Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Mar 12, 2026
Paul and Jacqueline Metzger obtained summary judgment for a prescriptive easement over a portion of a paved driveway located between their home and their neighbors, Wayne and Kathy Morelock. The Morelocks appealed, challenging the summary judgment on two points: that the elements for a prescriptive easement were not met, and that the trial court erred in considering an affidavit. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, finding that the undisputed facts established the prescriptive easement and that the affidavit was properly considered.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Feb 24, 2026
Christopher Hanshaw sued Crown Equipment Corporation, alleging a forklift was defectively designed and caused his injuries. The circuit court excluded Hanshaw's expert witness, finding his testimony lacked reliable methodology, and subsequently granted summary judgment for Crown Equipment. The appellate court affirmed, concluding that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the expert, and without that testimony, no genuine issue of material fact remained to preclude summary judgment.
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, Eastern District / Dec 23, 2025
Karla Allsberry, a former circuit clerk, sued Judge Patrick Flynn and his secretary Kathy Hall for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the Circuit Court of Lincoln County (CCLC) for sex discrimination and retaliation under the MHRA. The trial court granted summary judgment on defamation, directed verdicts on the MHRA claims, and a jury verdict for Flynn on IIED. The appellate court affirmed all judgments, finding no evidence of actual malice for defamation, that the State of Missouri (not CCLC) was Allsberry's employer for MHRA purposes, and that the jury instruction on IIED's "sole purpose" element was a correct statement of law. It also found Allsberry's claims of trial error regarding attorney misconduct were not preserved.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Dec 9, 2025
Michael F. Shanahan, Jr. sued Spencer Fane LLP, alleging legal malpractice, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent inducement, negligent misrepresentation, and fraudulent nondisclosure related to his investment in a car dealership. Shanahan claimed Spencer Fane misrepresented his GM approval status and failed to disclose his lack of approval. The trial court granted summary judgment for Spencer Fane on all claims, which Shanahan appealed. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment, finding Shanahan failed to produce evidence of an attorney-client relationship, an affirmative misrepresentation, or a duty to speak.
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, Western District / Oct 21, 2025
Clay Chastain appealed pro se from a trial court's summary judgment in favor of the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and its officials, in a case alleging malicious arrest, malicious prosecution, and election interference. The appellate court dismissed the appeal without reaching the merits. The dismissal was based on Chastain's brief substantially failing to comply with numerous mandatory provisions of Rule 84.04, despite having been warned of deficiencies in an earlier filing.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Oct 14, 2025
The City of Creve Coeur appealed the circuit court's grant of summary judgment in favor of DirecTV, LLC, and other streaming service providers. Creve Coeur sought Video Service Provider (VSP) fees, arguing the providers fell under the Video Service Provider Act (VSPA) and were unjustly enriched. The appellate court affirmed, holding that a 2024 amendment to VSPA clarified its original meaning, excluding streaming content, thus no VSP fees were owed and no constitutional violation occurred, nor was there a basis for unjust enrichment.
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 / Oct 7, 2025
Hernandez Campbell sued Adecco USA, Inc., alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) related to employment background checks. The trial court granted summary judgment for Adecco on Campbell's disclosure and authorization claims. On appeal, Campbell raised four points, challenging the trial court's reliance on affidavits, the existence of a genuine issue of material fact regarding the provision of a consumer notification, the clarity and conspicuousness of the notification, and the dismissal with prejudice. The Western District affirmed the trial court's judgment, finding no error in its rulings on the affidavits, Campbell's failure to properly support his factual assertions, and the merits-based disposition.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Aug 26, 2025
Rayne Littlefield sued the Norman Rigdon Post 5896, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), alleging sex discrimination and retaliation under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA). The circuit court granted summary judgment for VFW, finding it exempt from the MHRA as a bona fide private membership club. On appeal, Littlefield argued that VFW's public events and advertising negated its exempt status. The appellate court affirmed, holding as a matter of first impression that VFW's public activities do not, by themselves, alter its status as a bona fide private membership club, thus exempting it from MHRA liability.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Aug 19, 2025
Jennifer Kubinak, a 64-year-old woman, appealed the circuit court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Southeast Missouri State University on her claims of age discrimination, sex discrimination, and retaliation under the Missouri Human Rights Act. Kubinak alleged she was paid less than similarly situated male and younger employees and that the University retaliated against her after she filed a discrimination charge. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment, finding that Kubinak failed to present admissible evidence or properly support her denials and additional facts as required by Rule 74.04(c)(2) to create a genuine issue of material fact for any of her claims.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jul 29, 2025
Lucas Wilkinson sued Farmers Holding Companies d/b/a Capital Sand, Inc. for violating Missouri's service letter statute after his employment was terminated. The trial court granted summary judgment for the employer. The appellate court reversed and remanded, holding that the employer failed to meet its threshold burden for summary judgment by not properly pleading an affirmative defense as required by Rule 55.08, instead merely asserting facts in its motion.
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, Southern District / Jul 23, 2025
A.O. sued Lester E. Cox Medical Centers and CoxHealth for negligent hiring, retention, supervision, and failure to protect, after a certified medical assistant allegedly sexually assaulted her during an allergic reaction observation. The trial court granted summary judgment for the defendants, finding A.O. failed to present competent medical expert testimony to establish the standard of care for her medical negligence claims. The appellate court affirmed, agreeing that A.O.'s claims required medical expert testimony, which she failed to provide, and that summary judgment for one defendant properly disposed of claims against all.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jul 22, 2025
Tabernacle Community Development Corporation purchased a property at a sheriff's sale under the Municipal Land Reutilization Law (MLRL). The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) had previously recorded a lien on the property for unpaid sewer bills, pursuant to one of its ordinances. Tabernacle filed a quiet title action to extinguish the MSD lien, arguing the MLRL supersedes the MSD ordinance. The trial court granted summary judgment for Tabernacle, and the appellate court affirmed, holding that the MLRL statute prevails over the MSD ordinance and extinguishes the lien.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jul 15, 2025
Richard Hershey sued the Curators of the University of Missouri and four individual employees, alleging violations of the Campus Free Expression Act (CFEA). The circuit court dismissed claims against the individual defendants and granted summary judgment for the University. The appellate court affirmed, holding that the CFEA does not authorize a cause of action against individuals in their individual capacities and that Hershey's appellate brief failed to properly challenge the summary judgment by not connecting arguments to the summary judgment record.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jun 17, 2025
Stephen L. Benner appealed the trial court's denial of his amended motion to dismiss, which challenged the subject matter jurisdiction to revive a judgment in favor of J & M Securities, LLC. The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. It held that the denial of the amended motion to dismiss was not an appealable order, and Benner failed to timely appeal the underlying judgment of revival, which had become final.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jun 17, 2025
Kyle D. Becker sued Thomas M. Schenk for personal injuries sustained during an amateur ice hockey game, specifically a broken wrist. The circuit court granted summary judgment for Schenk, concluding Becker had assumed the risk of injury. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, affirmed the judgment, holding that Becker expressly assumed the risk of breaking a bone by signing a clear and unambiguous liability waiver. The court also found that Becker impliedly assumed the inherent risks of playing ice hockey.
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, Eastern District / Jun 3, 2025
Ashley Dill sued Jason Hale and AutoCenters Bonne Terre, LLC, alleging claims related to a vehicle purchase. Defendants moved to compel arbitration, which the trial court denied, finding the arbitration agreement lacked consideration and was not signed by all parties. The appellate court affirmed the denial of arbitration as to Defendant Hale, but reversed the denial as to Defendant AutoCenters. The court held that the arbitration agreement was supported by consideration from the contemporaneously signed installment contract and was enforceable against AutoCenters despite its lack of signature on the arbitration agreement itself. The case was remanded for further proceedings consistent with the opinion.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Jun 3, 2025
Savana Atkisson, a female corrections officer, sued the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) for sex discrimination and hostile work environment under the MHRA, alleging that a new gender announcement policy enabled offender sexual harassment. The trial court granted summary judgment to the DOC on both claims. On appeal, Atkisson challenged only the hostile work environment claim. The appellate court affirmed the summary judgment, finding that Atkisson failed to challenge an independent basis for the trial court's decision, specifically the finding that the DOC took appropriate remedial action in response to the alleged harassment.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / May 28, 2025
Plaintiffs, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 702, sued the City of Poplar Bluff for breach of a collective bargaining agreement. They claimed the City breached the agreement by not hiring Union member Quinton Tillman for a Water Plant Operator position, instead hiring Daniel Sparks. The trial court granted summary judgment for the City. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Sparks was an employee covered by the agreement and thus Tillman was not the only eligible internal applicant, negating the claim for job preference.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / May 15, 2025
Janette Whitlow sued Curtis Whitlow, Twajana Moss, and Tammy Henry for unjust enrichment, alleging they were enriched by her contributions to the acquisition of a family farm. The trial court granted summary judgment for the respondents, concluding Whitlow's claim was time-barred by the statute of limitations. The Southern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals vacated the judgment and remanded the case, holding that the respondents failed to properly plead the statute of limitations as an affirmative defense in their answer as required by Rule 55.08.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Apr 29, 2025
Fletcher Automotive No. 28, LLC, appealed the trial court's judgment granting summary judgment to RFJ Auto Properties, LLC, in a dispute over a commercial lease's termination date. The trial court had certified its judgment as final for appeal under Rule 74.01(b). The appellate court, however, determined it lacked jurisdiction because the trial court's judgment was not a final, appealable judgment, as it did not dispose of a distinct judicial unit. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 22, 2025
Jeremy and Stephanie Scott sued Farm Bureau Town and Country Insurance Co. of Missouri, seeking coverage and indemnification for a car accident, alleging their policy was in effect. Farm Bureau moved for summary judgment, claiming it had non-renewed the policy by mailing notice. The Scotts denied receiving notice and argued Farm Bureau's notice method did not comply with statutory requirements. The appellate court reversed the summary judgment, finding genuine issues of material fact regarding whether the notice of non-renewal was properly sent as required by law.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 22, 2025
Gregory F.X. Daly, the Collector of Revenue for the City of St. Louis, appealed a circuit court judgment that found Mary Anne Helmsing's income from several limited liability companies was not subject to the City's earnings tax. The Collector argued Helmsing was precluded from challenging the taxes due to failure to pay under protest and that her income was taxable. The appellate court affirmed, holding that Helmsing was not precluded from challenging the taxes and that her income as a non-active limited partner was not "earned" income subject to the City's earnings tax.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Apr 1, 2025
Christopher Hanshaw sued Crown Equipment Corporation after a forklift accident resulted in the amputation of his leg, alleging defective design. The circuit court excluded Hanshaw's expert witness, finding him unqualified and his opinions unreliable, and subsequently granted summary judgment to Crown. The appellate court reversed, concluding that the expert was qualified and his opinions regarding the lack of a door as a design defect were reliable. The case was remanded for further proceedings on Hanshaw's product defect claims.
Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Apr 1, 2025
Appellants William and Jennifer Sandbach sued KMS-KFC, LLC, and KFC Corporation, Inc., alleging various torts after a confrontation with employees, during which security video evidence was destroyed. After the trial court granted summary judgment on most counts in the underlying case, Appellants filed an independent lawsuit for spoliation of evidence. The appellate court affirmed the circuit court's dismissal of the spoliation action, holding that Missouri does not recognize an independent cause of action for spoliation of evidence, and also denied Respondents' request for damages for a frivolous appeal.
Supreme Court of Missouri / Apr 1, 2025
Ethel Barry Masters filed a replevin claim against Jacob Dawson to recover vehicles he possessed after his father's death. The circuit court granted partial summary judgment to Masters on possession and later entered a default judgment for damages, cancelling Dawson's jury trial due to his failure to appear at a pretrial conference and a pattern of obstructive behavior. On appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, holding that Dawson's constitutional claims regarding the right to a jury trial were unpreserved and that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in sanctioning him.