Douglas Hill is an experienced litigator, managing a diverse civil defense practice that includes professional negligence, product liability, industrial and job site injuries, and general business litigation. He has extensive experience representing architects, engineers, contractors, product manufacturers, and individuals facing claims for professional malpractice, breach of contract, and general negligence.  He is aggressive in pursuing his clients’ legal defenses, but always with an eye toward finding the quickest and most cost-effective path to a favorable result.

Doug handles and oversees all stages of legal disputes, from the initial fact investigation through to the ultimate conclusion, whether that be through settlement, dispositive motion, trial, or appeal.  He has deposed hundreds of fact and expert witnesses, won numerous jury trials, and briefed and argued cases before appellate courts, including the Missouri Supreme Court.  In addition to traditional civil litigation, Doug has also defended multi-million dollar arbitrations and regularly negotiates settlements through private mediation. 

An accomplished writer and editor, Doug previously served as Senior Articles Editor for the Science and Technology Law Review and has served on the editorial boards of several other academic publications.

Memberships & Activities

• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
  • Member, Construction Community
  • Member, Construction Claims Magazine Committee
  • Member, Construction Claims College Conference Committee
• Defense Research Institute
• Johnson County Bar Association
• Kansas Bar Association
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• Missouri Bar
• Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers

Publications

• Co-Author: You Get What You Asked For and That’s a Cold Hard Fact: The Continued Erosion of Arbitration Clauses, The Transportation Lawyer Journal, Vol. 20, No. 4 (February 2019)

Presentations

• Defending Workplace Injury Claims in Kansas and Missouri, CLE presentation
• Taking and Defending Depositions of Design and Construction Experts, CLE presentation

Community Involvement

• Debate-KC Lawyers-in-the-Classroom (Volunteer)
• "Lead To Read" Volunteer, Garfield Elementary, Kansas City, Missouri

News & Events

Douglas Hill Joins Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice in Kansas City

10.04.18 | Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice is pleased to welcome Douglas Hill as an attorney with the firm's Kansas City office. Hill is an experienced litigator, managing a diverse civil defense practice that includes professional negligence, product liability, industrial and job site injuries, and general business litigation. He has extensive experience representing ...

Blog Posts

Kansas City Area Saw Increase in Defense Verdicts in 2019, According to Annual Jury Data

03.02.20 | The data is out on Kansas City area jury verdicts for calendar year 2019, and it contains mostly good news for defendants. While the total number of jury verdicts was up slightly from 2018, the percentage of those verdicts in plaintiffs' favor was down, with nearly 60% of claims that went to a jury ending in a defense verdict. 2019 also saw a drop of almost 30% in the number of verdicts over $1 million. Although the data shows a rise in the average verdict amount, that increase is entirely attributable to a single mega verdict of more than $100 million; controlling for that outlier, the size of the average award was also down significantly.

Kansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Statutory Caps on Noneconomic Damages

06.17.19 | A seismic shift in Kansas personal injury litigation may be on the horizon, as the Kansas Supreme Court rules that the state's cap on noneconomic damages violates the constitutional right to a jury trial.

SCOTUS Strikes Another Blow to Class-Action Claims, Favoring Individual Arbitration

05.13.19 | The Supreme Court has issued another ruling limiting class-action claims, in favor of individual arbitration, this time finding that contractual ambiguity is no substitute for a clear expression of consent to class-wide arbitration.

SCOTUS Rebuffs Ninth Circuit's Attempt to "Soften" Deadline to Appeal Class Action Certification

03.25.19 | The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure give parties just 14 days to appeal a ruling granting or denying certification of a class action. The United States Supreme Court recently found that deadline to be "purposefully unforgiving," and rejected an appeal from a plaintiff who missed the deadline because he opted to seek reconsideration of the trial court's class certification ruling before trying to appeal.

Buyer Beware: Illinois Supreme Court Protects Subcontractors from Implied Warranty Claims by Homeowners with No Contractual Relationship

02.12.19 | The Illinois Supreme Court recently held that a subcontractor hired by a general contractor cannot be liable to a purchaser of a newly constructed home for breach of an implied warranty of habitability absent a direct contractual relationship with the homeowner.

When it Comes to Nonconforming Goods, is the Customer Always Right?

01.23.19 | Applying Missouri Law, the Eighth Circuit confirms that when a company guarantees customer satisfaction, only to leave the customer unsatisfied, it risks not only its business reputation, but also its legal right to collect payment.

Eighth Circuit Refuses to Punish Employer for History of Granting Special Treatment to Disabled Employee with Poor Attendance Record

01.08.19 | The Eighth Circuit affirms summary judgment in an employer's favor in a disability discrimination case, where the employee's excessive absenteeism was attributed to a disability and other family medical issues.

Missouri Supreme Court Opinion Calls Into Question Many Consumer Arbitration Agreements

11.20.18 | In a blow to the enforceability of arbitration clauses found in many existing consumer contracts, the Missouri Supreme Court declines to appoint a substitute arbitration provider after the agreed-upon arbitration forum's "sudden and unforeseen departure" from the scene.

Plead It or Concede It: Court May Not Raise Affirmative Defense Sua Sponte

10.04.18 | Missouri's Western District Court of Appeals confirms that if a party fails to properly plead an affirmative defense, the trial court has no power to apply the defense on its own initiative