Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jan 12, 2026
Appellants K.A.C. and Michael Crites, Jr. sued the Missouri State Highway Patrol for wrongful death after a pursued driver collided with and killed Connor Crites. The trial court granted summary judgment for MSHP, finding Appellants failed to establish proximate cause. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Appellants did not produce sufficient facts to prove MSHP's actions were the proximate cause of the collision, consistent with Supreme Court precedent that proximate cause cannot be based on speculation in police pursuit cases.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Dec 16, 2025
Mark and Sherry Davis, David and Denise Kamm, and Kevin Laughlin sued the City of Kearney for inverse condemnation, alleging soil erosion in their backyards due to the City's stormwater drainage system. The circuit court granted a directed verdict against Laughlin, finding no notice to the City of erosion on his property, but a jury found for the Davises and Kamms. On appeal, the Western District affirmed, holding that Laughlin failed to prove notice, and that the Davises and Kamms properly sought damages for a partial taking, not a total taking, which was supported by the evidence. The court also affirmed its appellate jurisdiction, rejecting arguments regarding judgment finality and timely appeal.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Nov 25, 2025
Tina Hursman sued the City of Sedalia for injuries sustained after falling on a city sidewalk. The circuit court granted summary judgment for the City, finding the sidewalk was not a dangerous condition and was open and obvious. The appellate court reversed and remanded, holding that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding whether the sidewalk constituted a dangerous condition, whether it was open and obvious, and whether the step caused Hursman's fall or the City had notice of the condition.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Oct 7, 2025
The Bank of Washington sued the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis (LCRA) and LCRA Holdings Corporation (LCRA Holdings) for breach of contract and tort claims related to property redevelopment agreements. The circuit court granted summary judgment to the defendants on all claims. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment on the breach of contract claims, finding the Bank's theories either unpled or contractually unsupported. However, the court reversed the summary judgment for LCRA Holdings on the tort claims, holding that LCRA Holdings failed to demonstrate it was entitled to sovereign immunity.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Aug 5, 2025
Claimants, recipients of Tort Victims Compensation Fund awards, sued the Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations Commission and the Division of Workers' Compensation after the Division paid only 40% of their approved claims, contending the payment calculation was erroneous. The circuit court denied relief, finding the suits barred by sovereign immunity and failure to exhaust administrative remedies, and alternatively, that the calculation was proper. The appellate court reversed the circuit court's conclusions on sovereign immunity and administrative exhaustion but affirmed the judgment that the Division's payment calculation was lawful.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jul 29, 2025
Michael Holmes, whose federal drug convictions were vacated due to police misconduct, obtained a $2.5 million civil rights judgment against the involved officers. He then sought a declaratory judgment that either the State or the City of St. Louis was obligated to indemnify the officers and pay the judgment, with the claim against the City previously remanded by the Supreme Court. The trial court granted summary judgment for the City, but the appellate court reversed that decision. The appellate court granted summary judgment for Holmes, holding that the Board of Police Commissioners, whose obligations the City inherited, had agreed to indemnify the officers through its policy and actions, thereby compelling the City to pay the judgment.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Jun 17, 2025
Joseph Weixeldorfer, a former employee of the Kansas City Fire Department, sued the City of Kansas City, Missouri, alleging unauthorized disclosure of medical information, negligence, and breach of contract. The trial court granted summary judgment for the City and denied Weixeldorfer's motion for leave to file a Fifth Amended Petition. The appellate court affirmed, finding no abuse of discretion in denying the amendments because the proposed new parties were time-barred and lacked proper notice, and the new legal theories for sovereign immunity and breach of contract lacked merit or were untimely raised.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / May 14, 2025
Terry Metcalf sued four government employees in their individual and official capacities for various torts, including malicious prosecution, negligence, and tortious interference, stemming from an audit and attempted prosecution related to his service on a road district board. The trial court dismissed all claims. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal, holding that Metcalf's claims were barred by sovereign immunity, official immunity, and the public duty doctrine, as he failed to establish any waiver of immunity or sufficiently plead exceptions.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Apr 29, 2025
Trent Berhow, an incarcerated person, sued the State of Missouri for injuries sustained after falling from a ladder at Western Missouri Correctional Center. The circuit court granted the State's renewed motion for judgment on the pleadings, finding Berhow's claim was barred by the statute of limitations. On appeal, the Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed, holding that the one-year statute of limitations for actions against the Department of Corrections also applies to suits against the State when the Department acts as its agent, preventing circumvention of the statute.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Apr 1, 2025
Robert and Susan Ferguson, along with other property owners, sued the City of Sunrise Beach for nuisance and negligence, alleging property damage from improperly treated wastewater discharged from the City's facility. The trial court denied the City's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict after a jury found for the property owners. The appellate court vacated the judgment and remanded the case, holding that inverse condemnation is the exclusive remedy for property damage claims against a public entity with eminent domain authority, even when framed as tort claims. The court allowed the property owners to amend their petition to assert inverse condemnation claims.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Mar 25, 2025
The City of St. Louis sought reimbursement from the State Legal Expense Fund (SLEF) for a $250,000 settlement paid to a plaintiff for discovery misconduct by the Attorney General's office and the Board of Police Commissioners. The trial court granted summary judgment for the City, finding it was entitled to reimbursement. The appellate court reversed, holding that the legally significant date for a SLEF claim is when the suit or claim is filed, not when the underlying conduct occurred, and the City's claim was filed after the statutory deadline for reimbursement.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Mar 18, 2025
The Department of Natural Resources sought a writ of prohibition to bar the circuit court from proceeding with a personal injury claim filed by Scott Frey, who was injured while biking on the Katy Trail. The circuit court had denied the department's motion for summary judgment, which asserted immunity under the Recreational Use Act. The Supreme Court of Missouri made its preliminary writ of prohibition permanent, holding that the Recreational Use Act protects the department from liability. The Court found that the department met the Act's immunity requirements and that no exceptions, including those for gross negligence or ultrahazardous conditions, applied. It also rejected the argument that the department could be held vicariously liable for its employees' actions, as employees acting on behalf of a landowner share the landowner's immunity regarding land conditions.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Feb 20, 2025
The Springfield R-XII School District sought a writ of mandamus after the trial court denied its motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a minor plaintiff alleging sexual assault on school premises. The plaintiff claimed the lack of surveillance cameras in a "blind spot" stairwell constituted a dangerous condition, thereby waiving the school district's sovereign immunity. The appellate court issued a permanent writ of mandamus, holding that the alleged lack of cameras and failure to supervise did not constitute a physical defect in property necessary to waive sovereign immunity under Section 537.600.1(2). The court directed the trial court to dismiss the plaintiff's petition with prejudice.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Dec 31, 2024
Mary Beth Fryman sued The Board of Regents of Southeast Missouri State University for premises liability and negligence after falling on stairs on the Board's property. The circuit court granted summary judgment to the Board, finding it immune from liability because Fryman's injury was not caused by an alleged dangerous condition of the stairs. The appellate court reversed, holding that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding causation, as Fryman's expert opined the stairs were defectively designed and caused her fall, despite her testimony of tripping on her own feet.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Dec 24, 2024
Physicians Choice Wellness Development, LLC appealed the circuit court's dismissal of its petition for damages against Mark Devore, the St. Louis County Collector of Revenue, for allegedly miscalculating tax sale redemption costs. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal, holding that the tort claims were barred by official immunity and the public duty doctrine because the calculation of redemption costs was a discretionary act. The court also found the promissory estoppel claim failed as it sought monetary damages, and the dismissal with prejudice was not an abuse of discretion given multiple opportunities to amend.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Dec 17, 2024
Willie Roark sued KC Pet Project for negligence after being bitten by a dog, alleging the organization failed to take adequate animal control enforcement action. A jury awarded Roark $200,000 in compensatory damages. On appeal, KC Pet Project raised arguments concerning the public duty doctrine, lack of contractual privity, and errors in jury instructions. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, finding that KC Pet Project failed to preserve any of its claims of error for appellate review by not raising them in timely motions for directed verdict and judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or by explicitly stating "no objection" to the jury instruction.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Nov 25, 2024
A minor student, J.S., sustained severe head injuries on school grounds. Her parents, A.S. and K.S., sued Willard Public Schools and several individual employees for negligence, premises liability, and emotional distress. The circuit court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss, finding the claims barred by sovereign and official immunity. The appellate court affirmed, concluding that the petition did not plead facts sufficient to waive sovereign immunity under the dangerous condition exception, nor did it establish that the individual employees failed to perform a ministerial duty, thus upholding official immunity.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Oct 29, 2024
Double AA Market, LLC, appealed the St. Louis City Board of Adjustment's denial of a conditional use permit for its convenience store. Appellant argued the Board's findings were insufficient, it acted outside its authority, its decision lacked substantial evidence, it constituted an unconstitutional taking, and Appellant was entitled to attorney fees. The appellate court affirmed the Board's decision, finding its findings sufficient, its denial supported by competent evidence, the takings claim unpreserved and meritless, and no basis for attorney fees.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Sep 27, 2024
The State of Missouri appealed the trial court's grant of Andrew T. Moore's motion to dismiss certain allegations of receiving stolen property. Moore's motion sought to dismiss conduct prior to January 1, 2017, arguing it was not a violation of the charged statute before that date. The appellate court dismissed the State's appeal, finding that the State failed to timely file its notice of appeal within the five-day statutory period mandated by section 547.200.4, thereby depriving the court of jurisdiction.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Sep 17, 2024
The City of St. Louis appealed the circuit court's summary judgment in favor of Ryan Bertels and Dana Hibbs, assistant attorneys general, on the City's professional malpractice claim. The City sought to recover $1.7 million paid in an underlying default judgment, arguing the attorneys failed to defend the Board of Police Commissioners. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment for the attorneys, holding they were entitled to official immunity for their discretionary acts in deciding how to defend the Board. However, the court reversed the circuit court's order taxing costs against the City, finding no statutory authority to assess costs against a municipality.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Sep 3, 2024
The City of St. Louis sought reimbursement from the State Legal Expense Fund (SLEF) for a judgment it paid on behalf of a city police officer. The trial court granted summary judgment for the City, ruling it was entitled to reimbursement. The State appealed, arguing the claim was not authorized by statute. The appellate court reversed, holding that SLEF liability is triggered by the date a claim is filed, not the date of the underlying conduct, and the claim in question was filed after SLEF liability for City police officers had terminated.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Aug 20, 2024
Patricia Nowell-Silman appealed the dismissal of her premises liability and wrongful death petition against the Missouri Veterans' Home (MVC) after her father, a resident, left the facility, fell, and died. She alleged a dangerous condition on MVC's property due to the lack of coded locks and resident monitors, which she claimed waived sovereign immunity. The appellate court affirmed the dismissal, holding that the absence of such devices did not constitute a physical defect in the property necessary to establish a dangerous condition under the sovereign immunity waiver statute.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jul 17, 2024
David Raymond Cady's next friends sued the City of Malden, a dispatcher, and an officer for wrongful death and negligent supervision after Cady committed suicide in jail. The trial court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss based on official immunity. The appellate court affirmed, holding that the duties of monitoring a prisoner and walking a prisoner to a cell were discretionary, not ministerial, and therefore the official immunity doctrine applied.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Jul 9, 2024
Benjamin Ramirez, on behalf of a putative class, sued the Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue and the State Treasurer for unjust enrichment, challenging the constitutionality of statutes authorizing certain court cost surcharges he paid. The circuit court granted summary judgment for the state officials, finding no constitutional violation. On appeal, the Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed the judgment, holding that sovereign immunity bars Ramirez's suit against the Director and Treasurer in their official capacities.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Jun 4, 2024
Austin Jarvis and Tonya Musskopf brought a wrongful death action against MHTC employees Michael Love, Gary Ludwick, Kristina Jordan, and James Henson, alleging they violated mandatory safety policies leading to the deaths of Kaitlyn Anderson and Jaxx Jarvis. The employees sought writs of prohibition after the circuit court partially denied their motions for judgment on the pleadings based on official immunity. The Supreme Court of Missouri made its preliminary writs permanent, holding that official immunity barred the claims because the employees' duties were discretionary, not ministerial, and the plaintiffs' allegations of malice were conclusory without factual support of intent to injure.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Apr 29, 2024
ACLU of Missouri and Luz Maria Henriquez appealed the dismissal of their Sunshine Law petition against the Maries County Sheriff's Office. The trial court dismissed the petition without prejudice, finding the Sheriff's Office was not an entity that could sue or be sued, and denied leave to amend the petition to name the Sheriff. The appellate court vacated the judgment and remanded with instructions, holding that the trial court abused its discretion by denying leave to amend without a justifying reason, especially since the proposed amendment would relate back and the Sheriff had notice of the action.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 23, 2024
Susan Hays prevailed on a Missouri Human Rights Act claim against the State of Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC), and the trial court applied a 1.5 multiplier to her attorneys' fees. DOC appealed, arguing that sovereign immunity barred the use of a multiplier. The appellate court dismissed the appeal, holding that DOC failed to preserve its sovereign immunity argument at the trial level and that sovereign immunity in this context is not a jurisdictional issue that can be raised for the first time on appeal. The court remanded the case for the trial court to determine and award Hays reasonable appellate attorneys' fees.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 9, 2024
Tony Woolfolk's family sued St. Louis County police officers for wrongful death after Woolfolk, a passenger, died in a high-speed police chase that ended in a crash. The trial court granted summary judgment for the officers, finding no duty, no proximate causation, and protection under official immunity and the public duty doctrine. The appellate court affirmed, holding that police officers do not owe a statutory or common law duty of care to voluntary passengers in a fleeing vehicle.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 9, 2024
Lauren Neil's family sued St. Louis County police officers after their decedent, Mikel Neil, died in a high-speed police chase. The trial court granted summary judgment for the officers, finding no duty owed, no proximate causation, and protection by official immunity and the public duty doctrine. The appellate court affirmed, holding that police officers do not owe a statutory or common law duty of care to fleeing motorists.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Apr 2, 2024
MO CANN Do, Inc. appealed an administrative decision denying its application for a medical marijuana cultivation license because it failed to submit a certificate of good standing. The Administrative Hearing Commission and the circuit court affirmed the denial. On transfer, the Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, holding that the application failed to meet minimum regulatory standards. The Court rejected arguments that the Department of Health and Senior Services waived the requirement or was equitably estopped from denying the application, emphasizing the high regulation of the marijuana industry.