Cantrell v. Christensen, United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

The case involved a rear end auto accident in March 2015 in the westbound lanes of NW Chipman Road near the intersection of NW Ward Road in Kansas City. Defendant admitted liability at trial but challenged the nature and extent of plaintiff’s damages. Plaintiff alleged a serious neck injury that would require a $214,000 surgery plus pain/suffering damages totaling a request for an award of over $500,000. In contrast, the defense presented argument through plaintiff’s medical records, the deposition of the ED physician and cross examination of plaintiff’s expert that plaintiff suffered nothing more than a cervical strain that resolved in eight weeks, culminating in total damages of $20,000. The jury awarded plaintiff $10,000. (Several months before trial, the defense won a partial dispositive motion regarding plaintiff’s failure to timely designate experts that resulted in a sanctions award of $12,956. Because of the previous sanctions award, plaintiff ultimately owed the defense $2,956 after trial.)

Tate v Dierks

In February 2019, Mike Kirkham obtained an unanimous defense verdict in a wrongful death trucking case in Jackson County, Missouri in which the pre-trial demand was $900,000. Plaintiff appealed on multiple grounds. After oral argument before the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District in October 2020, the Court affirmed the Judgment.