Baker Sterchi Member Jon Benevides has been appointed co-chair of the ALFA International (ALFA) Transportation Practice Group’s Third-Party Events Committee. The committee collaborates with ALFA headquarters to plan high-caliber networking events for ALFA attorneys and clients at key transportation industry conferences, including the DRI Trucking Seminar, the ABA Transportation Mega Conference and the TIDA Annual Seminar.
Based in Kansas City, Benevides represents transportation carriers and their insurers in commercial motor vehicle accident cases and advises on various other legal matters in the trucking industry. He serves on the steering committee of ALFA’s Transportation Practice Group and contributes regularly to its…
Continue Reading Jon Benevides Appointed Co-Chair of ALFA Transportation Third-Party Events Committee

ABSTRACT: With the rise in electronic payment methods and scams targeting unsuspecting account holders, 2024 has seen an uptick in EFTA-related litigation. This post examines what the case law says so far and potential rules that would upend these holdings.

As the holiday season arrives, we are reminded of the ever-growing instances of fraudulent schemes against consumers. In the past year or so, we have seen instances of litigation where impacted parties attempted to seek recourse under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) or the UCC when a consumer is scammed by a bad actor. Below is a review of…
Continue Reading Fraud Fallout: Navigating Scams and Potential Recourse under the EFTA

ABSTRACT: Juries in Cook County, Illinois are awarding increasingly frequent “nuclear verdicts” for plaintiffs in toxic tort and asbestos litigation, highlighting challenges and dangers faced by businesses defending claims to verdict. We examine recent case rulings and verdicts to share insight into how the Cook County landscape is continuing to evolve to favor plaintiffs.

Continuing the trends we saw in 2023, this year Cook County, Illinois jurors awarded a pair of “nuclear” verdicts in toxic tort asbestos cases. In April 2024, a Cook County jury awarded $45 million to the estate of Theresa Garcia where the plaintiff alleged that Ms.
Continue Reading Nuclear Summer: Cook County, Illinois Juries Breaking the Bank in Toxic Tort Claims

Our St. Louis or Belleville office has an opportunity for an associate with at least two years of experience in all phases of commercial litigation. View the job description here.
Continue Reading Litigation Associate, St. Louis or Belleville

Baker Sterchi member Kara Stubbs has been invited to serve as a faculty member of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA) Ross T. Roberts Trial Academy at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. On December 4, she will present a session covering direct and cross-examination of lay witnesses.
Stubbs has extensive product liability experience, particularly in defending pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. She serves as co-chair of Baker Sterchi’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Practice Group and frequently authors papers and speaks at national conferences on topics relevant to these industries. She is a past chair…
Continue Reading Kara Stubbs to Serve as Faculty Member at Ross T. Roberts Trial Academy

Patrick Franken has joined Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office as an associate. His practice focuses on business, construction, and surety and fidelity law.
Prior to joining the firm, he spent five years as an Assistant District Attorney in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked in the Drug and Gun Units, handling non-fatal shooting cases and conducting nearly 30 jury trials.
Franken earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Admitted to practice in Wisconsin, his Missouri law license is pending.
Continue Reading Patrick Franken Joins Baker Sterchi in Kansas City

ABSTRACT: The Missouri Court of Appeals held that while a defendant’s speed at the time of a motor vehicle accident is, of course, relevant to a showing of negligence, the trial court’s admission of evidence of the defendant’s participation in an unrelated street race was erroneous and prejudicial.

In Childers v. Williams, the Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals had occasion to review the standard for the admissibility of evidence of pre-accident speeding in a vehicle collision case. The Court applied existing Missouri precedent, that “evidence of a driver’s speed is relevant to a collision if it relates…
Continue Reading Missouri Court of Appeals Finds a Trial Court Abused Its Discretion by Admitting Evidence of a Prior, Unrelated Street Race.

ABSTRACT: As unionization efforts grow among healthcare professionals, including physicians, employers must stay informed about evolving labor laws and NLRB developments. Proactive engagement, such as reviewing restrictive covenants, can help maintain a stable workforce.

As we have already reported, NLRB may as well stand for “No Longer Relegated to the Backburner.” Unions and the National Labor Relations Board are active all across the country and in all types of industries. The healthcare industry is no exception. These changes go beyond impacting the nursing staff or environmental services staff; they are affecting physicians as well. Recently, the National Labor Relations Board…
Continue Reading Healthcare Unionization: Navigating the New Labor Landscape

On Dec. 4, Baker Sterchi Member Philip Sumner will serve as a panelist at the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Focus Conference in New York City. The session, “Assessing Reform Efforts on Time-Limited Demands in Key Bad Faith Jurisdictions,” will cover strategies for leveraging statutory defenses in time-limited demand cases and identifying potential pitfalls and loopholes that could challenge insurers.
Sumner’s practice focuses on the defensing insurers and their insureds in a variety of matters, including construction defects, product liability, personal injury and premises liability. He is a member of CLM’s Construction Claims Committee and also serves on the…
Continue Reading Philip Sumner to Serve as Panelist at CLM Focus Conference

Our Kansas City office has an opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled technical training and support specialist with at least five years of technology support experience. View the job description here.
Continue Reading Technical Training and Support Specialist, Kansas City