High-Stakes Appeals

It’s a familiar scenario: A talented trial lawyer earns a multimillion-dollar verdict…only to enter a secondary fight in the appellate court system with a corporate defendant that has deeper pockets, more personnel, and very often, another legal team specifically dedicated to appeals.

Stueve Siegel Hanson helps level the playing field by providing trial lawyers the resources they need – financing, technology and personnel – to preserve their most significant wins.

Our team includes five litigators who formerly served as federal law clerks at the appellate level. They bring firsthand knowledge of the court’s innerworkings, as well as perspective on the litigation strategies most likely to persuade appellate judges.

Among our recent matters:

• Affirmance at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals of a $34 million jury verdict against State Farm Life Insurance Co. Defendants then attempted to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which after our briefing, denied review.
• Affirmance at the Missouri Court of Appeals of a $28.4 million jury verdict against Kansas City Life Insurance Co.

All told, we have handled more than a dozen high-stakes appeals, including the appeal of a $1.51 billion settlement in a business tort class action matter against Syngenta. Our lawyers have secured wins in the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the Kansas Supreme Court, the Missouri Court of Appeals, and a number of other state appeals courts.

Our joint venture arrangements allow you to focus on delivering for your clients without the pressure of an uneven playing field.

Would you like to discuss a collaboration? Contact us today.