Supreme Court of Missouri Denies Plaintiffs’ Petition for Review, Affirming Blackwell Burke P.A. Trial Victory

On Tuesday, July 3, the Supreme Court of Missouri denied the plaintiffs’ petition to review the Missouri Court of Appeals decision in Khoury v. ConAgra Foods. The intermediate court had affirmed Blackwell Burke P.A.’s July 30, 2010 trial court victory on behalf of international food manufacturer ConAgra Foods, Inc. The Court’s denial of the plaintiffs’ petition lets stand the Western District’s opinion and Blackwell Burke P.A.’s jury trial victory in this case.

The trial court judgment, upon jury verdict, awarded a complete defense victory to ConAgra in the first consumer “popcorn lung” case to reach a jury. At trial, firm founding partner Jerry W. Blackwell was lead counsel and partner Corey L. Gordon was second-chair.

The attorneys of Blackwell Burke’s Food Safety Group represent major food manufacturers as well as food distributors and retailers. Areas of practice include litigation, arbitration, regulatory and administrative actions, third-party discovery issues, and other legal matters. They have successfully represented institutional clients in claims involving food borne illnesses (including E. coli and salmonella), ingredients, product recalls, adulteration and contamination, packaging, product warnings and instructions, processing procedures, kill steps, and other food safety issues. The firm also has experience working with issues involving Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) matters. The firm continues to represent ConAgra in several pending cases as national coordinating counsel for consumer microwave popcorn litigation.

For more information about Blackwell Burke P.A. or this appeal, please contact Kandy Branch at 612-343-3235.