{"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 Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"joseph-g-schwermer-and-joshua-r-elam","displayName":"Joseph G. Schwermer, and Joshua R. Elam","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappwd:wd87371:2025-04-01","opinionId":"93c368b1-17b3-5ec0-9f44-6751d65b2f02","slug":"carrie-l-gruhn-and-izeck-k-mccown-by-next-friend-carrie-l-gruhn-v-joseph-d87371","caseName":"Carrie L. Gruhn and Izeck K. McCown, By Next Friend Carrie L. Gruhn\nvs.\nJoseph G. Schwermer, and Joshua R. Elam","caseNumber":"WD87371","court":"moappwd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District","decisionDate":"2025-04-01","year":2025,"display_summary":"Carrie L. Gruhn and Izeck K. McCown, mother and child of a decedent, brought wrongful-death claims against Joshua Elam, a passenger in an ATV accident that killed the decedent. The circuit court dismissed the claim against Elam for failure to state a claim, finding no duty was pleaded. The appellate court affirmed, holding that the plaintiffs' amended petition failed to allege facts establishing Elam voluntarily undertook a duty to protect the decedent under Restatement (Second) of Torts § 323. The court also found the appeal was timely despite an initial interlocutory judgment.","primaryTopic":"negligence","topicSlugs":["negligence","wrongful-death","civil-procedure","appellate-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=218954","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/carrie-l-gruhn-and-izeck-k-mccown-by-next-friend-carrie-l-gruhn-v-joseph-d87371","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"wrongful-death","label":"Wrongful Death","href":"/practice-areas/wrongful-death","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: wrongful-death"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/wrongful-death"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":11,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: civil-procedure","topic: appellate-procedure","fallback litigation route behind specific injury signal"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"},{"slug":"personal-injury","label":"Personal Injury","href":"/practice-areas/personal-injury","score":11,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: personal-injury","topic: negligence","fallback personal-injury route behind specific injury signal"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/personal-injury"}],"role":"respondent"}]}