carroll, Ben Dodd, Lauren Wilken v. Brunswick Corporation, Brunswick Boat Group, Sea Ray Boats	Casey Housley, Jenifer Svancara and Ashley Garrett of Sanders Warren & Russell (Kansas City)
$0	3/20/2024	Wrongful Death	St. Louis County	Arlene Davis v. Delmar Gardens North	Gregory J. Minana and Alexis Blood of Minana & Associates (St. Louis)
$0	3/28/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Sean Boren v. UFM Operations, LLC, d/b/a U-City Forest Manor	Philip Willman
$0	3/28/2024	Medical Malpractice	Newton	Sean and Staci Leas v. Freeman Health System and Mark Farnham, MD	David E. Overby of Hyde, Love, & Overby, LLP (Springfield); Brian D. Malkmus of Malkmus Law Firm, LLC (Springfield)
$0	4/8/2024	Business/Commercial	Jackson	Aspen Products, Inc. v. A.L. Huber, Inc., Central Plumbing Heating & AC, Inc.	Theodore G. Pashos of Pashos Law (St. Charles, Missouri); Ryan Karaim of Franke Schultz & Mullen (Kansas City, Missouri)
$0	4/10/2024	Premises Liability	Buchanan	Tracey R Davis v. Hy-Vee, Inc.	Benjamin Creedy and Joseph Elliott of Taylor, Siemens, Elliott, Creedy & Lyle, PC (St. Joseph)
$6,000,000	4/19/2024	Wrongful Death	Greene	Brian Thompson, Michael Thompson v. Lester E Cox Medical Centers, Dr. James B Rice III, Dr Tracy Kennetz	Brian D. Malkmus and Debra L. Gullett-Johnson of Malkmus Law Firm LLC (Springfield)
$0	4/25/2024	Employment	Franklin	Steven Loerch v. City of Union	Richard J. Behr and Ben M. Fletcher of Evans & Dixon, LLC (St. Louis)
$3,146,000	5/6/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Tara Guidicy (formerly Lednick) v. Mercy Clinic East Communities d/b/a Mercy Plastic Surgery Clayton-Clarkson, Michael Scott Curtis, M.D.	John F. Mahon Jr. of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice (St. Louis); Laura K. Beasley of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice (Belleville, Illinois)
$750,000	5/7/2024	Premises Liability	Taney	Janet Roby v. Branson’s Wild World	Corey Kraushaar and Thomas Felman of Brown & James (St. Louis)
$0	5/17/2024	Motor Vehicle Collision	Stoddard	Judy Wiseman v. Charles Jackson	Clinton Turley (Clayton) and Payton Anderson (Kansas City) of McCausland Barrett & Bartalos
$32,000,000	5/24/2024	Motor Vehicle Collision	St. Louis City	Harisyn Lawrie (a minor), Commerce Bank (next friend) v. Eugene Ruble, Anastasia Jaksetic (settled before trial), Michael Lawrie (settled before trial)	Rebecca Cary and Mark Hennelly of Childress Ahlheim Cary (St. Louis)
$0	5/30/2024	Motor Vehicle Collision	St. Charles	Thomas Ward v. Frisella Nursery, Inc., Jose Bocanegra Gonzalez	Corey L. Kraushaar and Thomas Felman of Brown & James (St. Louis)
$0	6/7/2024	Employment	Jackson	Damion Ragsdale v. Board of Police Commissioners of Kansas City, Missouri	Brent N. Coverdale, Andrew J. Lewis and Paula L. Brown of Scharnhorst Ast Kennard Griffin (Kansas City)
$0	6/11/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Deja Moore, Roy Moore v. David S. Raskas M.D., Orthopedic & Spine Institute of St. Louis	James P. Reinert and William J. Magrath of Lashly & Baer (St. Louis)
$0	6/18/2024	Premises Liability	Jackson	Maria Morrison v. Hy-Vee, Inc.	Jeffrey A. Kennard of Scharnhorst Ast Kennard Griffin (Kansas City)
$200,000	6/28/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Charles	Neal Vance v. Advanced Bone & Joint, a/k/a St. Peters Bone & Joint Surgery a/k/a Advanced Boine and Joint, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Inc. d/b/a Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Woods Mill Anesthesia, Inc., Paul M. Spezia, D.O., Timothy Cooper, M.D., Sahar Najy Arnaout, C.R.N.A, Teresa M. Shaw, R.N., Rebecca Ann Newburn, R.N.	Brian Burge (Overland Park, Kansas) and Ryan Niehaus (St. Louis) of Sanders Warren & Russell; James Reinert of Lashly & Baer (St. Louis); Jonathan Garside of Stanton Barton (St. Louis)
$27,634,914	7/19/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	J.N., a minor, by and through his next friend Colleen Nentwig, Colleen Nentwig individually, and Ryne Dobson v. Dr. Dale Anderson	Rodney Sharp; Laura Petkovich
$4,200,000	8/13/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Doris Grebas v. Western Anesthesiology Associates, Tadros Medical	Greg Minana for Western; Justin Hardin for Tadros
$0	8/13/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Doris Grebas v. Western Anesthesia Associates, Inc., Tadros Medical, LLC	Justin Hardin and David Perron of Brown & James (St. Louis); Greg Minana and Megan Bradshaw of Minana & Associates (St. Louis)
$27,500,000	9/6/2024	Premises Liability	St. Louis City	Martha Van Rhein, Thomas Van Rhein v. St. Louis University, Global Spectrum, LLC	Bharat Varadachari and Adam S. McGonigle of HeplerBroom (St. Louis)
$0	9/25/2024	Legal malpractice	St. Louis County	Kristin Conwell, as bankruptcy trustee for Guilan Norouzi v. Danna McKitrick and A. Thomas DeWoskin	Thomas Magee and Kathleen Hamilton of HeplerBroom (St. Louis)
$6,200,000	10/1/2024	Wrongful Death	Vernon	Cathy Barham v. Sawyer Tire, Hankook Tire	John Schultz of Franke Schultz & Mullen (Kansas City); Chris Carpenter of DLA Piper (Atlanta, Georgia); Tim Millman of Berkowitz Oliver (Kansas City)
$0	10/9/2024	Motor Vehicle Collision	St. Louis County	Joseph Hall v. Judy Proot	Brandon B. Copeland of Watters Wolf Bub Hansmann (St. Louis)
$0	10/9/2024	Premises Liability	Jackson County Circuit Court at Independence (MO)	Roslyn T. Barnes v. Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company, et al.	Tracy J. Cowan, Karen M. Volkman and Vincent Gunter of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP (St. Louis)
$3,045,000	11/4/2024	Medical Malpractice	U.S. Western District of Missouri	Jill Nation v. Thomas E. Moore, DDS, Thomas E. Moore, DDS, P.C., Rock Dental Missouri, LLC	Ryan J. Niehaus (St. Louis) and Brian L. Burge (Overland Park, Kansas) of Sanders Warren and Russell; Robert Givens and BK Christopher Ms. of Horn Aylward & Bandy (Kansas City)
$2,600,000	11/8/2024	Medical Malpractice	St. Louis County	Gloria Merriweather v. Midwest Anesthesia Providers	Andrew M. Luther and Daniel M. Schmittgens of Luther & Associates (St. Louis); Lawrence R. Smith of Brinker & Doyen (St. Louis)
$0	11/15/2024	Medical Malpractice	Jasper	Alison Pendergrass, individually, as next friend of L.P. and as plaintiff ad litem for Billy Enochs v. Ali Internal Medicine Associates, Iftikhar Ali, M.D., Lester E. Cox Medical Centers, Springfield Neurological Institute, and Salim Rahman, M.D.	Catherine A. Reade and Randy R. Cowherd of Cowherd, Reade, Adair & Laney (Springfield); Brian Malkmus and Debra Gullet-Johnson of Malkmus Law (Springfield)
$4,540,994	11/15/2024	Medical Malpractice	Jasper	Alison Pendergrass, Individually, as Next Fried of L.P. and as Plaintiff Ad Litem for Billy Enochs v. Ali Internal Medicine Associates, PC, Iftikhar Ali, M.D., Lester E. Cox Medical Centers, Springfield Neurological Institute, and Salim Rahman, M.D.	Brian D. Malkmus and Debra L. Gullett-Johnson of Malkmus Law Firm (Springfield); Catherine Reade and Randy Cowherd of Cowherd, Reade, Adair & Laney (Springfield)
$0	12/12/2024	Motor Vehicle Collision	St. Louis County	Maurice Silas, Angela Gebert v. Ace Cab, Kelly Sabelhaus	Lawrence B. Wittels (St. Louis)
$0	12/13/2024	Employment	St. Louis County	Karla Allsberry v. Judge Patrick Flynn, Clerk Kathy Hall, Lincoln County Circuit Court	Joseph T. Neely of Behr, McCarter, Neely & Gabris (St. Louis)