Missouri Injury Lawyers Blog

This month Tatlow, Gump, Faiella & Wheelan LLC is celebrating twenty years of service by Sidney Eckman Wheelan, a partner with TGFW. Sidney joined the firm in 1990 as a paralegal. After working for a few years, she decided to attend law school but continued to work for the firm. Sidney graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1999 and became an associate attorney at TGFW. Last summer, Sidney became a partner at TGFW.

During her time here, Sidney has successfully handled many claims for personal injuries, insurance bad faith, wrongful death, workers' compensation, social security disability and many other areas of litigation. She is a member of a variety of professional organizations, including the Missouri Association for Trial Attorneys and the American Association of Justice. Sidney is also active in many community organizations in Monroe and Randolph counties.

Cassie J. Carpenter, an Associate Attorney at Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC, attended the Missouri Association of Trial Attorney's Convention at Lake of the Ozarks on June 24-27, 2010. The purpose of the convention is to allow trial attorneys from across the state to meet in order to exchange ideas, learn about the most recent changes in the law and learn about new technology that could assist in the management, settlement and trial of their cases. Lawyers must constantly keep up-to-date on the most recent court decisions, legislation and court rules in order to be effective at obtaining a favorable result for their clients. Conventions such as these help attorneys manage the continuously changing law. Ms. Carpenter attended sessions in which she was able to learn new litigation strategies, deposition tactics, successful methods for question key witnesses, presentation of evidence and maintenance of professional and ethical behavior in difficult circumstances.

The Law Firm of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella & Wheelan, LLC wishes you a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend.

Chris Faiella of the Moberly law firm, Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC, recently reached a $3.125 million dollar settlement for his client's leg injuries. Faiella's client suffered severe permanent injuries to both legs, including an above-the-knee amputation of the left leg, after being pinned between two vehicles in November 2008. The case recently settled for $3.125 million dollars.

The accident occurred when the defendant mistakenly stepped on the gas instead of the brake, pinning the plaintiff between the bumpers of two vehicles. The client's left leg was crushed and his popliteal artery was compromised. The artery supplies blood to the knee joint and muscles in the thigh and calf. Complications developed, including compartment syndrome, an infection and eventual necrosis of the lower leg. The client underwent several procedures and surgeries in an attempt to save his left leg, but none were successful and he ultimately required an above-the-knee amputation.

The client also suffered a fracture of his right leg and he has post-traumatic arthritis in his knee. Since his injury, he also experienced acute renal failure, delirium and respiratory insufficiency as a result of the crash and developed pressure sores during his hospitalization. He now suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The client's injuries rendered him unable to work. His damages included approximately $66,000 for economic damages, $367,657 in medical bills and $734,454 for future life care costs.

Moberly lawyer, Rex Gump of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC and co-counsel Steven Sellers, represented Thomas Motors, Inc., the local GM dealership, in binding arbitration proceedings in a successful effort to retain the GM dealership in Moberly.
In June, 2009, General Motors filed for bankruptcy and sent wind-down agreements to approximately 2000 dealerships, including Thomas Motors. Congress allowed those dealerships to appeal GM's decision through binding arbitration proceedings. The arbitration began on May 4, 2010, and lasted three days.

Arbitration is a legal technique for resolving disputes outside of the court system. It is a settlement process by which the case is tried to a third party, the arbitrator, who reviews the case and issues a decision that is legally binding for both parties.

During the arbitration hearing, Attorney Rex Gump called on local leaders to testify in support of Thomas Motors and to testify about the economic impact the local dealership has on the Moberly area economy. Those leaders included Moberly City Manager Andy Morris, Randolph County Commissioner Wayne Wilcox, Moberly Area Economic Development President Corey Mehaffy and area businessman Chas Wheeler.

The arbitrator, Bob Russell of Sedalia, issued the decision on May 17, 2010, allowing Thomas Motors, Inc. of Moberly to retain its General Motors franchise. On Monday, May 21, 2010, GM issued its letter of intent to Thomas Motors, paving the way for the dealership to renew its franchise agreement and to continue to serve the area with the sale and servicing of new General Motors vehicles. Thomas Motors' owner, Donnie Thomas, stated: "We are pleased with the outcome of the arbitration hearing and are looking forward to serving the Moberly area for a very long time."

Attorney Rex Gump has been in practice 34 years. He stated, "It is a very interesting process, and I am extremely pleased that Thomas Motors will be allowed to develop into a flagship GM dealership, as I am certain it will."

The law firm of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC in Moberly, Missouri would like to congratulate Cassie J. Carpenter, of Madison, Missouri, on her admission to the bar of the State of Missouri and the Randolph County Bar. Ms. Carpenter was sworn into the Randolph County Bar by Presiding Judge Scott Hayes on June 10, 2010 at the Randolph County Courthouse in Huntsville, Missouri. Rex Gump and Sidney Wheelan of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC attended the ceremony. "We are delighted to have Ms. Carpenter at our firm and to welcome her into the Randolph County and Missouri Bar," said Ms. Wheelan at the conclusion of the ceremony. Ms. Carpenter is now licensed to practice law in Kansas State and Federal Courts and Missouri State, Eastern and Western District Federal Courts. She has been an Associate with Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC since January of 2010.

The attorneys at Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC represent clients in a broad range of litigation focused primarily on personal injury and its tragic consequences including wrongful death, insurance claim denials, bad faith and product liability.

Our attorneys, Rex Gump and Cassie Carpenter just returned from a successful mediation in Kansas City, Missouri. Our clients were seriously injured when a speeding car clipped their vehicle, sending them hurtling over a 150 ft. embankment, the equivalent of dropping from a 15 story building.

Continue reading "TGFW Attorneys Successfully Mediate Personal Injury Case" »

This month Tatlow, Gump, Faiella & Wheelan LLC is celebrating twenty years of service by Naida Dunn. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Naida for her many years of service and loyalty to our business. We know that the growth and success of our firm is largely dependent on having strong and capable staff members, and we recognize the contribution Naida has made. Naida has been the firm's probate assistant since March 1990. She retired from full-time employment in 2004, but still works three days a week at the firm.

The law firm of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC, of Moberly, Missouri congratulates Chris Faiella for again being recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly in their list of Top Verdicts & Settlements of 2009.

The $2.5 million settlement was reached for the family of a Moberly woman who was killed in a head-on collision on Missouri Route 22 near Centralia, Missouri, on June 9, 2008. The decedent had been driving to Centralia with her sister and adult daughter when the other driver, an employee of Ozark Kenworth, allegedly reached for his cell phone and swerved across the centerline and struck their vehicle. The two sisters were declared dead at the scene, and the daughter sustained serious personal injuries. The adult daughter, who is mentally disabled, received full care from her mother before the accident. The case, Williams, et al v. Ozark Kenworth, Inc., and Jeffrey Schuermann, Case No. 08-0417-CV-W-DGK was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Chris Faiella focuses his practice on serious personal injury and its tragic consequences including wrongful death, insurance coverage disputes, bad faith and product liability.

Tatlow, Gump & Faiella, LLC is pleased to announce the addition of the newest member of our firm, Sidney Eckman Wheelan. Our lawyers have formed the new firm of Tatlow, Gump, Faiella and Wheelan, LLC.

Ms. Wheelan represents clients regarding workers compensation, social security disability cases and other selected areas of litigation. She is a member of the Missouri Association of Trial Lawyers (MATA), the American Association of Justice (AAJ), The American Bar Association, the Woman's Law Association of Mid-Missouri (WLAMM), and local bar associations including the Tenth Judicial Circuit Bar Association and Past-president of the Randolph County Bar Association.

Ms. Wheelan earned a Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal Studies from William Woods University and her law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1999. During law school, she received CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Environmental Law and Advanced Legal Research.

Ms. Wheelan is licensed to practice law in the United States Supreme Court, all Missouri courts, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri.

We are proud to announce that Sidney Wheelan, an associate at Tatlow, Gump & Faiella LLC has been admitted to the United States Supreme Court.