Press Releases
Bob Langdon Named “Legal Champion” in Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s Annual Lawyer of the Year Awards
Lexington, Mo. (December 30, 2010): The legal publication Missouri Lawyers Weekly this week announced its winners for their annual “Missouri Lawyers Awards,” and Bob Langdon has been included among the top award recipients. Bob was named to the “Legal Champions” category for 2010, which goes to “plaintiffs or defense lawyers, not based on the size of verdicts but the importance of the principle or policy at stake.”
Bob’s selection was due in large part to his role as lead attorney in a California trial against Ford Motor Company this summer. In that case, a jury verdict awarded $23.4 million after Bob and his legal team presented evidence of 26 similar occurrences where high-level management at Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., were aware of wrecks caused by hidden handling defects. He was able to evince that Ford spent $3.5 million correcting the defect in Venezuela, but chose to ignore the fix recommended by its own engineers and not to spend the $500 million needed to fix the Explorers in North America.
In February, Bob was lead attorney in a trial that yielded an $8 million verdict against Johnson Controls Incorporated, in the Circuit Court for Platte County, Mo. When the jury came back with its verdict in Aaliyah George v. Johnson Controls, Inc., their award was the county’s largest ever to that point. 2-year old Aaliyah had suffered multiple skull fractures and a massive injury to her left frontal lobe during a collision in which her grandmother’s seat broke and collapsed backwards on top of her. These injuries caused permanent physical and mental disabilities to the girl.
Finally, Bob’s recognition was also bolstered by his service to the local community. At the beginning of the year the doors opened on the CCC, a Wellington, Mo., community center to whom he gave three buildings. The proceeds from the donated real estate support CCC programming for the Lafayette County community.
About Langdon & Emison: From Missouri offices in Lexington, N. Kansas City, and St. Louis, Langdon & Emison represents clients from coast to coast in the areas of product liability and personal injury law. The expertise of the firm’s attorneys and its unparalleled network of experts and litigation support resources have been nationally recognized. Favorable verdicts are regularly obtained in complex personal injury litigation such as wrongful death and transportation liability, including car-truck collisions, train accidents, and more. As a result of the litigation handled by Langdon & Emison, several defective products and practices dangerous to the American consumer have been changed or abandoned altogether.
Brett Emison Named a Partner at Langdon & Emison
Lexington, Mo. (December 22, 2010): The law firm of Langdon & Emison announced today that effective January 1, 2011, Brett Emison will be a Partner in the firm. Brett joined the firm in 2004 as an associate attorney, and since then has represented victims and their families in Missouri and across the country across a wide variety of litigation.
Brett is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia. During his time there he served as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Law Review and received Order of the Coif honors. Following graduation, Brett worked as judicial law clerk for the Honorable William Ray Price, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Missouri and then practiced in the area of commercial litigation for a renowned Kansas City law firm. Today his practice is primarily dedicated to the serious injury of people from dangerous products, automobile collisions and fires, defective automobile design, and semi-truck collisions.
Brett serves on the Board of Governors for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA) and is currently an associate editor of The Missouri Trial Attorney journal. He has been an involved member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA), and serves as president of the Lafayette County Bar Association.
A regular blogger on issues related to product safety and consumer advocacy, Brett has been published in national and local trade publications. He also is frequently invited to speak on those topics to law schools, trade organizations, and others. In 2010 the publication Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers named him a “Rising Star.” Brett lives in Lee’s Summit, Mo., with his wife and one-year old daughter.
About Langdon & Emison: From Missouri offices in Lexington, N. Kansas City, and St. Louis, Langdon & Emison represents clients from coast to coast in the areas of product liability and personal injury law. The expertise of the firm’s attorneys and its unparalleled network of experts and litigation support resources have been nationally recognized. Favorable verdicts are regularly obtained in complex personal injury litigation such as wrongful death and transportation liability, including car-truck collisions, train accidents, and more. As a result of the litigation handled by Langdon & Emison, several defective products and practices dangerous to the American consumer have been changed or abandoned altogether.
Langdon & Emison Secures $23.4 Million Verdict for California Woman Paralyzed in Ford Explorer Accident
Experienced automotive accident law firm obtains unanimous jury verdict after six-week trial in San Bernardino County.
(Lexis Nexis) March 1, 2010 -- Lexington, MO (Martindale-Hubbell® Newswire/PRWeb) March 1, 2010 -- In a closely watched civil trial in the Superior Court of California, a legal team from the Missouri-based law firm of Langdon & Emison recently obtained a $23.4 million verdict against Ford Motor Company on behalf of a single mother who suffered permanent injuries as a result of a 2007 accident.
In the case, Cynthia Castillo v. Ford Motor Company et al (Case No. CIVRS 706262), Ms. Castillo filed a lawsuit against Ford and the companies who manufactured and installed the tires on her 1997 Ford Explorer. Her lawsuit was based on a tragic car accident caused when the left rear tire on her vehicle "de-treaded" on a California freeway and the vehicle instantly became unstable and uncontrollable, forcing the Explorer to run off the freeway and roll down a steep embankment.
The accident knocked Ms. Castillo unconscious and she suffered brain damage. Just 38 years old at the time of the incident, she is now a quadriplegic, fully dependent on 24/7 care for the remainder of her life. Instead of being the caregiver for her young daughter, her child became one of her mom's caregivers.
In her lawsuit, Ms. Castillo argued that the accident was caused by hidden handling defects in the Explorer. At trial, Ms. Castillo's legal team -- Robert L. Langdon, Adam W. Graves and Phyllis A. Norman of Langdon & Emison and Daniel T. DeFeo of the DeFeo Law Firm -- presented evidence that high level management at Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. were aware of similar wrecks caused by hidden handling defects. Specifically, they introduced evidence showing that Ford spent $3.5 million correcting the defect in Venezuela, but chose to ignore the fix recommended by its own engineers and not to spend the $500 million needed to fix the Explorers in North America.
After a six-week trial and more than three days of deliberations, the California jury in the case reached a unanimous verdict finding the Ford Explorer to be defective. The jury awarded Ms. Castillo $13.4 million for medical care and future life needs and another $10 million for her pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
"Cynthia Castillo was among Ford's targeted group of 'soccer moms' for the 4 million Ford Explorer SUVs sold in North America from 1990 to 2001, which fit the active, athletic lifestyle she enjoyed with her then 7 year old daughter," said Langdon. "That all came to an abrupt halt on the day of her accident, but we are pleased that justice was served with the jury's verdict and thankful that Cynthia will be able to receive the additional care she needs and deserves."
Langdon & Emison is recognized throughout the country as a leader in the areas of product liability and personal injury law. From its offices just outside Kansas City, the attorneys at Langdon & Emison serve clients across the nation who have been injured or lost a loved one in an automobile accident that occurred due to a defective product or the negligence of another party. For more information, please visit www.langdonemison.com or call (866)959-7305.
