Todd E. Hilton

An experienced litigator and trial lawyer, Todd Hilton gains successful results for individuals and companies in some of the most challenging areas of law.

Todd focuses his practice on three principal areas:

Mass Tort. Todd represents the victims of defective drugs against major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. He has been heavily involved in the litigation on behalf of individuals who took the drug Risperdal and experienced gynecomastia, the development of abnormal breast tissue in men and boys. Todd and his team allege the manufacturer failed to provide adequate warnings about this side effect and failed to properly research the drug. Todd was appointed to serve on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee to help oversee and manage the nationwide litigation that involves more than 10,000 plaintiffs. Todd also is litigating matters involving Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), Taxotere, Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters, Actos, transvaginal mesh and artificial hips.

Personal Injury and Wrongful Death. Todd effectively advocates for individuals and families who have been killed or hurt in accidents. In one recent case, Todd sued Liberty Fruit Company for the wrongful death of a St. Louis husband and father of three.  After a two-week trial, a St. Louis City, Missouri jury returned a verdict of $6.75 million against Defendant Liberty Fruit Company and in favor of the Plaintiffs, the family of a man who was killed after a 37-foot, 26,000-pound Liberty Fruit box truck backed into and over him as he walked across a trucking lot. The jury determined that the Liberty Fruit driver was operating his truck negligently at the time of the collision and that Liberty Fruit’s conduct exhibited reckless indifference or conscious disregard for the safety of others such that punitive damages were warranted. The jury awarded a total of $3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $3.75 million in punitive damages. Todd was lead trial counsel for Plaintiffs in the case.  In another recent case, Todd sued an overhead door company for the wrongful death of a Kansas City father. The man was killed when a runaway two-ton trailer collided into his vehicle; the trailer was improperly attached to a pickup truck, and the lawsuit claimed the company failed to properly inspect it. The case settled within two weeks of trial.

Product Liability. Todd handles individual and class action litigation when manufacturers market defective or dangerous products, or fail to provide adequate warning about potential harm. He recently represented Kawasaki Motors in a dispute with a vendor who supplied fuel filters alleged to be defective, leak fuel, and in some cases, cause fires on consumer lawnmowers. After a nationwide recall on all affected products, Kawasaki brought claims for breach of warranty, breach of contract and fraudulent inducement to recover its damages. The case settled just before trial for $4 million.

Todd works nationwide, representing clients in state and federal courts as well as AAA arbitrations throughout the country – including in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington D.C.

He is a perennial Missouri/Kansas “Super Lawyer” and the recipient of a Missouri Lawyers Weekly Verdicts & Settlements Award for the largest reported settlement of 2013. Todd also has been included in the National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 100 Trial Lawyers.”

A St. Louis native, Todd began his career at a large corporate defense firm, where he focused on wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. This experience has proven valuable in evaluating and successfully prosecuting complex plaintiffs’ cases at Stueve Siegel Hanson.

Todd is an active member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and both the George Washington University and University of Miami alumni organizations. He and his family are boating enthusiasts and avid fanatics of water sports, including wake boarding, water skiing, knee boarding and wake surfing.

News

Experience

CURRENT CASES

Individual Risperdal Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Todd has been heavily involved in the litigation on behalf of individuals that took the drug Risperdal and experienced gynecomastia, the development of abnormal breast tissue. This abnormal growth of breast tissue in boys and young men can be damaging and distressing, both socially and emotionally. Todd and his Team of mass tort attorneys have filed cases against the manufacturers of Risperdal alleging that Johnson & Johnson failed to provide adequate warnings about this devastating side effect and to properly research Risperdal. These cases are currently consolidated into a Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding (JCCP) in Los Angeles County, California. Todd was appointed by presiding Judge William F. Highberger to serve on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee to help oversee and manage the litigation on behalf of over 10,000 plaintiffs. The first bellwether trials are scheduled for summer 2016. 

Individual Testosterone Replacement Therapy Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Todd and his Team of mass tort lawyers have filed over a hundred cases on behalf of individuals that were prescribed Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and suffered catastrophic injuries including heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and death. The lawsuits allege the manufactures of TRT failed to warn users of the catastrophic side effects and aggressively marketed TRT to men for symptoms the drug was not approved to treat. This litigation is consolidated into a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois.  Todd and his Team are aiding the Plaintiff Steering Committee in discovery efforts benefiting over 4,000 plaintiffs. The first bellwether trials are scheduled for 2017.

Individual Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Todd and his Team of mass tort attorneys are representing individuals that have suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of implantation of Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filters manufactured by C.R. Bard, Inc. and Cook Medical. Complaints allege that as a result of defects in the design of the IVC filters, misrepresentation in marketing, and failure to warn doctors and patients, Plaintiffs have suffered catastrophic injuries including death, severe pain, pulmonary embolus, respiratory compromise, hemorrhage, and damage to tissue, vessels, and organs. Currently the cases against C.R. Bard are consolidated into an MDL located in the U.S. District Court of Arizona in Phoenix. The cases against Cook Medical are consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Todd and his Team continue to investigate and file cases on behalf of individuals harmed by IVC Filters.

Individual Actos Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation): Todd has been active in the Actos litigation involving catastrophic injuries on behalf of clients who developed bladder cancer after taking the prescription drug Actos, a drug prescribed for patients with Type 2 Diabetes manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. The lawsuit alleges that individuals who use Actos face an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, and that the defendants concealed their knowledge of this risk and failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers and the health care community. Todd is pleased Takeda agreed to pay $2.4 billion to settle nearly all of the claims currently situated in MDL No. 2299 located in the U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana.  Todd is currently working with a team of attorneys at SSH to finalize the settlement on behalf of clients.   

Individual Zimmer Durom Cup Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Todd and his team of mass tort lawyers spent years litigating catastrophic injury cases on behalf of clients who experienced significant complications following the implant of a Zimmer hip – often requiring revision surgery after the implanted Zimmer hip cup was recalled in June 2008. These cases are currently located in MDL No. 2158 in the U.S. District Court District of New Jersey. The complaint alleges that Zimmer did not warn of the risks, did not properly test the Durom Cup before selling it, improperly marketed the device, released inaccurate statements about the device's safety and effectiveness, and unfairly profited from sales of the Durom Cup. Zimmer has agreed to settle cases currently located in MDL No. 2158. Todd and a team of attorneys at SSH are working quickly to obtain a fair settlement for clients in this litigation.

Individual Transvaginal Mesh Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Todd has been involved in individual catastrophic injury cases on behalf of clients who after use of transvaginal mesh (TVM) products suffered substantial injuries. TVM products have been linked to the following injuries: Mesh erosion through the vagina (also called exposure, extrusion or protrusion); Pain, infection and bleeding; Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia); Organ perforation; and Urinary problems. The complaint alleges that the manufacturers of TVM products actively and intentionally mislead the FDA, the medical community, patients, and the public at large of the safety and effectiveness of TVM products. Todd and a team of attorneys at SSH are demanding the manufacturers of the TVM products compensate their client for the harm caused.

Hopkins v. Teledyne et al., (Wrongful Death Lawsuit) Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, represents the surviving family of a long-time employee at the Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical facility adjacent to the San Diego airport.  The lawsuit against both Teledyne and the San Diego Port Authority alleges that Wayne Hopkins died of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a result of his exposure to benzene and other toxic chemicals at the Teledyne Ryan site.  Discovery is ongoing in the case.

RECENT TRIAL AND LITIGATION EXPERIENCE

Class Action Litigation

Plubell, et al. v. Merck & Co., Inc., (Class Action Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a Missouri statewide class action on behalf of all Missouri purchasers of Vioxx, the Cox-2 pain reliever that Merck pulled off the market after the FDA identified several misleading sales practices. The case was removed to Federal District Court for the Western District of Missouri under CAFA after SSH amended the complaint. SSH argued and won in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals the affirmation of the trial court's remand to state court. The case was certified as a class action. In October 2012, a settlement was reached. Under the settlement terms, qualifying Missouri consumers of Vioxx may be reimbursed in full for their Vioxx purchases. The common fund settlement provides for payment to class members under two options: (1) a one-time cash payment of $180 to Settlement Class Members who submit a valid claim form with a declaration under oath (but no documentary proof of payment required) and (2) $90 for each month of Vioxx purchases supported by a declaration under oath with documentary proof of payments, such as a letter from the prescribing physician.

Berry, et al. v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., (Class Action Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a state-wide class action on behalf of consumers who purchased or leased a Volkswagen Jetta, Golf, GTI or Cabriolet model years 1995-1998 and certain Volkswagen Jetta, Golf or GTI model year 1999. The breach of warranty and deceptive trade practices claims allege that Volkswagen sold consumers Volkswagen vehicles with defective window regulators and/or plastic window clamps requiring consumers to pay several hundreds of dollars to continually replace the window regulators. Under the settlement, Volkswagen agreed to reimburse all expenses incurred by VW owners in the past related to repairing/replacing the defective window regulators plus $75 for each documented incident or workshop visit in which one or more window regulator failures were diagnosed, repaired or replaced.

Parkinson, et al. v. Hyundai Motor America, Inc., (Class Action Litigation) United States District Court for the Central District of California. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a nationwide class action on behalf of consumers who purchased or leased a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT. SSH was appointed co-lead counsel in a consumer class action against Hyundai Motor America alleging that Hyundai marketed and sold vehicles with defective flywheel systems.  The case was settled in June 2010 in favor of the plaintiffs. Eligible class members received cash reimbursements for money spent on certain flywheel/clutch parts repairs to their 2003 Hyundai Tiburons.

Lewin, et al. v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., (Class Action Litigation) Superior Court of New Jersey, Atlantic County. Todd was co-lead counsel in a nationwide class action against Volkswagen for defective window regulators installed on nearly 1 million vehicles including 1999-2003 model year VW Golf, GTI and Jetta and 1998-2003 model year VW Beetle. Under the settlement agreement VW agreed to (1) reimburse all expenses incurred by VW owners in the past related to replacing the defective window regulators, (2) install a redesigned metal window regulator replacing any failed window regulators (which used plastic components) under an extended warranty, (3) extend the warranty for all four window regulators at issue to seven years from the date of the car purchase. The settlement also required VW to direct mail the notice of settlement to nearly one million customers as well as publish a summary notice in USA Today and incur all administrative costs in for processing the extended warranty and reimbursement claims. The value of the settlement including the replacement costs and extended warranty could exceed $50,000,000.00. SSH was awarded attorneys' fees and costs in the litigation.

Gutzler, et al. v. General Motors, (Class Action Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a class action on behalf of consumers who purchased or leased certain GM vehicles that were factory filled with Dexcool, GM's Organic Acid Technology Long Life Engine Coolant. Plaintiffs alleged that the vehicles, as well as the engine coolant, were defective causing sludging of the cooling systems in certain vehicles and causing lower intake manifold gasket failures in certain vehicles. On March 20, 2008, the California Superior Court granted preliminary approval to the class action settlement reached with General Motors in the GM/Dexcool class action lawsuit. This settlement affects people who purchased or leased a "covered vehicle" anywhere in the United States other than Missouri. A separate settlement has been reached for those who purchased or leased their vehicle in Missouri, which will offer the same benefits but will be separately approved by a Missouri court.

Tadken v. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Daily v. Daimler Chrysler Motors Corp., (Class Action Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. SSH brought this nationwide class action that involved litigation over four years in Missouri, Kansas and California and resulted in final court approval of a nationwide class settlement valued at $33,000,000. The case settled claims alleging breach of express and implied warranty and deceptive trade practices arising out of the alleged defective 17 inch rims installed on approximately 350,000 1997-2001 Daimler/Chrysler Avenger and Sebring Coupes and 1997-2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder vehicles. Stueve Siegel alleged that the 17-inch rims at issue were defectively designed to bend or deform to protect the fragile suspension and frame of the vehicles in question. As a result, Plaintiffs' alleged that the rims would bend during normal use of the vehicles and that Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler knew of this defect prior to selling the vehicles. Plaintiffs also alleged that Defendants failed to disclose this information to consumers.

Four-B Corp, et al. v. Ueno Fine Chemicals, (Class Action Litigation) United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought an antitrust price-fixing class action against various foreign and domestic sorbate manufacturers alleging that the corporations engaged in a scheme to fix the price of sorbates throughout the world. The case was settled on an individual basis for all of our grocer clients for a confidential amount.

In re: Hyundai Horsepower Litigation, (Class Action Litigation) Todd assisted Norm Siegel in the Hyundai Horsepower Litigation, which netted class relief totaling between $75-$125 million. The case was aggressively litigated over nearly two years and was fought on numerous fronts. The nationwide litigation began in September 2002 when Hyundai announced it had overstated horsepower ratings in more than one million vehicles sold in the United States over a 10 year period. SSH was one of several firms around the country that filed class actions against Hyundai, but in early 2003, Hyundai announced it had settled the case on a nationwide basis with two lawyers in Beaumont, Texas. SSH was part of a leadership group of intervenors in Beaumont who were provided 90 days to conduct discovery and challenge the settlement. Norm took the lead in discovery; processing more than 80,000 pages of Hyundai documents and taking the depositions of top Hyundai management, including the CEO of Hyundai Motor America, and a corporate representative of HMA's parent in Seoul, South Korea. This discovery led to lengthy briefing and ultimately a ruling by the Beaumont Court that the proposed settlement was unfair to class members. Following that ruling, Hyundai entered talks with SSH's group of attorneys, resulting in the settlement valued at $75-$125 million.

Wrongful Death and Catastrophic Injury Litigation  

Individual Celebrex Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Various State and Federal Courts throughout the United States. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought individual catastrophic injury cases alleging various Plaintiffs' ingestion of the prescription drug Celebrex, the only Cox-2 pain reliever still on the market manufactured by Pharmacia and Pfizer, caused various heart attacks and strokes, including wrongful deaths as a result. On October 17, 2008, Defendants agreed to pay $747 million to settle nearly all personal injury claims. Todd is pleased he and his team of attorneys at SSH were able to secure compensation for their clients.

Individual Prempro Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Various State and Federal Courts throughout the United States. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought individual catastrophic injury cases alleging various Plaintiffs' ingestion of the prescription drug Prempro, a hormone replacement therapy drug manufactured by Wyeth, caused various breast cancers, heart attacks and strokes, including wrongful deaths as a result. After fighting to obtain compensation for his clients, Todd was able to secure a confidential settlement on behalf of his clients.

Individual Bextra Personal Injury Litigation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Various State and Federal Courts throughout the United States. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought individual catastrophic injury cases alleging various Plaintiffs' ingestion of the prescription drug Bextra, the Cox-2 pain reliever that Pfizer pulled off the market after the FDA identified several misleading sales practices used by Pfizer to market the product, caused various heart attacks and strokes, including wrongful deaths as a result.

Wright v. Premcor et al., (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois, Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought an individual catastrophic injury case alleging that plaintiff developed a plastic anemia as a direct and proximate result of his exposure to benzene in the gasoline and petroleum products spilled and leaked under the city of Hartford, Illinois. Hartford, Illinois is located near refineries, former refineries and the Mississippi River. The gasoline and petroleum products from these refineries and former refineries are and were pumped by pipeline under and near the city of Hartford to the Mississippi River. Prior to 1983, huge amounts of gasoline and petroleum products were leaked and spilled from Defendants' refineries and/or pipelines underneath the city of Hartford, so that now about four million gallons of commingled gasoline and petroleum products exist under Hartford, Illinois. The vapors from this waste, including toxic benzene vapors, were released into the homes of residents of Hartford, Illinois prior to and including 1984. Benzene also polluted the water in Hartford at dangerous levels prior to and including 1984. Recent government measurements of benzene levels in water and air far exceeded recognized safety standards. A confidential settlement was reached in favor of the plaintiff.

Rolfe v. Daimler-Chrysler Motors Corp., et al., (Wrongful Death Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a wrongful death case involving the death of a young husband and father. Our client was rear-ended by a drunk driver while our client was stopped at a traffic signal sitting in his Jeep Cherokee. After being rear-ended, our client's vehicle burst into flames and he was burned alive because he could not escape the vehicle as the doors were jammed. The case was brought against the drunk driver that rear-ended our client, the drunk driver's employer who permitted him to drive while in the course and scope of employment, the local tavern/bar that served the drunk driver all of his drinks, and the manufacturer of our client's vehicle. Our clients were awarded $5.7 million as a result of that partial settlement, trial and appeal.

Gustin v. Nissan, et al., (Wrongful Death Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought this wrongful death case against Nissan Motor Co. involving the rollover of a Nissan Pathfinder. Our client's father, the passenger in the Nissan Pathfinder, was killed when his Nissan Pathfinder rolled over and down an embankment. Plaintiff alleged various vehicle defects, including inadequate stability, excessive roof crush, airbag failure and seat belt defects. The case was settled for a confidential amount.

Robinson v. Nelson Engineering and Claussen Fabrications, Inc., (Wrongful Death Litigation) District Court of Lyon County, Kansas. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, represented the surviving wife and family of Edwin Robinson, who was killed in an industrial accident at IBP in Emporia, Kansas. Mr. Robinson left behind his wife and children. Mr. Robinson was killed after delivering a load of structural steel to Nelson Engineering Construction, Inc. at the IBP plant in Emporia, Kansas. The steel was originally loaded onto Mr. Robinson's truck by Claussen Fabrications, Inc. While the steel was being offloaded from the truck in Emporia, Kansas, the load shifted, and a 4200 lb. beam fell from the truck and struck Mr. Robinson, who was near the truck. The impact from the steel beam crushed Mr. Robinson to death. The steel was not loaded properly on Mr. Robinson's truck which caused it to shift during the offloading process. A piece of dunnage to the rear of the load "racked out" and onto its side, causing the steel beam to fall during the offloading process. Plaintiffs also alleged that the company that unloaded the steel at the IBP facility did so in a negligent and improper manner. Todd tried the case to verdict. Prior to verdict, the parties entered into a confidential settlement and high-low agreement.

Lewis v. Door Systems Inc., et al., (Wrongful Death Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Pat Stueve and Todd Hilton sued Door Systems, Inc. and its owners for the wrongful death of Mr. Lewis. In the morning of January 4, 2006, a runaway 2-ton trailer collided head-on into Mr. Lewis' 1999 Ford Explorer and tragically decapitated and killed him while he was driving by himself in a southerly direction on US 50 Highway. The 2-ton trailer was improperly attached to a 2001 GMC Sierra pickup traveling north, on U.S. 50 Highway. The lawsuit claimed that Defendants failed to conduct even a cursory inspection of the trailer and truck prior to operating the vehicle that would have revealed the improper ball and hitch assembly, the improper installation and use of the safety chain, and the unconnected safety cable and electronic braking device on the homemade two-ton trailer. Within weeks of trial, SSH settled with all defendants for a confidential amount.

Greenhalgh v. Union Pacific Railroad, (Wrongful Death Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, sued UP and others for the wrongful death of Plaintiff's son. He was killed at age 17 when he was struck by an AMTRAK train that was traveling on tracks owned, operated and maintained by Union Pacific. He was walking near the tracks on his way to work when he was struck by an AMTRAK train traveling 70 m.p.h. through a residential portion of Independence, Missouri. Plaintiff alleged that the UP knew or should have known that the public used UP's right of way in and around the area of tracks at issue for numerous years. Plaintiff alleged that: UP failed to erect fences to keep people from using UP's railroad tracks as a walkway; UP failed to erect signs to warn people not to use UP's railroad tracks as a walkway; UP failed to issue a slow order near the location where he was killed despite the local hazard of nearby housing in a residential setting and notice of prior pedestrian activity and accidents at or near the location of the accident; UP failed to keep a careful lookout for pedestrians; UP failed to warn him of their approach by blowing an emergency whistle; and UP failed to slow or stop in time to avoid killing him. Within weeks of trial, the case was settled for a confidential amount.

O'Brien v. Superior Solvents & Chemicals and Chemisphere Corporation, (Catastrophic Injury Litigation) Circuit Court of City of St. Louis. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought a case against several manufacturers and supplies of the cleaning solvents used by the Plaintiff. Plaintiff alleged that he developed leukemia as a result of his exposure to such chemicals. The Plaintiff began his career in the printing industry at Universal Printing Company in St. Louis city in 1963. During his employment in the printing industry, plaintiff used various chemicals supplied by defendants Chemisphere Corporation ("Chemisphere") and Superior Solvents & Chemicals ("Superior"). Plaintiff used these chemicals, or similar chemicals from other manufactures, on a weekly, if not daily, basis from 1963 to present. After numerous years of exposure to these toxic chemicals, Plaintiff was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia ("CLL"). Plaintiff alleged that his CLL was caused by exposure to benzene like products or benzene containing products supplied by defendants. Within weeks of trial, the case settled with all parties for a confidential amount.

Business Litigation

In January 2016, Todd was part of a team of attorneys who reached a Settlement Agreement between Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp, U.S.A. (KMM), Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC) and a Kawasaki vendor, resulting in a $4 million payment to Kawasaki. The vendor supplied fuel filters to Kawasaki for use in small engines which powered outdoor equipment such as lawnmowers.  Kawasaki’s suit alleged the filters were defective, leaked fuel, and in some cases caused fires on consumer lawnmowers.  After learning of the defective part and potential fire hazard, Kawasaki instituted a nationwide recall for the safety of its customers.  Kawasaki brought claims for breach of warranty, breach of contract, and fraudulent inducement to recover its damages from recalling the fuel filters, seeking $4 million in damages.

Hopkins v. Premcor, et al. (Environmental Litigation) Todd represented landowners and residents of Hartford, Illinois who are living on top of a four million gallon underground gasoline plume. Residents of Hartford, which is located between the refineries to the East and the Missouri River to the West, have experienced severe gas fumes in their homes, fires in water wells, and a substantial impairment to their living environment. After several years of litigation, the plaintiffs reached a $39.5 million settlement agreement with refiners Premcor, BP, Shell, Apex and Sinclair.  

Weld Racing, Inc. v. Gragg's Paint Co. of Kansas City, Inc., et al., (Business Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Todd, along with Norm Siegel, continued his successful streak in jury trials, winning a $1.5 million jury verdict on behalf of SSH client Weld Racing against Gragg's Paint Company. Weld Racing was a high-end manufacturer of forged chrome wheels, run by a former Indy 500 racer Greg Weld. Weld historically forged all its wheels and outsourced its chrome plating, but in 1999 began to construct an in-house plating facility. Gragg's Paint Co., the defendant, recommended a lining for the metal tanks in the chrome plating line. The lining failed, resulting in significant delays in the chrome line and substantial expenses related to scrapped wheels. Weld made breach of warranty and negligent misrepresentation claims against Gragg's and the case proceeded to trial. After a week-long trial, the jury awarded exactly what Weld claimed in damages - $1,589,426.13.

Four-B Corp, et al. v. Ueno Fine Chemicals, (Business Litigation) United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, brought an antitrust price-fixing class action against various foreign and domestic sorbate manufacturers alleging that the corporations engaged in a scheme to fix the price of sorbates throughout the world. The case was settled on an individual basis for all of our grocer clients for a confidential amount.

Searchhound.com v. GlobalNet Financial.com, (Business Litigation) Todd, along with other SSH attorneys, secured a $125,000 award in a AAA international arbitration involving a commercial contract dispute concerning registration of securities. Todd helped prepare the case for the arbitration hearing, including the coordination of document discovery and witness interviews, as well as examining several witnesses during arbitration. Todd assisted with pre-arbitration and post-arbitration briefing, and successfully negotiating a post-arbitration settlement of the matter.

Tri-Cor Industries, Inc. v. Danara Technical Group, (Business Litigation) Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. Pat Stueve and Todd Hilton obtained a $500,000 judgment in favor of Tri-Cor on both its fraud and contract claims against the defendant. Tri-Cor, a Maryland corporation, was also able to obtain pre-judgment attachment of all the assets of both the company and its principals. SSH is currently enforcing the judgment against the principals of the company.

Realty Executives v. Softouch, (Business Litigation) United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Pat Stueve and Todd Hilton prosecuted trademark infringement claims involving defendant's wrongful use of REI's trademarks on internet search engines and through meta-tags on defendant's web site to direct web traffic to defendant's web site. Patrick and Todd obtained full equitable relief against the defendant including requiring the defendant to shut down its web site. 

Honors & Recognitions

Recipient, The Best Lawyers in America, 2020-present

Recipient, Rising Star-Class Action, 2008-2009, 2013-2014; Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers - 2016-2021, 2024

Recipient,  Missouri Lawyers Awards - Largest Reported Settlement for 2013

Recipient,  The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers, 2013-2016

Recipient, The National Trial Lawyers Mass Tort Specialty Association, 2013-2015

Recipient, The Phi Sigma Tau Award

Recipient, The Justice Thurgood Marshall Prize

Community & Professional

Professional Organizations

Member, Missouri Bar

Member, Kansas Bar

Member, American Bar Association

Member, American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America)

Member, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys

Member, Kansas Bar Association

Member, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

Member, Lawyers Association of Kansas City

Member, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers