Franke, Schultz & Mullen, PC | Matthew Clifford
Kansas City - Springfield - St. Louis - Overland Park
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Attorneys
Matthew  M. Clifford

PRACTICES

Personal Injury Defense
Insurance Defense Litigation
Commercial and Business Litigation
Insurance Coverage, Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability Litigation

EDUCATION

  • University of Missouri - Columbia, B.S. Civil Engineering
  • Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D.

ADMISSIONS

  • State of Missouri
  • State of Kansas
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • United States District Court, Western District of Missouri
  • United States District Court, District of Kansas
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Professional Affiliations

  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

 
Matthew M. Clifford
Partner
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tel: (816) 421-7100
Fax: (816) 421-7915
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Mr. Clifford practices in the area of civil litigation with an emphasis in insurance defense and trucking litigation. He has experience in the areas of bad faith/vexatious refusal insurance coverage, equitable garnishment actions, premises liability, trucking and automobile litigation, construction litigation, trademark and copyright, and products liability. Mr. Clifford has second chaired cases to a defense verdict and obtained summary judgment on behalf of his clients in several cases and obtained several favorable appellate results. His current significant cases include representing several different insurance companies in multi-million dollar equitable garnishment and bad faith actions and all sizes of trucking companies in trucking litigation.

Mr. Clifford received his Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude with a concentration in intellectual property. During law school, Mr. Clifford was on the Dean's list, was a member of the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition Team, and worked as a teaching assistant for the legal research and writing department. Mr. Clifford received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia where he graduated cum laude.

Mr. Clifford has been selected as a Missouri & Kansas “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers every year since 2016. Mr. Clifford has served as a guest judge for the Missouri and Kansas high-school mock trial competition through the Young Lawyers Section of the Missouri Bar. He is currently an active member of The Missouri Bar Association, The Kansas Bar Association, and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. Mr. Clifford currently serves as the Secretary of the Kansas City Chapter of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Mr. Clifford secured the top defense verdict in the State of Missouri for 2017 according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly in an equitable garnishment and bad faith action against an insurer. The plaintiffs sought recovery of a $34 million verdict and additional damages for alleged bad faith on the part of the insurer. The trial court held there was no coverage under the insurer’s policy and entered judgment in favor of the insurer on all claims.

Mr. Clifford serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.


RECENT TRIALS:

  • Sims v. American Multi-Cinema, Inc., Jackson County, Missouri, 2015 (premises liability)
  • Mick v. Schieber, Holt County, Missouri, 2015 (auto accident)

REPORTED CASES:

  • Designworks Homes, LLC v. Thomson Sailors Homes, LLC, et al., 2019 WL 5088764, Case No. 18-0189-CV-W-SRB (W.D. Mo. 2019)
  • Shipyard Brewing Company, LLC v. Logboat Brewing Company, LLC, 2018 WL 3118694, Case No. 2:17-cv-04079 (W.D. Mo. 2018)
  • Kissinger v. American Family Mutual Ins. Co., 563 S.W.3d 765 (Mo. App. W.D. 2018)
  • Sanborn v. United Fire & Casualty Company, 556 S.W.3d 97 (Mo. App. E.D. 2018) (Case No. ED106120) [Insurance company found not liable for $34MM judgment in St. Louis City Circuit Court.]  #1 TOP DEFENSE VERDICT IN 2017 - MISSOURI LAWYERS WEEKLY.
  • Missouri United School Ins. Council v. Hunt, 2014 WL 554692 (W.D.Mo. Feb. 11, 2014)

SPEAKER/LECTURER/PUBLICATIONS:

  • Missouri Association of Mutual Insurance Companies annual convention, 2015.