Plain-English guides to the Missouri laws our clients actually deal with — written by working attorneys, not marketers.
Liability is the threshold question in every auto-accident injury case. Establishing it — cleanly enough that the insurance carrier doesn’t argue otherwise — is what separates a quickly-paid case from one that drags through litigation. A practical guide to how Missouri courts decide who was at fault in a vehicle collision, the four elements of negligence, and the evidence that wins.
The five-year general civil rule (RSMo §516.120), three-year wrongful death (§537.100), defamation, criminal SOLs by class, and the tolling rules that pause the clock.
When deadly force is justified — residence, vehicle, business protection, no duty to retreat, and the civil immunity that protects justified defenders.
RSMo §610.140's expanded list of eligible offenses, the waiting periods, the lifetime caps, the fees, and what stays on record.
The four main categories under RSMo Chapter 404, when each works, common pitfalls, and how revocation actually happens.
The $5,000 jurisdictional limit under RSMo §482.305, no lawyers required, and the de novo appeal to the associate division.
1786 settlement under Spanish rule, the French Creole heritage, the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, and the route from village to city.
Old St. Ferdinand Shrine (1789), Taille de Noyer (1790), Casa Alvarez (1790), the Aubuchon House, and the Old Florissant Valley Courthouse.
MedPay, health insurance subrogation, hospital liens under RSMo §430.225, letters of protection, and how the settlement allocates among them.
Post-WWII suburban growth, McDonnell Aircraft and Boeing, the civil rights era in north St. Louis County, and modern Florissant.
RSMo §537.765 explained. Why a plaintiff 30% at fault on a $100K verdict still recovers $70K — and how the math actually plays out at trial and in settlement.
Missouri's $25K minimums, mandatory UM under RSMo §379.203, optional UIM, stacking rules, and the conversation every driver should have with their agent.
Missouri abandoned the one-bite rule in 2009. Today, the dog's history no longer matters. The four elements, the defenses, and realistic settlement ranges.
RSMo §537.090 categories — economic, noneconomic, aggravating circumstances. Who may sue under §537.080, and the three-year SOL under §537.100.
A Missouri DWI sets two clocks in motion. Miss the 15-day deadline and the license is gone — even if the criminal case is later dismissed.
Prior offender status under RSMo §577.023 — mandatory 10 days, 5-year license denial, 4-year ignition interlock, and what early defense actually changes.
Implied consent under RSMo §577.020-§577.041. The 15-day hearing window, the 20-minute attorney consultation right, and the defenses that work.
Aggravated, chronic, and habitual offender thresholds. When injury, death, or a child in the car push a misdemeanor into prison territory.
Why even an off-duty arrest in your personal vehicle can end a commercial driving career — federal lifetime ban under 49 CFR Part 383, .04 BAC on duty.
The defenses that actually move cases — probable cause for the stop, FST reliability, breath device calibration, the 15-minute observation, and rising BAC.
Auto, premises, workplace, wrongful death, dog bites, products — the six categories of Missouri injury law and what each requires.
The eight rights every injured Missouri worker should know — notice, medical care, TTD, permanent disability, the Second Injury Fund, and settlement.
What you do during recovery matters enormously to your case. The eight rules — medical compliance, work restrictions, surveillance, and settlement.
The two-track system, the 15-day administrative deadline, what to say at the stop, common defenses, and how to act in the days after arrest.
The most-common defenses to Missouri drug possession charges — Fourth Amendment suppression, lack of knowing possession, lab issues, prescription defenses, and Drug Treatment Court.
Missouri's domestic-violence framework — criminal degrees, the parallel order of protection, federal firearm consequences, and the defenses that work.
What appeals actually are — the timeline, the standard of review, the difference between direct appeal and post-conviction relief, and what reversal means.
Missouri expungement under RSMo §610.140 — who qualifies, what gets cleared, the waiting periods, the lifetime caps, and the procedural steps.
The four main types of Missouri power of attorney, springing vs. immediate effectiveness, choosing the right agent, and what happens without one.
Employment, housing, professional licensing, federal benefits, firearm rights, immigration — and the legal tools to mitigate the impact.
What to wear, how to behave, what to say — the small details that influence judges, prosecutors, and juries before substantive arguments begin.
Lack of notice, defects in the underlying suspension, lawful operation under hardship license, and constitutional challenges to the stop.
What actually happens with a Missouri red-light guilty plea — points, multi-year insurance impact, license risk, CDL exposure, and the alternatives.
The factors that escalate Missouri speeding into jail-eligible careless-and-imprudent — extreme speed, protected zones, impairment, injury, and fleeing.
What mistrials actually are — the common causes, the double-jeopardy analysis for retrial, and what happens after one is declared.
Missouri's three classes of visitor, the evidence that wins these cases, and the 48-hour checklist after a fall — including the litigation-hold letter that preserves surveillance video.
Riders fight two battles after a wreck — the at-fault driver's insurance, and the bias most carriers and jurors carry against motorcyclists. The law, the evidence, and what wins these cases.
Missouri abandoned the one-bite rule in 2009 and adopted a strict-liability statute. The owner's homeowner's insurance generally pays. Evidence that wins these cases, plus the pediatric facial-bite framework.
Half of Missouri auto-injury cases are soft-tissue cases — and they're the most aggressively undervalued by insurers. How carriers run the playbook and what evidence flips it.
Leaving the scene is rarely calculated. The legal consequences are not a matter of intent — but the defenses available are real, and most first-offense cases can be resolved without a permanent record.
Missouri's animal-cruelty statute is more nuanced than the public conversation around these cases would suggest. With early counsel, most first-offense charges can be resolved without a permanent record.
Missouri legalized medical and recreational cannabis. Federal firearms law did not change. Every cardholder who owns a gun should know exactly where they stand in the gap between the two.
Most Missouri prostitution prosecutions rest entirely on a recorded conversation between an undercover officer and the defendant. The defenses are real and the resolution options are wider than people realize.
Five categories of damages, what insurers actually pay, and the variables that move a $20,000 case to $200,000 or more.
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs is the fastest-growing impaired-driving category in Missouri. The science is messier, the impairment proof is weaker, and DUID cases are often more defensible than alcohol DWIs.
The adjuster is friendly. The check arrives quickly. None of that means the offer is fair — and signing the release ends every option you have.
Both keep your wishes in force. Only one keeps your family out of probate court. Here's the actual difference, with numbers.
