Ann Songer

Ann M. Songer focuses her practice on tort and product liability litigation and has represented clients in product liability, premises liability, negligence, fraud, breach of contract and warranty actions.

Ann has served as national, regional and trial counsel for several companies, and she has appeared in state and federal courts throughout the United States at both the trial and appellate level.

She has experience in every aspect of pre-trial and trial activity, including discovery, motion practice, coordination of multidistrict and coordinated litigation, jury and bench trials, appellate practice and settlement negotiations.

She is experienced in litigation involving accident reconstruction and investigation, product performance and testing, fire cause and origin, material flammability issues, design and construction, and insurance coverage.

Ann has counseled clients on regulatory compliance issues and product safety management, assisted clients with the evaluation of product literature and formulation of product instructions, labeling and warnings, and has made presentations at the request of clients to nationwide counsel on issues related to product liability litigation and jury research.

Representative Matters:

• Represent agribusiness company in connection with mass tort and class action litigation related to alleged market loss due to U.S. corn supply contamination with genetically modified trait unapproved for export in certain foreign markets.
• Obtained defense verdict for bus manufacturer in civil trial involving allegations that faulty brakes were responsible for a school bus brash resulting in two fatalities. Jury agreed with findings of the National Transportation Safety Board and inspectors that there were no mechanical issues with the brakes at the time of the accident.
• Obtained defense verdict for automobile manufacturer in Saint Louis City Court at trial of product liability claim involving an alleged defect in a vehicle’s ignition system resulting in fire.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a product manufacturer based on a claim of indemnity in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri. The judgment was affirmed after oral argument to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Obtained summary judgment in Oklahoma state court against plaintiff’s claim of personal injury due to deployment of an air bag. Judgment was upheld on appeal to the state’s Supreme Court.
• Served on the Shook team that obtained dismissals of the class actions against Farmland Industries and the local cooperative that allegedly sold ammonium nitrate to Terry Nichols in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing.

Education:

• J.D., University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, 1994
• B.A., Northeast Missouri State University, 1991

Bar Admissions:

• Kansas
• Missouri
• U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Memberships:

• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• The Missouri Bar

Clerkships:

• U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Judicial Clerk to The Hon. Fernando J. Gaitan