Cass County Jury Awards $10 Million to Family of Woman Killed in Head-On Crash
Won by The Popham Law Firm.
A Cass County jury awarded $10 million to the husband and eight daughters of Kathleen Miller, 62, who died after a pickup truck crossed the center line on Missouri Highway 52 and struck her vehicle head-on.
What happened
On November 12, 2018, Kathleen Miller, 62, was driving on Missouri Highway 52 when a 2012 Toyota Tacoma operated by Maria Ramirez Gudino drifted across the center line and hit her vehicle in a direct head-on collision. Miller suffered massive injuries and died at the hospital.
Her husband, Mark Miller, and their eight adult daughters filed suit in Henry County against Ramirez Gudino. The case was later transferred to Cass County Circuit Court. A second defendant, the truck's owner, was dismissed before trial.
By the time the case reached a jury in August 2023, the defense had conceded that Ramirez Gudino was at fault. The only question before the jury was how much money, if any, the family was owed. Because all of Miller's children were adults, the defense argued their losses were limited and proposed $500,000 as an adequate award.
Wm. Dirk Vandever of the Popham Law Firm, co-counsel with Andrew J. Gelbach of Warrensburg, presented evidence of what the family lost: a wife, a mother, and a central presence in the lives of nine people. The plaintiffs asked the jury to award $16 million.
On August 9, 2023, the Cass County jury returned a verdict of $10 million. Judge Stacey Lett presided over the trial.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.