Our Accomplishments

St. Louis injury lawyer Stephen Schultz is proud of what he has achieved in a comprehensive range of practice areas, including auto and tractor-trailer collisions, premise liability, and personal injury cases.  Our record of accepting referrals from other attorneys across Missouri and the United States has brought recognition to our firm's ability in handling complex and catastrophic injury cases.  Because many of our victories are executed under "court seal" (confidential), it would be a violation of these agreements to openly discuss case details. However, following is a mere snapshot of a few of our recent accomplishments. Additional case details and client testimonials are available upon request.

Bernard v. D & D Beverage et al.

Case Disposition:  Lawsuit filed, $190,000 pre-trial settlement achieved
Cause(s) of Action:  Premises Liability, Negligence, Respondeat Superior
Facts:  Client was a restaurant employee. Upon entering the restaurant's walk-in cooler, she was injured by a full keg of beer that was negligently stacked by a beer distribution company. Client recovered under her employer's workers' compensation coverage, but also had a viable cause of action against the distributor itself.
Comment:  Most of the time if an employee is injured while acting in the course and scope of his/her employment, the sole remedy is workers' compensation. However, on occasion that worker will have a third-party negligence action against a wrongdoer other than the employer. In this case, the distributor was partially to blame for the injuries sustained. Therefore our client was entitled to recovery under workers' compensation laws AND negligence attributable to the distributor.

Escalante v. Pollard

Case Disposition:  Lawsuit filed, pre-trial settlement for the policy limits of available insurance
Cause(s) of Action:  Wrongful Death, Negligence, Assault, Battery
Facts:  18-month old boy dropped off at a home daycare operated by defendant. Later on that day, the young boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital and was treated for almost three full days before he passed away. The coroner and physicians determined that his death was attributable to Shaken Baby Syndrome (SKS), brought about by the defendants.
Comment:  The facts of this case are tragic in so many respects and received both local and national media coverage. Archived media coverage is available at KMOV's website.  Criminal charges have also been brought against the defendant in this case.

Marland v. Wilson

Case Disposition:  Settlement reached for the policy limits of available insurance
Cause(s) of Action:  Negligence, Negligence per se
Facts:  Client was injured when her vehicle was crashed into from behind. Although there was never a police report made because damage to the vehicles was minimal, our firm was able to argue liability and settle this matter prior to filing a lawsuit for the full policy limits of insurance available to the defendant.
Comment:  It is always good measure to call police and demand that a crash report be made on the scene. Evidence will be obtained by the reporting police officer, which will include any witness statements, insurance information, conditions at the scene, and even the police officer's opinion on what circumstances contributed to cause the crash itself. Sometimes people have a tendency not to report accidents to police when damage to the cars is minimal. This is a mistake! Getting the police involved in each and every collision is the best way to protect yourself from fraud or an obtuse insurance company later on down the line.

Crittendon v. Parties Liable

Case Disposition:  Lawsuit filed, confidential pre-trial settlement achieved
Cause(s) of Action:  Premises Liability, Negligence
Facts:  A man was injured when he was filling up his truck at a fuel island and slipped on ice and snow that were not properly removed by the gas station owner. The defense attorney argued that the station owner did not have a duty to remove naturally accumulating snow and ice. Despite this argument, the case was settled prior to trial for a confidential amount.
Comment:  Slip and fall is a species of premises liability law. In Missouri, the duty that is owed to a patron of a business depends upon the classification of that patron. To learn more about premises liability, visit our website's premises liability resource center.

Hughes v. Hill

Case Disposition:  $50,000 settlement achieved
Cause(s) of Action:  Negligence, Negligence per se
Facts:  A woman and her young daughter were on their way home when another vehicle being driven by the defendant crossed the center line and crashed into our clients. Our client's vehicle sustained severe property damage and was eventually determined a total loss. The defendant was a relatively new driver and failed to properly obey the Missouri statutory "rules of the road".
Comment:  Many of our clients involved in car crashes are struck either from behind or head-on by a car crossing the center line of the road. It is important to always practice defensive driving techniques and anticipate that other drivers can and will cross over into your lane of traffic for reasons as common as using a cell phone or lighting a cigarette. Being inattentive is a common reason for the cause of vehicular collisions in Missouri, so PAY ATTENTION to the road and anticipate that other drivers don't.

Reyes v. Warrenton Oil Company

Case Disposition:  Lawsuit filed, confidential pre-trial settlement achieved
Cause(s) of Action:  Premises Liability, Negligence
Facts:  While walking out of a convenient store and gas station, our client slipped on ice and badly injured her leg. The defendant's insurance carrier refused to settle the case and we were forced to file a lawsuit in order to obtain fair compensation. Shortly after filing suit and proceeding through discovery, an exceptional confidential settlement was reached.
Comment:  Our firm will always make a good faith effort to effectuate a settlement prior to filing suit. Obtaining a fair settlement prior to filing suit benefits our clients and brings a speedy resolution to a stressful set of circumstances. However, in cases such as these where the defendant's insurance company is being unfair, we act accordingly by bringing a cause of action in the appropriate jurisdiction.

Looking for additional documentation of the victories achieved by our St. Louis injury lawyers?  Contact attorney Stephen Schultz by calling (314) 448-0934 and your request will be handled personally.