From soup to nuts. From A to Z. Choose the appropriate idiom of your liking. For more than 30 years, our product liability practice group has handled cases involving such a vast number of products that we have almost lost count. Representing multi-national and national companies in complex litigation throughout the country, BSCR has acquired a reputation as one of the go-to law firms in this area because of our successful defense of manufacturers, distributors and sellers of nearly every type of product imaginable - from household goods to medical equipment to airplanes to industrial machinery. Not many firms can say the same.

Our reputation is deserved. With cost efficiency as one our hallmarks, we establish a strategy early in the process, which is derived from our combined years of experience in the business industries we serve. Using state-of-the art electronic discovery techniques we avoid costly fishing expeditions. And by meticulously preparing for trial with a winning attitude from day one, we’re putting our client in control whether in the courtroom or in a conference room.

Just a few examples of the industries our firm has represented in product liability matters are: aerospace, automotive, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, retail, and trucking.

Our attorneys have extensive experience handling class action and multidistrict litigation, which is immensely important in product liability litigation.

Some of the firm's attorneys are members of The Product Liability Advisory Council and several other national and international defense organizations, including being recognized as leading product liability attorneys internationally by the International Who’s Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers.

For more information about our Product Liability practice contact Executive Committee Member Thomas N. Sterchi at 816.448.9310.

News & Events

Stubbs to Serve as Vice-Chair of ALFA Product Liability Practice Group

01.17.13 | Kara Stubbs was extended an invitation to serve as Vice-Chair of ALFA International’s Product Liability Practice Group. Stubbs will service as Vice-Chair of the group for the next three years. . .

Stubbs Appointed to ALFA ICS Program Committee

06.21.12 | Kara Stubbs has been appointed to serve on ALFA International’s Client Seminar Program Committee. The committee is comprised of attorneys from seven different ALFA firms representing seven different ALFA practice groups. . .

Rice Authors Article to be Published in ALFA Product Liability Newsletter

12.20.11 | Thomas Rice’s submission of an article regarding a recent product liability decision rendered by the Kansas Supreme Court will be published in the upcoming February/March edition of the ALFA Product Liability Practice Group’s Newsletter. The February/March edition of the newsletter is the group’s annual “Year in Review” issue, which comprises of case notes from the highest court of each state dealing with product issues from 2011.

Stubbs and Cowden to Participate in ALFA Product Liability Seminar

09.26.11 | Kara Stubbs and John Cowden participated in the recent ALFA Product Liability Seminar held in Nashville, TN. Stubbs was the program chair and Cowden participated on a breakout session panel entitled “Juror Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Corporate Defendants” at the 2011 ALFA Product Liability Seminar. . .

Stubbs Serves as Regional Editor for Product Liability Compendium

03.24.11 | Kara Stubbs is currently serving as a Regional Editor for the 2011 ALFA Product Liability Compendium. The Compendium will cover laws and significant developments on topics selected by the ALFA Product Liability practice group and will be published in advance of the group’s seminar scheduled for this Fall. . .

Stubbs Selected as 2011 Product Liability Program Chair

12.01.10 | Kara Trouslot Stubbs has been selected as the 2011 ALFA Product Liability Practice Group Program Chair. The Product Liability Practice Group seminar will take place in Nashville, September 21-23, 2011 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel.

Rice and Stubbs to Co-Author Chapters of PLAC 50 State Survey

08.30.10 | Tom Rice and Kara Stubbs have been asked by the Child Product SLG to co-author the Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska chapters of a 50 state survey on parental negligence as a defense to a child's recovery for presentation at the 2011 DRI Product Liability Conference.

BSCR Attorneys Prepare and File PLAC Amicus Brief with Missouri Supreme Court

06.03.10 | At the request of the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), Tom Rice, Angela Higgins and Bryan Mouber prepared and filed with the Missouri Supreme Court an amicus brief on behalf of Ford Motor Company. The primary focus of the amicus brief addressed whether Missouri law on proximate cause allows a plaintiff to argue in a product liability case that she would not have purchased the product in question (five years before her accident) had the manufacturer provided her with "adequate" warnings about the product's safety performance during an accident.

Results

Dismissal Obtained for Component Part Manufacturer in Commercial Airline Crash Case

In this action, survivors of a commercial airline crash in Chile filed numerous claims in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas for physical and emotional damages alleging the crash was caused by a defective deicing system. BSCR obtained a dismissal of all claims against our client, a deicing component part manufacturer, following minimal discovery and mediation with no payment by our client.

BSCR Procures Dismissal for Component Part Manufacturer in Airplane Crash Case

BSCR successfully procured the dismissal of our component part manufacturing client in an action involving claimed defects in a component part allegedly causing the crash of a single engine aircraft and death of the pilot. The no-payment dismissal was procured by BSCR in this Rutherford County, Tennessee case prior to the close of discovery.

Summary Judgment Entered in Favor of BSCR Client in Wrongful Death Product Liability Action

BSCR obtained summary judgment for our client, the manufacturer of a GPS system, in a wrongful death product liability action filed in Jefferson County, Missouri. Plaintiff alleged the manufacturer’s GPS unit, which was mounted to the interior of a truck windshield at the time of the fatal accident, caused a dangerous windshield obstruction. . .

Dismissal Obtained for Component Part Manufacturer in Airplane Crash Case

In this Baltimore County, Maryland action plaintiffs alleged an avionics product caused the crash of a single engine aircraft resulting in multiple deaths. BSCR obtained a no payment dismissal of all claims against our client, an aircraft component part manufacturer, before the close of discovery.

Summary Judgment Obtained for Electric Match Manufacturer in Product Liability Case

BSCR obtained summary judgment on behalf of an electric match manufacturer, in three related product liability cases. The cases arose out of a 2005 explosion at a fireworks plant in Crestline, Kansas. . .

BSCR Achieves Favorable Settlement for Part Manufacturer in Wrongful Death Plane Crash Action

A favorable settlement was achieved for our client in a wrongful death plane crash action filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Plaintiffs alleged a defective deicing system caused a crash near Moscow, Russia resulting in multiple deaths. . .

Favorable Settlement Negotiated for Engine Manufacturing Client in Wrongful Death Plane Crash Case

A favorable settlement was obtained in a Franklin County, Missouri case involving wrongful deaths due to an airplane crash alleged to have been caused by engine failure on takeoff. Although a multi-million dollar jury verdict was entered, the claims against our aircraft engine manufacturing client were dismissed before trial due to the successful negotiation of a settlement for a nominal payment by our client.

Summary Judgment and Defense Verdicts Obtained for BSCR Product Manufacturer Clients

BSCR defended three manufacturing clients in a lawsuit in which plaintiff alleged that an electric toothbrush caused a fire in their home resulting in nearly one million dollars in property damages. Prior to trial, BSCR successfully moved for summary judgment on behalf of one of the defendants. . .

No-Payment Dismissal of Claims Secured for Product Supplier in Wrongful Death Jet Crash

BSCR secured dismissal of our client, a hydraulics system product supplier, in a case in which plaintiffs sued multiple parties alleging mechanical defects in the hydraulic system of a jet airliner causing the crash and death of all passengers and crewmembers. The case, filed in Cook County, Illinois, included mechanical, electrical and hydraulic engineering issues. . .

Favorable Settlement Obtained on Behalf of Component Part Manufacturer in Helicopter Crash Case

BSCR obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of a helicopter part manufacturer in a case filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri in which plaintiff alleged a defectively designed helicopter component part resulted in the crash of a medical emergency helicopter. BSCR’s defense of the case was based on pilot error due to flying in foggy conditions.

Summary Judgment Obtained on Behalf of Life Flight Medical Service Provider in Helicopter Crash Case

BSCR’s defense of a life flight medical service provider in a Jackson County, Missouri action resulted in summary judgment for our client. In this action, plaintiff alleged a defective turbine engine in a helicopter caused the helicopter to crash during a medical emergency evacuation. After extensive discovery, including document production in France, summary judgment was entered on behalf of our client. . .

Blog Posts

Collective Liability and Product Identification in Kansas

04.10.13 | The necessity of product identification is one area where there is a scarcity of reported case law, but clear indications that Kansas requires plaintiffs to identify the specific product that caused their alleged harm. No reported Kansas case has ever adopted a “collective liability” theory like enterprise liability, alternate liability, or market share liability.

Virginia Rejects "Substantial Contributing Factor" Standard for Proximate Cause in Asbestos Cases

01.11.13 | In asbestos litigation, the standard for determining whether a defendant manufacturer’s product proximately caused the plaintiffs’ injuries varies among the courts of different states, a factor that can strongly influence plaintiffs’ choice of venue. . .

Admission of Testimony in Prior Cases Cannot Substitute for a Daubert Review

11.19.12 | The Ninth Circuit held that a district judge erred in admitting expert testimony by relying solely on evidence of prior admissions of the expert’s theory in other courts. . .

Product Warnings as Questions of Law; Sufficiency of English-only Warnings

10.30.12 | The Eleventh Circuit recently held that courts applying Florida law may determine as a question of law the reasonableness of a product’s warnings. A Florida plaintiff purchased two propane-gas fired, infrared portable heaters designed for outdoor use from Home Depot. . .

Product Manufacturer Retains Anonymity While Challenging CPSC Report

10.12.12 | In 1972, Congress created the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC was charged with drafting and enforcing guidelines to protect the public from unsafe products. . .