Damages sought after car swept away, woman drowned
February 17, 2026
CoMoBUZ
A wrongful death case filed by Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott was recently covered in CoMoBUZ, an online community news organization that covers Columbia, Missouri.
A wrongful death case filed by Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott was recently covered in CoMoBUZ, an online community news organization that covers Columbia, Missouri.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott, in Boone County alleges the city and county “failed to use ordinary care to either prevent Gillespie Bridge Road from flooding or to warn motorists of the flooding.”
In this article, MRH Law Partner Matt Meyerkord examines the strategic challenges interpleader actions create in catastrophic injury cases. Using a multi-vehicle truck crash involving three separate interpleaders, he explores how to navigate multiple interpleaders to get the best results. Meyerkord also highlights the importance of keeping state court claims alive to conduct discovery, identify additional liable parties, and expand recovery through product liability and agency theories, reinforcing that interpleaders are often not the end of a case, but the beginning of deeper investigation.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Tune in at the 20:50 mark to hear from Attorney Brian Russell. He shares how he heard about the Byron Case case, why he decided to take on the case, how he gathered a legal team, and reveals his shocking discovery.
iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally, announced the highly anticipated third season of its groundbreaking true crime podcast “The Real Killer.”
The new season will delve deep into the chilling story of Anastasia WitbolsFeugen, an 18-year-old whose life was brutally cut short. What begins as a tragic murder quickly transforms into an in-depth and wide ranging investigation that challenges everything listeners thought they knew about criminal investigations.
Personal injury attorney Brian Russell, along with Sean O’Brien, Esq. represents Byron Case, who has been wrongfully convicted for this murder and is featured in the podcast.
Personal injury attorney Nick Hergott contributes to this news story, commenting on the justice system.
“We’re really faced with an overburdened criminal justice and civil justice system,” Hergott said. “I think that you get a backlog and they have to start triaging [cases] and that leads to some very unfortunate and unfair circumstances where the community feels that it’s not being protected.”
Before his arrest and conviction in 2012, Jeffrey Weinhaus was a citizen journalist and activist known for exposing government corruption. After being shot multiple times by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper during a controversial arrest, Weinhaus was sentenced to 30 years in prison for assaulting a police officer and armed criminal action. Recent legal efforts led by attorney Nick Hergott and University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor Sean O’Brien have revealed significant concerns about his conviction, including withheld evidence about the trooper’s PTSD and history of misconduct. This calls into question the fairness of the trial and have prompted a petition to the Missouri Supreme Court for Weinhaus’s release.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott won a $2 million bench trial verdict for a sexual assault victim in Kansas City, represented by Brian Russell. In 2019, the plaintiff was assaulted by a maintenance worker, who was repeatedly sent by property owner Oliver Abnos despite her complaints. She eventually moved into temporary housing after falling behind on rent. Judge Joel Fahnestock awarded $1 million in punitive damages and $1 million for pain and suffering, noting she was effectively trapped in Abnos’ property. In 2023, a receiver was appointed to liquidate Abnos’ real estate holdings to pay the judgment.
On December 5, 2023, attorney Brian Russell, along with Nicole Gordon, Quinn O’Brien, and Sean O’Brien, filed a Motion to Recall Mandate on Byron Case’s conviction, which involved submitting new evidence and offering cooperation with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s CIU.
Despite their efforts, the CIU declined to collaborate in February 2023. Sean O’Brien, experienced in high-profile innocence cases, and other local attorneys have criticized the CIU for not adhering to national recommendations and failing to correct injustices. Given the underfunding of Missouri’s public defender system, the CIU’s role is crucial. With discussions of establishing an independent CIU unit underway, the team remains dedicated to securing Byron Case’s freedom.
In a recent Missouri Lawyers Media article, attorney Nick Hergott explores representing individuals at risk of violent crime. He discusses cases like negligent supervision, entrustment, hiring, alcohol service, and inadequate security. The article covers strategies for determining the foreseeability of crime, reasonable security measures, and case management. These cases can help clients achieve justice, hold parties accountable, and secure financial recovery. Read the full article for more details.
Recently featured in the KC Star, Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott attorney Brian Russell filed a motion with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, in Byron Case’s direct appeal from 2004. This case became a miscarriage of justice in 2002, when Jackson County unlawfully convicted Byron by manufacturing evidence and concealing evidence of his innocence.
In cooperation with Miracle of Innocence and Sean O’Brien, former chief public defender in Kansas City, MO and current UMKC School of Law, Professor of Law, we are trying to correct this injustice.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell, and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
It’s official – we won! Thanks to your votes, Meyerkord, Russell & Hergott has been named Best Law Firm in The Pitch’s Best of Kansas City 2020!
It was an honor to be chosen as one of the top five nominees for Best Law Firm, and we are thankful for each one of you who nominated and voted for us. A record number of more than 650,000 votes were cast, and to be selected as the winner among other deserving nominees is an incredible distinction.
Attorneys Brian Russell and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers as Rising Stars. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Access to legal representation and a fair shot at justice shouldn’t depend on where you live, the color of your skin or how much money you have. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality. That’s why we’re proud to support Legal Aid of Western Missouri as monthly donors. Legal Aid levels the playing field, giving our neighbors a basic right to which they are entitled: legal representation.
Personal injury attorney Matt Meyerkord was recently featured in Missouri Lawyers Weekly. His article, “Car-Crash Cases: How to Investigate Distracted Driving” takes a look at the distracted driving epidemic and how other attorneys can investigate distracted driving in their car crash cases. Matt offers insight on investigating the driver’s phone use, interviewing witnesses and the impact of phone use while driving.
Attorneys Matt Meyerkord and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
We are excited to announce attorney Matt Meyerkord has been selected as a Super Lawyers Top 100 Attorney in Missouri and Kansas.
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
While only 5% of the more that 30,000 attorneys in Missouri and Kansas are selected as Super Lawyers, even fewer are honored as Top 100 Attorneys.
Attorney Matt Meyerkord has been recognized by Super Lawyers, as a Top 100 Attorney in KS/MO, an honor awarded to less than 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Attorneys Brian Russell and Nick Hergott have been recognized by Super Lawyers as Rising Stars. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association offered a cross-cultural learning opportunity, in conjunction with Cuba Cultural Travel. Attorneys had the opportunity to earn at least five (5) CLE credits covering topics such as the rule of law as part of Cuban reforms, the evolving rules and regulations for private enterprises in Cuba, and foreign investment in Cuba.
“We always do a lot of investigation on our cases. One like the Schlitterbahn case, that’s highly technical and there’s lots of engineering stuff involved. You absolutely have to have an expert,” said Matt Meyerkord.
Meyerkord is a personal injury attorney in Kansas City. He’s not involved with the Schlitterbahn investigation but talked with 41 Action News in September and explained what investigators might be looking for.
We are proud to share that all 3 of our attorneys – Matt Meyerkord, Brian Russell and Nick Hergott – were selected by the Kansas City Business Journal as the Best of the Bar for 2016.
The Best of the Bar showcases 198 lawyers selected by their peers as the top attorneys in private practice in the metro area.
After being recognized by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA) as the Young Lawyer of the Year, partner Nick Hergott shares his thoughts with The Pitch Kansas City.
Partner Nick Hergott has been honored as the Young Lawyer of the Year by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA), recognizing his significant contributions to the community and legal profession. Nick will receive the award at the 42nd Annual Bench-Bar & Boardroom Conference on May 15th in Branson, Missouri.
Attorney Matthew Meyerkord, one of our founders, has become a member of the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, recognized for securing settlements or jury awards of at least $2,000,000. Our firm is dedicated to pursuing justice for our clients, ensuring that negligent parties are held accountable and that victims receive the maximum compensation for their suffering.
Attorney Matt Meyerkord has been recognized by Super Lawyers, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in each state. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes outstanding attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations by highly credentialed attorneys.
Attorney Matt Meyerkord and the two lawyers he collaborated with received a major case victory. The Missouri Lawyers Weekly article covers a case in which a family injured in a car accident initially reached a $300,000 settlement with an insurance company, only to have the judge throw that settlement out. This allowed for a $5 million settlement to be reached it in its place after new discoveries were made related to the case. The insurance company involved in the personal injury matter could have kept the lower settlement had it simply not raised challenges to the way the settlement was to be structured when the first deal was reached.
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