{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"douglas-overfield","displayName":"Douglas Overfield","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappd:ed112272:2024-12-10","opinionId":"e84df2dc-4862-538e-8c71-663dad7d5664","slug":"douglas-overfield-respondent-v-bnsf-railway-company-appellant-112272","caseName":"Douglas Overfield, Respondent, v. BNSF Railway Company, Appellant.","caseNumber":"ED112272","court":"moappd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District","decisionDate":"2024-12-10","year":2024,"display_summary":"Douglas Overfield, a locomotive engineer, sued BNSF Railway Company under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) for injuries sustained when his reflective vest snagged on a door handle. A jury awarded Overfield $2.75 million. BNSF appealed, arguing the verdict director was improper due to disjunctive bases lacking substantial evidence and constituting a roving commission, and that the trial court erred in refusing a withdrawal instruction. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment, finding no instructional error as the verdict director was supported by substantial evidence and was not a roving commission, and the withdrawal instruction was properly refused.","primaryTopic":"negligence","topicSlugs":["negligence","jury-instructions","appellate-procedure","personal-injury","civil-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"unknown","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=215295","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/douglas-overfield-respondent-v-bnsf-railway-company-appellant-112272","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"personal-injury","label":"Personal Injury","href":"/practice-areas/personal-injury","score":32,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: personal-injury","topic: personal-injury","topic: negligence"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/personal-injury"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: jury-instructions","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"respondent"}]}