We have substantial experience defending propane industry clients at all levels of distribution, including retailers, wholesalers, and transporters. We represent a number of companies on a national or regional basis. The types of matters we have handled include:

• Transportation and delivery of product
• Installation, repair and servicing of gas systems
• Failure analysis of appliances, valves and other propane-related equipment
• Pipeline
• Failure to warn
• Container explosions
• Odorization issues
• Emergency response
• Carbon monoxide poisonings
• Trucking accidents

We have investigated incidents and defended cases in nearly 40 states. Our attorneys often direct and participate in investigations as soon as possible after an incident has occurred, working closely with our experts to ensure that the scene is properly documented, evidence is preserved, and all possible causes have been thoroughly evaluated. We routinely work with some of the best fire origin and cause and gas systems failure analysis experts in the country, bringing an unmatched level of scrutiny to scene investigations.  In our experience, a successful defense starts with an early and thorough investigation.

Because of the depth of our experience with propane litigation, we have often been able to prevent lawsuits from being filed against our clients.  Our attorneys also have extensive motion practice and trial experience with propane-related litigation, having obtained summary judgment rulings in brain damage and other serious personal injury cases and defense verdicts in fire and explosion fatality trials.

Additionally, our attorneys regularly consult with clients on ways to prevent accidents, including customer warning programs and materials; company policies and procedures, including the development of safety manuals; product recall and technical bulletins; and employee training issues. These confidential “safety audits” are tailored to the client’s needs and greatly improve their ability to limit and control their liability exposure. We also sometimes assist trial counsel, if we are not lead counsel ourselves, with expert issues, including depositions and Daubert motions.

Some of our propane industry attorneys are members of the Propane Gas Defense Association and the National Fire Protection Association, and frequently give presentations to the propane industry on consumer safety and industry practice issues

For more information about the services we provide to the Propane industry contact Mike McMullen or Bryan Mouber at 816.471.2121.

News & Events

Baker Sterchi Welcomes Travis McDonald in St. Louis

07.08.20 | Travis McDonald joins Baker Sterchi's St. Louis office as an associate. His practice is focused on litigation with an emphasis in insurance defense in product liability, premises liability, and personal injury claims.

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

Let's Be Specific About Personal Jurisdiction: Missouri and Illinois Address Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California

07.27.20 | The Supreme Courts of Missouri and Illinois have addressed Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California to further define the instances in which specific personal jurisdiction can be constitutionally exercised over out-of-state defendants.

Let's Be Specific About Personal Jurisdiction: Missouri and Illinois Address Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California

07.27.20 | The Supreme Courts of Missouri and Illinois have addressed Bristol-Myers Squibb v. Superior Court of California to further define the instances in which specific personal jurisdiction can be constitutionally exercised over out-of-state defendants.

Can You Compel Arbitration? You May Have the Right to Ask Your Arbitrator

07.09.20 | Missouri Court of Appeals compels arbitration, where the parties agreed to submit threshold issues of arbitrability to a third-party neutral rather than the court.

Got A Product Problem? Go To The Origin.

05.19.20 | On March 11, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed an Eastern District of Missouri judgment, finding that the Plaintiff failed to establish that a product was inherently defective or dangerous, where he had failed to provide evidence of when a product entered the stream of commerce.

Employees Aggrieved Out-of-State Cannot Sue Missouri-based Employers under the Missouri Human Rights Act.

03.11.20 | Missouri Supreme Court held the Missouri Human Rights Act is not a remedy for out-of-state employees aggrieved by discriminatory practices of Missouri-headquartered companies.

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.

City of St. Louis falls to 5th on the Judicial Hellhole list with Madison and St. Clair Counties, Illinois close behind ranking 7th.

02.12.20 | City of St. Louis has seen a steady decline on the judicial hellhole rankings with modest reforms but the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair remain hotspots for asbestos litigation and "no-injury" BIPA lawsuits according to the 2019/2020 American Tort Reform Foundation Judicial Hellholes Report.

City of St. Louis falls to 5th on the Judicial Hellhole list with Madison and St. Clair Counties, Illinois close behind ranking 7th.

02.12.20 | City of St. Louis has seen a steady decline on the judicial hellhole rankings with modest reforms but the Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair remain hotspots for asbestos litigation and "no-injury" BIPA lawsuits according to the 2019/2020 American Tort Reform Foundation Judicial Hellholes Report.

Is a case overturned due to confusing special interrogatories still relevant under rule change?

02.06.20 | The new rule governing special interrogatories gives the trial court power to prevent confusing special interrogatories, as the one in Doe v. Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hosp., but it also rips away an important tool for the defense. 735 ILCS 5/2-1108.

Arbitration Agreements 101: they require - you guessed it - agreement.

09.13.19 | Though seemingly obvious, the Eighth Circuit affirmed arbitration agreements are not immune to contract law basics when it denied an employer's motion to compel arbitration for lack of acceptance.

Second Update: Hopping On The Missouri Bandwagon? Not So Fast Out Of State Litigants.

07.16.19 | SECOND UPDATE: Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs Senate Bill 7, which amends venue and joinder laws, to prevent out of state plaintiffs from litigating their cases in an inappropriate venue.

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.

Update: Hopping on the Missouri Bandwagon? Not so Fast Out-of-State Litigants.

05.20.19 | UPDATE: House Passes Senate Bill 7, in which the Missouri legislature seeks to amend venue and joinder laws, to prevent out of state plaintiffs from litigating their cases in an inappropriate venue.

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.

Hopping on the Missouri Bandwagon? Not so Fast Out-of-State Litigants.

03.18.19 | In Senate Bill 7, the Missouri legislature seeks to amend venue and joinder laws, to prevent out of state plaintiffs from litigating their cases in an inappropriate venue.

City of St. Louis - Still A Judicial Hellhole

12.26.18 | Defense attorneys beware. The 2018-2019 American Tort Reform Foundation's (ATRF) Judicial Hellholes Report is out, and the City of St. Louis landed fourth on this list because of its massive verdicts, forum shopping, and legislative failures.