(816) 701-1100Class action cases are one of the more complex litigation matters for plaintiffs, defendants, and courts. Created to improve the efficiency of the legal process, class actions group a large number of individualized claims together into one representative lawsuit. A class-action lawsuit is a way of allowing tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people to act together as one, rather than trying to push that man lawsuits through the courts individually. Class action suits most often have to do with a personal injury of some kind that results in product liability and consumer protection cases.
Courtroom Experience That Earns Results, Even Without A Trial
In the past five years alone, Wagstaff & Cartmell has recovered more than $600 million in class action cases, locally in Kansas, Kansas City, and Missouri, as well as nationally. We have been part of the prosecuting leadership group in major class actions across the country with hundreds of millions of dollars hanging in the balance, and we have also successfully supported defendants in class action lawsuits with millions of dollars at stake.
We use our experience on both sides of the docket to anticipate the most likely tactics to be used by the opposing legal team and propose strategies designed to bring the best possible outcomes. Our approach so far has proven to be powerful and effective.
Our trial lawyers represent both plaintiffs and defendants in class action lawsuits involving a variety of subject matters, including unfair business practices such as antitrust, securities, consumer, and product liability cases involving dangerous or defective products. We have the experience and resources to prosecute or defend class action matters for clients across a wide range of industries.
We also have successfully represented individual members of class actions who “opt-out” of a class settlement to pursue their own individual claims against negligent parties.
Significant Representations And A Proven Track Record
$590.5 Million Settlement in Private Equity Antitrust Case
Attorney: Tyler W. Hudson
Working with several law firms from across the country, Ty Hudson and other Wagstaff & Cartmell attorneys played a pivotal role in securing a $590 million combined class action settlement, contingent on federal court approval, of antitrust claims against seven private equity firms, including Bain Capital, Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, Goldman Sachs, K.K.R., Silver Lake, and TPG. The plaintiffs – former shareholders of companies acquired by the private equity firms – argued that the defendants illegally colluded to lower prices of certain corporate acquisitions.
$10 Million Settlement for Environmental Property Damage
Attorneys: Brian J. Madden, Thomas P. Cartmell, Tom Wagstaff, Jr., Diane Watkins, and Joan Toomey
Wagstaff & Cartmell, on behalf of a class of Northwest Missouri landowners, reached a $10 million class-action settlement with an engineering firm. The case involved allegations that Prime Tanning, a St. Joseph tannery, distributed tannery sludge containing hexavalent chromium produced from its tanning operations to landowners to use as fertilizer in four Missouri counties from 1983 through 2009.
$20.25 million Class Action Settlement In re Potash Antitrust Litigation (N.D. Ill.)
Attorneys: Eric D. Barton, Tyler W. Hudson, and Adam Davis
Wagstaff & Cartmell represented a class of indirect purchasers, mostly farmers and agribusinesses, who obtained a class action settlement, approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in the total amount of $20.25 million from the major North American and foreign producers of potash fertilizer.
Recognized Leaders In Class Action Litigation
Wagstaff & Cartmell lawyers are often named to the plaintiffs’ leadership teams of the country’s largest drug and device cases. These leadership roles, often in multi-district litigation (“MDL”), arising from our past successes, extensive experience, and excellent reputation of our lawyers in this mass tort and product liability cases. The choice of a lawyer for these roles is, of course, important decisions and not taken lightly.
Some past appointments have included:
Tom Cartmell
- Plaintiff’s Executive Committee, Co-Lead Counsel, In re Ethicon Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327 (S.D. WV)
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, Co-Lead Trial Counsel, In re Avandia, MDL No. 1871 (E.D. Pa.)
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, In re Zoloft, MDL No. 2342 (E.D. Pa.)
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, In re Depuy Pinnacle Hip Implants, MDL No. 2244 (N.D. Tex.)
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, Co-Lead Trial Counsel, In re Bextra and Celebrex, MDL 1699 (N.D. Cal.)
Jeff Kuntz
- Expert Committee Leader and Bellwether Trial Committee Leader, In re Ethicon Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2327 (S.D. WV)
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, Trial Counsel, In re Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch, MDL No. 1842 (D.R.I.).
- Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, In Re: Infusion Pump Cases, JCCP No. 4615
- Science Committee, In re Yasmin, MDL No. 2100
David DeGreeff
- Science and Experts Committee and in charge of Secondary Science Document Review In re Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2606 (D. NJ)
Plaintiff’s Steering Committee In re Cook Medical, Inc., IVC Filters Marketing, Sales and Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2570 (S.D. Ind.).
Read more about our cases and our results.
If you believe you have a class action issue, please contact Wagstaff & Cartmell, or call (816) 701-1100 today to schedule your consultation. Your free initial consultation is, of course, confidential. We’ll be happy to go over the details of your case and discuss exactly what we can do to help you.
Phone: 
Fax: (816) 531-2372
