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Administrative-State Legal Expense Fund-Obligation to Pay Defense Costs
Staff Report//April 29, 2026//
Defendants appealed the grant of summary judgment for plaintiffs, who were contracted by a county health department to provide medical care to indigent patients, in their action seeking coverage of their defense costs in a medical malpractice lawsuit from the State Legal Expense Fund
Where the trial court did not rely on facts outside the record but instead cited defendants’ admissions and concessions, there was sufficient evidence to support granting summary judgment because plaintiffs met the qualifications for SLEF coverage and were not precluded from coverage under the malpractice insurance exclusion.
Judgment is affirmed.
Vollmar v. Hanaway (MLW No. 84673/Case No. WD88234 – 13 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, Hardwick, J.) Appealed from circuit court, Jackson County, Burnett, J. (Emily A. Dodge, Jefferson City for appellants) (Charles W. Hatfield and Alixandra Cossett, Jefferson City; and Paulina L. Escobar, Kansas City for respondents)
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