Practice Area

Premises and Retail Liability

Businesses and landowners face risk management challenges ranging from slip-and-fall accidents to violent crimes on their premises. Our Premises and Retail Liability practice group represents some of the largest retail chains in the Midwest, as well as many of the major shopping centers and landlords in the St. Louis region.

A number of our lawyers have argued cases leading to precedent-setting appellate court decisions in the State of Missouri outlining the duties and responsibilities of landowners to their business invitees. These cases include the general duty of a landowner or business owner to tenants and business invitees on the premises and the duty of a business invitee to protect invitees on the premises from third-party criminal acts.

Our attorneys have experience using pre-trial motions to successfully obtain dismissals of cases that, if allowed to go to a jury, would have exposed owners and occupiers to multimillion-dollar verdicts. Our advocacy in establishing a legal duty on the part of the landowner has resulted in the law becoming more favorable for landowners in Missouri.

Our experience includes the following types of cases:

  • False arrest
  • Malicious prosecution
  • Slip and fall
  • Injury
  • Death
  • Sexual assault

In addition, the firm represents organizations and entities such as day care centers and youth camps in matters related to allegations of failure to supervise and sexual molestation by employees.

Recent Cases

  • Obtained a defense verdict in a premises liability case in the City of St. Louis in which the last pre-trial settlement demand was in the amount of $1.5 million.
  • Obtained a defense verdict for the owner of a gymnastics facility accused of failing to supervise a child who was injured using the gym’s equipment.
  • Secured a defense verdict in a slip and fall case in Jersey County, Ill. Plaintiff claimed to have slipped in a puddle on the floor. Testimony revealed he saw workers with a mop in hand and walked past a wet floor sign.
  • Obtained a jury verdict in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County on behalf of a major retailer in a premises liability case involving extensive allegations of injury.
  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a major retailer on a slip and fall case, using the open and obvious hazard defense.
  • Secured the dismissal of numerous security guard defendants from a series of workplace shooting suits.