Missouri Case Commentaries

Hanshaw v. Crown Equipment Corp.: Reliability Proof Required for Expert Design-Defect Opinions Under § 490.065; Exclusion Can Compel Summary Judgment

Date: Feb 27, 2026

Reliability Proof Required for Expert Design-Defect Opinions Under § 490.065; Exclusion Can Compel Summary Judgment 1. Introduction In Hanshaw v. Crown Equipment Corp. (Mo. banc Feb. 24, 2026), the...

Unreported Attorney-Discipline Orders Are Not Citable Precedent; Intentional Client-Fund Deception Warrants Disbarment

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Unreported Attorney-Discipline Orders Are Not Citable Precedent; Intentional Client-Fund Deception Warrants Disbarment 1. Introduction In re: Brian Todd Goldstein, Respondent (Supreme Court of...

Apperson v. Kaminsky — Plaintiff Testimony May Prove Actual Reputational Harm; “Independent Evidence” Not Required

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Apperson v. Kaminsky: Plaintiff Testimony May Establish Actual Reputational Injury in Missouri Defamation Actions (and Unstated Directed-Verdict Grounds Cannot Support Affirmance) Introduction...

Nicholson v. State — “Germanness” Limits Floor Amendments: Non‑Severable Invalidity for Original‑Purpose Violations (and Taxpayer Standing via State Litigation Expenditures)

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Nicholson v. State — “Germanness” Limits Floor Amendments: Non‑Severable Invalidity for Original‑Purpose Violations (and Taxpayer Standing via State Litigation Expenditures) 1. Introduction Case:...

Missouri’s Solar Access Rule: §442.404.3 Voids Pre-Existing HOA Solar Bans and Bars Placement Rules that Adversely Affect Cost or Efficiency

Date: Jan 29, 2026

Missouri’s Solar Access Rule: §442.404.3 Voids Pre-Existing HOA Solar Bans and Bars Placement Rules that Adversely Affect Cost or Efficiency Case: Eikmeier v. Granite Springs Home Owners Association,...

Missouri Upholds SAFE Act and Medicaid Funding Ban Under Rational-Basis Review as Age-and-Medical-Use Classifications

Date: Jan 15, 2026

Missouri Upholds SAFE Act and Medicaid Funding Ban Under Rational-Basis Review as Age-and-Medical-Use Classifications Case: E.N. v. Kehoe (Supreme Court of Missouri, Jan. 13, 2026) Holding in brief:...

Missouri Attorney Discipline: Supreme Court Not Bound by Mental-State Stipulations; Knowing Facilitation of Fraudulent Asset-Reduction Triggers Suspension (Stayed with Probation)

Date: Jan 15, 2026

Missouri Attorney Discipline: Supreme Court Not Bound by Mental-State Stipulations; Knowing Facilitation of Fraudulent Asset-Reduction Triggers Suspension (Stayed with Probation) 1. Introduction In...

Missouri Persistent-Offender DWI: “Separate Occasions” Must Be Found by a Jury, Yet § 577.023.2 Survives Facial Challenge Through Second-Stage Jury Findings

Date: Jan 15, 2026

Missouri Persistent-Offender DWI: “Separate Occasions” Must Be Found by a Jury, Yet § 577.023.2 Survives Facial Challenge Through Second-Stage Jury Findings 1. Introduction In State ex rel. Catherine...

Wood v. State of Missouri: Capital Postconviction Limits—Victim-Impact Poetry Not Hearsay, Strategic Choices “Virtually Unchallengeable,” and Preservation Failures Not Cognizable Under Rule 29.15

Date: Jan 15, 2026

Capital Postconviction Review in Missouri: Strategic Trial Choices, Victim-Impact Evidence, and the Procedural Limits of Rule 29.15 1. Introduction Wood v. State of Missouri (Supreme Court of...

State v. Burkett: Discretion to Decline Plain-Error Review When the Defendant Contributes to Unpreserved Error or the Claim Likely Reflects Trial Strategy

Date: Dec 30, 2025

State v. Burkett: Discretion to Decline Plain-Error Review When the Defendant Contributes to Unpreserved Error or the Claim Likely Reflects Trial Strategy 1. Introduction State v. Burkett (Mo. banc...

Rule 30.20 Plain-Error Review Requires a Facially Substantial Showing; “Into” May Subsumes “At” in Variance Claims

Date: Dec 30, 2025

Rule 30.20 Plain-Error Review Requires a Facially Substantial Showing; “Into” May Subsumes “At” in Variance Claims 1. Introduction State v. Jones (Supreme Court of Missouri, Dec. 29, 2025) addresses...

Corroborated Medical Evidence Can Supply Probable Cause for Bodily-Fluid Testing Despite Hearsay Gaps: State v. Barrera (Mo. banc 2025)

Date: Dec 30, 2025

Corroborated Medical Evidence Can Supply Probable Cause for Bodily-Fluid Testing Despite Hearsay Gaps: State v. Barrera (Mo. banc 2025) Court: Supreme Court of Missouri | Date: 2025-12-29 1....

Political Campaigning from the Bench Warrants Immediate Removal; “Delayed-Resignation” Sanctions Rejected

Date: Dec 30, 2025

Political Campaigning from the Bench Warrants Immediate Removal; “Delayed-Resignation” Sanctions Rejected Case: In re: The Honorable Matthew E.P. Thornhill, Respondent (Mo. banc Dec. 29, 2025) 1....

Docket-Entry Suppression Orders Trigger the State’s Five-Day Interlocutory Appeal Deadline (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 547.200.4)

Date: Nov 5, 2025

Docket-Entry Suppression Orders Trigger the State’s Five-Day Interlocutory Appeal Deadline (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 547.200.4) Case: State of Missouri v. Mire (Supreme Court of Missouri, en banc) Date:...

General Partnership “Aggregate Theory” + AAA Delegation Clause: Partners’ Individual Signatures Can Compel Arbitration and Send Scope to the Arbitrator

Date: Nov 5, 2025

General Partnership “Aggregate Theory” + AAA Delegation Clause: Partners’ Individual Signatures Can Compel Arbitration and Send Scope to the Arbitrator 1. Introduction Parties and business...

Missouri Supreme Court Mandates the Houston Four-Step Framework for Against-the-Weight-of-the-Evidence Appeals

Date: Nov 5, 2025

Missouri Supreme Court Mandates the Houston Four-Step Framework for Against-the-Weight-of-the-Evidence Appeals 1. Introduction Weeks v. City of St. Louis (Supreme Court of Missouri, Nov. 4, 2025)...

No Shortcut to the Supreme Court: Missouri’s Clarified Rule on Appellate Jurisdiction over Preliminary Injunctions

Date: Aug 14, 2025

No Shortcut to the Supreme Court: Missouri’s Clarified Rule on Appellate Jurisdiction over Preliminary Injunctions 1. Introduction In Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains v. State...

“The Rhodes Rule”: Missouri Supreme Court Re-Affirms that an Order Is Not Appealable Unless Every Requested Remedy—Legal and Equitable—Is Expressly Resolved

Date: Aug 14, 2025

“The Rhodes Rule”: Missouri Supreme Court Re-Affirms that an Order Is Not Appealable Unless Every Requested Remedy—Legal and Equitable—Is Expressly Resolved 1. Introduction Kevin Rhodes, a former...

From “Merely Incidental” to “Substantial”: Missouri Supreme Court Redefines the Kidnapping Element in State v. Dustin Curtis Winter

Date: Aug 14, 2025

From “Merely Incidental” to “Substantial”: Missouri Supreme Court Redefines the Kidnapping Element in State v. Dustin Curtis Winter Introduction In State of Missouri v. Dustin Curtis Winter, No....

Interlocutory Appeals from Preliminary Injunctions Do Not Trigger Missouri Supreme Court Exclusive Jurisdiction Absent a Preserved Statute-Validity Ruling

Date: Aug 13, 2025

Interlocutory Appeals from Preliminary Injunctions Do Not Trigger Missouri Supreme Court Exclusive Jurisdiction Absent a Preserved Statute-Validity Ruling 1. Introduction In Comprehensive Health of...