Manufacturing and Innovation

Negotiated license agreements for manufacturer of baby bottles/teething toys, including rights to names, likenesses, trademarks, copyrights, images and other proprietary intellectual property.

Defended company placed in OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) involving combustible dust explosion and serious injuries. The case was settled with no willful violations and the company was removed from SVEP.

Represented manufacturing company in soil and multi-plume groundwater cleanups of PCBs and solvents in Missouri. Persuaded EPA to pursue separate source of groundwater contamination. Site is located in close proximity to drinking water wellfield. 

Defended company who performed $28 million environmental cleanup of PCBs, asbestos and TCE at Superfund site, formerly used for automotive manufacturing, under Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent. The site is located in a residential area and will be transformed into a recreational facility.

Served as counsel to multibillion-dollar, publicly traded diversified manufacturer regarding its commercial technology contracts.

Performed numerous on-site antitrust compliance reviews and training for a Fortune 500 multinational manufacturing and engineering services company. Involved travel with in-house counsel to numerous subsidiaries and allowed the client to achieve its compliance program goals and initiatives.

Defended client in an action against the Missouri Air Conservation Commission. The judge invalidated Missouri medical waste, industrial waste and sewage sludge incinerator regulations in the first of the “no stricter than” cases brought under the Missouri Clean Air Act. The decision was affirmed on appeal by the Missouri Court of Appeals.

Lead counsel for three certified plaintiffs’ classes with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 members, in a case alleging that various cars and trucks suffer from a series of cybersecurity defects that render the vehicles vulnerable to being hacked in a way that would allow hackers to remotely control the vehicles’ operational and safety systems, including acceleration, braking, steering and ignition.

Served as counsel to holding company operating specialty manufacturing companies in commercial contract relationships.

Represented a client in completing numerous acquisitions of manufacturing, distribution, construction and technology companies. These transactions ranged from several million dollars to nearly $100 million and occurred over several years. These acquisitions supported the company’s goals of diversifying its products and services offerings in its core markets as well as provided avenues for expansion into other markets.

Client needed to expand manufacturing capacity. Drafted and negotiated real estate purchase contract, negotiated and secured development incentives, and guided client through successful redevelopment in Hazelwood, Missouri.

Represented worldwide manufacturers, health care providers and services providers in multi-location, enterprise-wide software audits opposite major multinational technology corporations.

Successfully defended a pet food company against misappropriation of trade secrets claims. Two of the plaintiff’s employees were terminated by the plaintiff and went on to work for a competitor after developing a new type of packaging to supply to our client. At the same time, the competitor was in the process of developing replacement packaging to supply to our client. Our client moved its business to the competitor and the plaintiff filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri against our client, the two former employees and the competitor. Armstrong Teasdale defended the lawsuit by, among other things, challenging the plaintiff’s characterization of the allegedly misappropriated information as trade secrets. At mediation, the plaintiff agreed to settlement by dropping its claims and requesting a nominal payment from our client pursuant to a raw materials agreement for materials not used by the plaintiff before the relationship was terminated.

Successfully defended client against claims of patent infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition brought by leading manufacturer of snack chips. Secured a defense verdict on all claims.