Supreme Court of Missouri / Feb 11, 2025
Carrie S. Schultz and Robert C. Schultz, Sr., surviving parents of Robert C. Schultz, Jr., deceased, Respondents, vs. Great Plains Trucking, Inc. and Lennis H. Beck, Appellants.
Carrie S. Schultz and Robert C. Schultz, Sr., parents of Robert C. Schultz, Jr., brought a wrongful death action against Great Plains Trucking, Inc. and Lennis H. Beck after their son died in a collision with Beck's truck. A jury awarded the plaintiffs compensatory and aggravating circumstances damages. On appeal, defendants challenged the exclusion of expert testimony, the participation of separate counsel, the submission of a jury instruction on careful lookout, and the sufficiency of evidence for aggravating circumstances damages. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, finding that defendants either failed to preserve their claims of error or that their preserved claims lacked merit.