Steve Six

An experienced trial attorney, Steve Six has successfully tried complex cases before juries in state and federal court. He has tried cases to verdict in a wide variety of areas, including product liability, professional liability, commercial disputes, and consumer fraud. Steve has significant experience in multidistrict litigation and has litigated cases before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

Areas of focus include:

Antitrust. Steve focuses on recovering damages for corporate victims of antitrust cartels for price-fixing, restraints of trade, boycotts, and other anticompetitive practices. Steve has represented companies bringing claims for price fixing in the agricultural sector.  Steve is currently representing a large commercial purchaser in claims against the three largest producers of shelf stable tuna. Steve has taught antitrust law at the University of Kansas School of Law as an adjunct professor. 

Business Litigation.  Steve’s practice includes a broad range of business litigation from business torts to breach of contract cases. Steve has represented senior corporate executives in whistle blower cases involving Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley claims, as well as other wrongful discharge and employment-related claims.

Mediation - Arbitration. Steve has served as a mediator in a variety of areas, including natural gas pricing, antitrust, complex commercial, medical negligence, and product liability cases. Steve uses his expertise from 25 years of litigation representing plaintiffs and defendants as well as his experience previously serving as a Kansas district court judge to provide facilitative and evaluative mediation.

Personal Injury. For more than 20 years, Steve has been trying cases and handling lawsuits for individuals in personal injury, product liability, and other complex injury cases who have been injured or harmed. He currently is handling cases against ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft arising out of assaults by unfit and poorly screened drivers.

Appellate. Steve maintains an active appellate practice and has successfully argued before state appellate courts in Kansas and Missouri, the federal appellate courts, and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Before joining Stueve Siegel Hanson, Steve was a district court judge and served as a law clerk to Judge Deanell R. Tacha of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Steve joined Stueve Siegel Hanson in 2011 following his term as the 43^rd Attorney General of Kansas. As Attorney General, Steve represented the State of Kansas in complex cases in various areas, including healthcare, antitrust, environmental resources and consumer protection. He successfully prosecuted capital and first-degree murder cases. He also represented the State of Kansas in multimillion-dollar water disputes with the States of Nebraska and Colorado before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Steve has been recognized among the “Best of the Bar” by the Kansas City Business Journal and named to Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers since 2012. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of appellate practice and commercial litigation.

News

Experience

Over the past 25 years, Steve has successfully represented a variety of clients in complex civil and criminal matters at the trial court and appellate levels in courts across the country as well as represented clients in various arbitration forums. He has defended and/or prosecuted claims in the areas of antitrust, business litigation, employment, wage and hour litigation, RICO, white collar criminal defense, and class/collective actions. 

Commercial Litigation

• Agricultural Litigation: Represented corn farmers, grain elevators and ethanol plants throughout the United States in claims against a leading multinational agricultural company.  In the first bellwether trial in the multidistrict litigation, a class of Kansas farmers obtained a $217.7 million jury, the 10th largest jury verdict that year. Following verdict, a $1.51 billion settlement on behalf of nationwide classes of corn farmers, grain handling facilities and ethanol production plants was reached
• Whistleblower and Dodd Frank Act (DFA)/ Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) Executive Employment Litigation: Represented a senior corporate officer in Dodd Frank and Sarbanes Oxley claims against a Fortune 100 company. Under Sarbanes Oxley, employee need only show that the protected activity was a contributing factor in the unfavorable employment action. 49 U.S.C. § 4212. The matter was successfully resolved by mediation. 
• Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO): Represented a business executive and companies in civil RICO claims alleging a scheme involving claims of fraud and violation of state tax laws.

Antitrust

• Price Fixing: Represented a Fortune 500 company in Sherman Act claims against the largest producers of canned tuna in the country – Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, and StarKist. The lawsuit alleges that these producers conspired to fix, raise, and maintain prices of canned and pouched tuna sold in the United States over a nearly 9-year period. The case was successfully resolved with Chicken of the Sea and continues against Bumble Bee and StarKist.
• Refusal to Deal, Boycott: Represented startup company in an antitrust action against several race cars manufacturers and the industry’s sanctioning body. The plaintiff alleged that the defendants engaged in a long-running conspiracy to oust them the market for race cars in violation of the Sherman Act and the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act. A confidential settlement was reached with all defendants.
• Price Fixing: Represented a Fortune 500 company in price fixing claims against the largest potato growers, shippers, and processors. The antitrust claims involved market participants efforts to control and reduce the supply of potatoes in order to raise and stabilize the prices at which potatoes were sold in the United States. The case involved novel issues of Capper-Volstead immunity and involved fighting on after direct and indirect class plaintiffs left the litigation. The case was settled favorably prior to trial.
• Price Fixing / Supply Reduction: Represented a Fortune 500 company in Kansas State Court in antitrust claims brought under the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act. The lawsuit alleged that defendants engaged in illegal price fixing through coordinated efforts to reduce and stabilize the supply of eggs in violation of the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act, K.S.A. 50-101, et seq.  The case was successfully resolved after nearly four years of litigation.

Mediation / Arbitration

• Served as mediator in antitrust price fixing class action case.
• Served as mediator in personal injury, products, and medical negligence cases.
• Served as mediator in commercial disputes.

Torts

• Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit: Represented a college student a lawsuit against Uber who was raped by her Uber driver. An investigation revealed that prior to the assault, the driver had been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison and other women had complained to Uber about the driver’s assaultive and harassing conduct. After more than 18 months of hard-fought litigation, the case was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties.
• Ride Sharing Service: Following trial in Jackson County Circuit Court, Steve obtained a $8.2 Million verdict for a sexual assault victim who sued her rider sharing driver assailant who had a violent criminal history. On June 14, 2019, a Jackson County, Missouri judge awarded the victim more than $8.2 million in damages that included $7.2 million in economic and non-economic damages for her “serious and permanent physical, emotional and personal injuries” and an additional $1 million in punitive damages. 
• Propane Explosion: Represented seriously injured young man following a propane explosion in rural Kansas.  After several firms told the client he did not have a case against the propane supplier, we took the case, hired 5 experts, conducted discovery, and obtained a policy limits settlement against both defendants.  Our propane expert identified deficiencies in corroded system piping, non-compliance with the National Fuel Gas Code §54, the LP-Gas Safety Handbook (NPGA), and the National Propane Gas Association Certified Employee Training standards. Additional discovery uncovered the supplier’s continued refill of the propane system that contained an unsafe and recalled regulator.
• Texting While Driving: Represented the surviving wife of a Missouri resident who was struck and killed in the crosswalk at 31^st and Main, in Kansas City, Missouri by a driver who was texting.  Video evidence obtained from nearby KCATA buses showed the driver accelerated through the crosswalk, never braking before striking the pedestrian.  The case was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court and resulted in a $1.6 million policy limits settlement. 

Class Actions

• Banking: Appointed class counsel for claims against national bank for violations of TILA, EFTA and state consumer protection law violations relating to its loan products.
• Major Pharmaceutical Company: Represented a consumer class alleging a violation of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA).
• Finance Company: Represented a consumer class of borrowers advancing Truth in Lending Act, Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and state law usury claims. 

Honors & Recognitions

Best Lawyers® in America - Appellate Practice "Lawyer of the Year" in Kansas City, MO (2022)

President, Kansas Bar Association, 2016

Best Lawyers® in America - Appellate Practice-2015, 2017-2023; Commercial Litigation-2016, 2017-2023; Litigation, Antitrust- 2023

Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, 2012-2022

Best of the Bar - Kansas City Business Journal

Adjunct Professor, Antitrust Law, University of Kansas