Brendon T. Sanders

Principal

636-798-0578   |   bsanders@wwbhlaw.com

Brendon Sanders is a trial lawyer who has successfully represented clients in a multitude of jury trial and summary judgment wins. Mr. Sanders, along with his partners, has successfully defended individuals, companies and insurers involved in lawsuits concerning construction accident/defect cases, commercial vehicle accidents, dram shop and premises liability.
photo of attorney Brendon T. Sanders

Overview

Brendon Sanders has been a trial lawyer for more than a decade, involved in successfully trying cases in Missouri and Illinois. The lawsuits in which Brendon has successfully represented clients include defense verdicts and summary judgment wins in dozens of cases involving issues such as complex commercial vehicle accidents, premises liability, products liability, dram shop litigation, construction defect litigation and homeowner’s association ligation. Many of the lawsuits involve high damage exposure in the millions of dollars in alleged actual and punitive damages and range from wrongful death and catastrophic injury damages to high dollar property and economic loss damages. Brendon grew up in the construction industry before graduating from St. Louis University School of Law and becoming a trial lawyer.  For his entire career as a trial lawyer, Brendon has concentrated his work in the defense of businesses, individuals and insurers. With his extensive experience and knowledge in the construction trades, he understands the intricacies involved in representing clients in both complex construction contract litigation and construction accident litigation. The focus of Brendon’s practice is aggressively, effectively and efficiently representing his clients from pre-suit investigation through trial and post-trial practice. His track record of success at trial and in obtaining pre-trial judgments through motion practice in his clients’ favor demonstrate his ability to navigate the complexities of all types of cases in order to obtain successful outcomes for his clients.

Recent Results

Past Results

  • Staley v. Corless, Clay County, March 2022, 18CY-CV07723 Construction defect case with claims brough against an individual plumber/employee of the company. Summary judgment in favor of the employee dismissing him from the case as an individual defendant.
  • Tanjie Hoover v. Blake Wilson, Pettis County, June 2021, 20PT- CC00140 Wrongful death case involving claims against defendant for driving over 100 miles per hour, after drinking alcohol, hitting a tree, killing two passengers.  Request of jury $7,000,000.  Jury verdict for Plaintiff $28,000.
  • Odenwald v. Cub Cove, Camden County, November 2021, 17CM-CC00005 Homeowners association case where the Plaintiff homeowners alleged the HOA failed to maintain drainage in the subdivision which resulted in water flowing to their property and causing a landslide which pushed their home into the Lake of the Ozarks causing damages of $1.2 million. Defense verdict on behalf of the Defendant HOA.
  • Breads v. Charles and Trudy Hunt, Pettis County, February 2020, 18PT-CC00187 Dram shop case against business for selling intoxicating liquors to driver, who drove into tree, and resulted in passenger being life flighted from the scene.  Request of jury $5,000,000.  Jury verdict for Defendant.
  • Naert v. GEICO, United States District Federal Court – Eastern District, May 2020, 4:19-CV-02339 Summary judgment on behalf of GEICO on the Plaintiff’s underinsured motorist claim.
  • Morgan v. QIK-N-EZ, Christian County, IL, September 2017, 16-L-5/16-L-16 Summary judgment in favor of the Defendant who sold alcohol to Plaintiff where the Plaintiff alleged the Defendant was liable under the Illinois Dramshop Act for his intoxication and subsequent injuries.
  • McCoy v. River City Foundations, St. Charles County, June 2019, 1711-CC00422 Automobile accident case against business and its driver for pulling out in front of Plaintiff on two lane highway resulting in an accident. Plaintiff had multiple hip surgeries and claimed over $200,000 in damages.  Jury verdict for Defendant.
  • Davis v. Harley, City of St. Louis, June 2019, 1722-CC00022 Summary judgment on behalf of GEICO on the Plaintiff’s uninsured motorist claim in a complex factual situation involving multiple different insurer’s policies.
  • Evans v. Wilson, Greene County/MO Ct. App, January 2014/March 2018, 1231-cv17294/ SD33209 Summary judgment for Defendants which was affirmed on appeal by the Missouri Supreme Court in a construction injury case where the plaintiff was injured when his leg was run over by a skidsteer and he sued his coworkers and supervisor.
  • Irwin v. Julian, Dade County, March 2018, 16DD-CV00116 Summary judgment in a construction injury case where the plaintiff suffered serious injuries after being run over by a skidsteer on a construction side and sued his fellow co-workers.
  • Adkison v. Spartan Utility Services and Thomas Cross, Franklin County, February 2017, 13AB-CC00176, Automobile accident case where Defendant gave Plaintiff a ride on the tailgate of his pick-up truck, causing her to fall off and suffer traumatic brain injuries.  Request of the jury $1,400,000.  Jury verdict for Defendant.
  • Flora v. Service Master Select, St. Louis County, April 2017, 14SL CC03669 Negligence and punitive damages case against restoration company with allegations of a cover up for cutting into flooring and spreading asbestos through the home during a water clean up.  Claims of over $100,000 in asbestos clean up and renovations to the home as a result of asbestos exposure as well as future medical care in the millions of dollars.  Jury verdict for Plaintiff $30,000.
  • Jeffries v. Summit, United States District Court – Western Division, May 2017, 4:16-cv-00423  Summary judgment on behalf of the Defendant, a general contractor, where the plaintiff was injured when a bank of cabinets collapsed onto her and she suffered serious injuries after a subcontractor improperly installed the cabinets.
  • Vitt v. Lost Valley Lake Resort, Franklin County, March 2016, 15AB-CC00031 Defense verdict at trial on behalf of Lost Valley Lake Resort which was sued after plaintiff visited the resort and suffered a broken back on the resort’s jumping pillow, an air-inflated trampoline.  Plaintiff asked for $1.5 million in damages for his broken back.  The jury found no liability on the part of the resort and entered a unanimous defense verdict in favor of the resort.
  • Zerjav v. Commercial Truck, Boone County, April 2016, 14BA-CV02349 Defense verdict on the claims of the Plaintiff and recovery on Defendant’s counter-claim against the Plaintiff for allegedly defective work performed on Plaintiff’s commercial vehicle where the Plaintiff did not pay for the work.
  • Oblinger v. Sigman, United States District Court – Western District, May 2016, 6:15-CV-03113 Summary judgment on behalf the Defendant police officer on the Plaintiff’s claim that the Defendant violated his civil rights in conjunction with his arrest in using excessive force.
  • McAfee v. Lopatin, United States District Court – Western District, May 2016, 2:14-CV-4209 Verdict for Plaintiffs against the Defendant of only $80,000 in multi-motorcycle vs. vehicle accident where the Plaintiffs asked the jury to award them total damages of $2.25 Million and the jury returned a verdict assessing 65%, 60% and 50% fault to the Plaintiffs.
  • Stanley Sakabu v. Regency Construction Company, St. Charles County May 2015, 0911-CV04658 Explosion case where Plaintiff sued Defendant whose subcontractor plumber caused an explosion in Plaintiff’s basement when using tools on a remodel, not knowing Plaintiff had black powder in his basement.  Claims for property damage exceeding $50,000.  Jury verdict for Defendant.
  • Foremost v. Peters, Lincoln County, June 2014, 12L6-CC00120 Defense verdict for a local HVAC company where the plaintiff claimed the Defendant’s installation of an electric furnace in the basement of a home resulted in a fire, causing more than $100,000 in damage to the home, which was subsequently demolished.
  • Owners v. Jefferson, United States District Court – Western District, October 2014, 4:13-CV-00713 Summary judgment in favor of the insurer in a complex coverage case where there was no coverage under the applicable policy because the decedent at the time of his death did not qualify as a ‘ward’ or ‘foster child’ of the insureds.
  • Rohen v. Servicemaster Select, St. Charles County, February 2013, 1011-CV11543 Negligence claim against Defendant for leaving equipment used in cleaning up a water loss at Plaintiff’s home in a hallway, causing Plaintiff to fall and tear his Achilles tendon.  Jury verdict for Defendant.  
  • MSD v. Mighty Mike Services, St. Louis County, April 2013, 11SL-CC00109 Defense verdict for a local plumbing company where MSD brought suit against the Defendant alleging it was responsible for a sewer later backup that caused extensive damage to an adjoining home.
  • Steelman v. F&J Salem; Steelman v. Marose; Steelman v. Briceno, United States District Court – Eastern District, 2013 (multiple cases) Dismissal of three separate suits filed by a plaintiff alleging ADA violations related to three separate businesses in Missouri.
  • Hurst v. Safeco, St. Louis City, January 2013, 1022-CC11829 Defense verdict in a first party uninsured motorist trial in the City of St. Louis where the plaintiff claimed that while riding a motorized scooter he was run off the road and into a parked vehicle by a phantom driver.
  • Noakes v. Parmalee, St. Clair County, February 2012, 10SR-CC00028 Summary judgment for the Defendant on the Plaintiff’s claim that the Defendant negligently entrusted his vehicle to another driver who caused and accident.

Professional Affiliations

  • Missouri Bar Association

Awards & Achievements

  • Rising Stars - Civil Litigation Defense, Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (2014-2021)
  • Awarded a Top Defense Verdict in state of Missouri for Breads v. Busch and Hunt Enterprises LLC, Missouri Lawyers Weekly (2020)

Publications

  • Co-Author, A Business Planning Guide to Successor Liability Laws, State Tax Notes, issues October 13 and 20 (2008)

Speaking Engagements

  • Presenter, "Can You Spare Some Change? The Application of Recent Statutory Changes in Missouri," Brown & James General Defense & Insurance Law Symposium, January 2022
  • "Proposed New Venue Rules for Tort Claims," 2017 Brown & James Tort Reform Seminar: A New Day in Missouri (September 2017)
  • "Making a Call on Coverage and Saying Nice Things: The Practical Realities and Pitfalls of Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claim Handling and Defense," Brown & James General Defense and Insurance Law Symposium (January 2017)
  • "Positive Urine Sample for Marijuana and/or Alcohol - Does It Matter for Your Case?" Brown & James Law Symposium (January 2014)

Practices

Education

  • Saint Louis University (J.D., 2009)
  • Marquette University (B.A., 2006)

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri
  • Kansas
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
  • Illinois (pro hac vice)