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Mr. Franke born Kansas City, Missouri, 1962, admitted to the Missouri bar in 1987 and the Kansas bar in 1988, the United States District Courts for both states, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits and the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Franke specializes in insurance defense litigation, with an emphasis in commercial cases and first-party litigation.
Mr. Franke has extensive jury trial experience in all aspects of insurance matters, including first-party actions against insurers, bad faith litigation, catastrophic injury cases, commercial and business litigation, product liability, construction and transportation matters. In addition, he has extensive experience in insurance coverage matters, including prosecuting declaratory judgment actions. He also has particular experience in handling bad faith and first-party matters on behalf of insurance companies nationwide. Mr. Franke has been selected as Best of the Bar by the Kansas City Business Journal numerous times and selected as a “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics Magazine in 2006 and 2007.
Mr. Franke received his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri - Kansas City and was a member of the Law Review. He is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers and the Kansas City Claims Association. He is a frequent lecturer on insurance defense issues and trial techniques.
Practice Areas:
- Insurance Defense Litigation
- Insurance Agent & Broker Liability
- Commercial and Business Litigation
- Bad Faith and First-Party Actions
- Product Liability
- Premises Liability
- Construction Litigation
- Transportation Litigation
- Lender Liability
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Recent Significant Trials:
- Johnson v. Hatfield, et al., Case No. 06CV07957, Johnson County, Kansas (Negligence, Closed Head Injury)
- Wiebe v. American Family, Case No.: CV3822, Johnson County, Kansas, (Bad Faith Action)
- Netwig v. Willamette Industries, Inc., Case No. CV02143CM, Federal Court, United States District of Kansas, (Product Liability, Blindness)
- Richey v. Catherine Philipp-Leatz, et al., Case No. 16CV20955, Jackson County, Missouri, (Negligence, Paraplegia)
- Nachum v. Welliver, Case No. CV23263, Jackson County, Missouri, (Construction Defect)
- Samuels v. American Family, Case No. CV00925HFS, Federal Court, United States Western District of Missouri, (Uninsured Motorist, Vexatious Refusal)
- Stone v. Perry, Case No. CV102005436, Clay County, Missouri, (Tortious Interference, Conversion)
- Verni v. Cleveland Chiropractic College, et al., Case No. CV210044, Jackson County, Missouri, (Fraud, Breach of Contract)
- Williams v. School Services & Leasing, Case No. CV217016, Jackson County, Missouri (Wrongful Death)
Reported Appellate Cases:
- Verni v. Cleveland Chiropractic College, 212 S.W.3d 150 (Mo. banc 2007)
- Samuels v. American Family Insurance Co., 159 S.W.3d 868 (Mo. App. W.D. 2005)
- Netwig v. Georgia Pacific Corp., 375 F.3d 1009 (10th Cir. 2004)n
- Wilson ex rel. Wilson v. Simmons, 103 S.W.3d 211 (Mo. App. W.D. 2003)
- American Standard Ins. Co. of Wisconsin v. Bittick, 112 S.W.3d 55 (Mo. App. 2003)
- Long v. Cross Reporting Services, Inc., 103 S.W. 3d 249 (Mo. App. 2002)
- Long v. Funeral Directors Services, Inc., 96 S.W. 3d 885 (Mo. App. 2002)
- Simpson v. Home Depot, Inc. 203 F.R.D. 643 (D.Kan. 2001)
- Rinehart v. Anderson, 985 S.W.2d. 363 (Mo.App. W.D. 1998)
- American Standard Ins. Co. of Wisconsin v. May, 972 S.W.2d 595 (Mo.App. W.D. 1998)
- Safeco Ins. Co. of America v. Rogers, 968 S.W.2d 256 (Mo.App. W.D. 1998)
- Slater v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 165 F.R.D. 100 (D.Kan. 1996)
- American Family Mutual Ins. Co. v. Mission Medical Group, Chtd., 72 F.3d 645 (8th Cir.(Mo.) 1995)
- Johnson v. Centennial Life Ins. Co., 885 F.Supp. 227 (D.Kan. 1995)
- Biester v. Midwest Health Services, Inc.1994 WL 541827 (D.Kan. 1994)
- Safeco Ins. Co. of America v. Tozier,1994 WL 476304 (D.Kan. 1994)
- Walton v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co.,1994 WL 409615 (D.Kan. 1994)
- Combined Communications Corp. v. Trans Western Exp., Ltd., 1994 WL 374504(D.Kan. 1994)
- An Interest of D.D.A., 864 S.W.2d. 363, (Mo.App. W.D. 1993)
- American Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Kohrs, 1993 WL 289170 (D.Kan. 1993)
- American Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Kohrs, 1993 WL 191365 (D.Kan. 1993)
- Walton v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 1993 WL 191368 (D.Kan. 1993)
- In Interest of A.G., 853 S.W.2d. 310 (Mo.App. W.D. 1993)
Bar Admissions:
- State of Kansas
- State of Missouri
- United States District Court, District of Kansas
- United States District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Missouri
- United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Professional Affiliations:
- Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
- Missouri Bar Association
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Kansas City Claims Association
Recent Speaking Topics/Publications:
- 537 Agreements, Mary Carter Agreements, and Prejudgment Interest Demand Letters
- How to Handle Defendant’s Independent Medical Examination from Records Review through Deposition
- How to Conduct Voir Dire
- Unfair Claims Practices
- Trial Practice
- Survey of Kansas Law
- Survey of Missouri law
- Missouri Tort Reform
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