The Simon Law Firm P.C. 48.1m Anyan v Mercy Birth Injury was a "Ghose Verdict"
With regard to the Simon Law Firm P.C. in St. Louis Missouri the 48.1m birth injury verdict of R.A., Sarah, Blake Anyan v Mercy Hospital East - Dr. Daniel McNeive was like a well without water or clouds without rain.
For over 1.5 years since the jury rendered their verdict in March 2025 both the Simon Law Firm P.C. and Gunn Slater Law Firm knew that they could never collect on the 48.1m gross amount because nine minute before the jury rendered their verdict plaintiff counsel and defense counsel entered int a high-low agreement capping the gross recovery at 18m dollars.
That is over 60% (percent) less than what the law firms was advertising. It was a 30.1m dollar omission of fact.
They proceed to advertise that 48.1m verdict for marketing purposes and the legacy "lazy" media was complicit with them in advancing that "mega lottery" dream verdict. Until.....
Until Albert B. Pepper Jr. consumer advocate, free range journalist dug through the trial court records and transcripts and discovered the "high-low agreement" that capped the gross amount of which had it not been for investigative journalism and expose' in the public and consumer interest Simon Law, Gunn Slater, Missouri Lawyer Media, PR Web, KSDK, etc. would yet be promoting at deception and being enriched thereby.
Pepper has now completely spoiled the marketing value of that lack of candor with the public perpetrated by Simon Law and Gunn Slater and shortly after the expose' in February / March 2026 Simon Law began to suppress and distance themselves from those press release. Gunn Slater on the other hand who has little more to advertise is still promoting it.
Herein is brief synopsis of the event:
Key Post-Trial Developments & Controversies
High-Low Agreement: Reports and court disclosures revealed a sealed high-low agreement signed shortly before the verdict (capping recovery with a floor and ceiling, such as an $18 million cap and $8 million floor). [1]
Scrutiny & Public Discourse: The headline $48.1M figure and subsequent post-trial procedural steps have led to ongoing appellate litigation (pending in the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District) as well as public and ethical discussions regarding trial publicity and high-low agreements in major medical malpractice actions. [1, 2]
The story regarding the hidden high-low agreement in the Anyan v. Mercy Hospital case was initially exposed and intensely covered by independent legal watchdog platforms, alternative journalism channels, and legal blogs, advance primarily through the journalistic efforts of Albert B. Pepper Jr. d/b/a Phoenix Rising Productions an alternative, "boots on the ground" media organization rather than legacy St. Louis media outlets. [1, 2]
Specifically, the narrative surrounding the agreement, the unsealing of the trial records, and the resulting ethical critiques was primarily driven by:
Independent Advocates and Bloggers: Outlets and authors writing under designations such as Albert B. Pepper Jr. (on Medium) and platforms like Litigant Pro Se Advocate on Substack, Dinah Schlemiel with Phoenix Rising and Darlene Gatzby featured on Quora.
They published the precise timeline of the agreement, noting that it was executed via a four-line text message just nine minutes before the jury read the verdict. [1, 2, 3]
Legal Research & Watchdog Sites: Investigative analysis pieces on sites like Jury-Watch (Phoenix Rising Productions) explicitly dissected the court documents, showing that while mainstream media publicized the $48.1 million figure, a sealed high-low agreement (with an $8 million floor and an $18 million cap) had already been put into effect. [1, 2]
The mainstream local outlets (like KSDK and Missouri Lawyers Media) originally amplified the record-breaking $48.1 million award from the initial PR campaign. The subsequent revelation that the actual recovery was capped at $18 million was broke open by public court filings being unsealed on April 9, 2025, which independent legal bloggers then cross-referenced and made public. [1]
For more information of which is multitude resource the following website, domain url's
Jury-Watch Org hosts the entire Anyan v Mercy Trial Court Transcript in two parts in pdf format. This is a veritable gold mine of plaintiff and defense counsel case theory and trial strategy for examination.
Jury-Watch Org | Trial Court Transcript Part One: https://jury-watch.org/simon-law-trial-transcrpt
Jury-Watch Org | Trial Court Transcript Part Two: https://jury-watch.org/simon-law-transcript-pt-2
Academia Edu | Transcript of Plaintiff Counsel Opening Statement: https://www.academia.edu/165417496/R_A_Sarah_Blake_Anyan_v_Mercy_Hospital_Dr_Daniel_McNeive_Case_21SL_CC03944_Trial_Court_Transcript_Plaintiff_Counsel_Amy_Collignon_Gunn_Opening_Statement_Arguments
As a result of the lack of transparency and candor with the public and consumer Albert B. Pepper Jr has recovered and archived these documents and provides them free of charge, pro bono as a response to The Simon Law Firm and that of Gunn Slater Law Firm.
Pepper is currently looking for volunteers to develop their investigative journalist "OSINT" skills and credit where be given to those individual that advance the public and consumer interest through their work.
Pepper can be reached at the following email address: litigant.pro.se.advocate@gmail.com