Results

Automobile Collision - $550,000 Settlement


Wrongful Death - $1.5 Million Judgment

Criminal- Man Acquitted of Attempting to Kill Officers by Jury
Two Sheriff’s Deputies accused my client of trying to kill them by allegedly grabbing one of the deputy’s service pistol and “attempting to dislodge it from the holster in order to shoot them.” The two (2) felonies were Class A Felony charges, carrying a range of punishment of up to 30 years or life in prison on each charge, a grim outlook for a 26 year old man with a fiancé and a six week old baby at the time of trial. Unwilling to accept any plea offer, my client wanted a jury trial. After two days of jury trial and having heard 15 witnesses testify for the State and for my client, the jury acquitted my client of the felonies. He went home to his family that night, and ultimately received misdemeanor probation.

Vicious Animal - $14,000 Settlement
My client was bitten by a neighbor’s dog. According to my client’s statements, the dog’s owner failed to maintain the dog as required by the city ordinance in the town where this occurred. Though not one of the more significant settlements I have reached for a client, it was very significant for the fact that the actual medical bills were only $800.00.

Accidental Shooting – Hunter shot during Turkey Season
This case is a reminder to anyone who hunts or owns a gun that any mistake with a weapon is always serious and has the potential to be fatal. My client in this case was merely turkey hunting when another hunter on an adjoining piece of property shot him because he “thought he was a turkey.”

Vexatious Refusal Damages v. Insurance Company
This was my first jury trial, and it was over about $4,000.00. I represented a company that owned a truck that was insured by the partner that drove the truck. The partner was driving down the highway during a storm when a power line pole fell across the truck. The insurance company offered to pay $4,000.00 to settle the claim originally, then decided that it would not for various reasons, claiming my client was trying to pull one on them by insuring the vehicle under a different name than the owner. In pursuing this case, we sued for “vexatious refusal” damages – essentially punitive damages against an insured’s insurance company –, for the damage to the truck, and for attorney fees. The jury awarded my client close to $9,000.00, finding that the insurance company had wrongfully denied the claim without a justifiable reason. My client would have settled for less than the original offer.

Mobile Home Sales – Unfair Practices
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office actually got involved in one of these cases after we were able to convince the mobile home dealer to settle with my client. The cases that I have handled are pretty similar: a person puts down money on a mobile home, then is unable to purchase the home. The mobile home company then claims that their contract allows them to keep any monies that were deposited, sometimes very substantial sums, even though they still have the mobile home sitting on their lot ready to sell to another buyer.

Criminal – Man Acquitted by Jury
The State had alleged that my client had ridden to another individual’s house, got out of the car, and damaged one of the vehicles sitting on the property. He was charged with destruction of property and trespassing. The State actually dismissed one of these charges before trial and tried to prove my client was an accomplice on the other charge, and therefore should be convicted. The jury acquitted him after an hour of deliberation.

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