“I sit a queen, and am no widow” | Amy Collignon Gunn
“I sit a queen, and am no widow” | Amy Collignon Gunn
“I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” ~ revelation 18:7
With regard to Amy Collignon Gunn, personal injury attorney Missouri Bar Number #45016 now a partner of the Gunn Slater Law Firm in Clayton Missouri has a documented history of legal malpractice and being named as a defendant in a legal malpractice claim and complaint.
There is a documented legal-malpractice lawsuit: Elizabeth Hawkins v. The Simon Law Firm, P.C. and Amy Collignon Gunn, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (Case No. 3:24-cv-00314, removed from Sumner County Circuit Court). Court filings describe the following core allegations (taken as true for purposes of the pleadings):
Hawkins contacted and retained Simon Law (through Amy Collignon Gunn) regarding a potential wrongful-death claim related to her husband’s use of a recalled Philips CPAP machine.
After roughly 16 months of no communication, Hawkins requested an update.
On a March 8, 2023 Zoom call, Gunn informed Hawkins that the firm had failed to file the action before the statute of limitations expired, so she could no longer sue Philips.
Gunn also acknowledged that Hawkins had potential claims against the firm for the missed deadline.
The defendants’ motion to dismiss was denied in October 2024.
The case was later dismissed with prejudice as to both Gunn (April 2025 stipulation) and the Simon Law Firm (shortly thereafter). Stipulations of dismissal with prejudice in this posture commonly reflect a confidential settlement;
The criticism is that the "Big Law Public Relations Industrial Complex" which operates on a "pay for play" model chronically presents the affirmative public facing legal and business conduct of attorneys, lawyers and law firms yet fails to provide the public and the consumer who may be practicing due diligence when seeking legal representation. - This is not in the public nor consumer interest and in particular with a business category of legal services for consideration in what is considered to be a "Your Money or Your Life" criteria. - To put it another way, "What you see is not always what you get"
Albert B. Pepper Jr. consumer advocate and free range journalist d/b/a Phoenix Rising Products LLC is committed to presenting the "counter - narrative" of attorney, lawyer, law firms business and professional conduct to the public and consumer to present a balanced profile of those entities that a prospective client may be considering for legal representation.
TL;DR | For further consideration is a factually documented deep dive into the subject of Amy Collignon Gunn and in direct relationship to the Gunn Slater Law Firm in Clayton Missouri.
Google Business Profile / Knowledge Card : https://share.google/TeE9LheTQvOKMexmy
What is the criticism consumer advocacy complaint with regard to Gunn Slater Law Firm?
Answer: The primary public criticism surrounding the Gunn | Slater law firm stems from its promotion of a $48.1 million birth injury jury verdict, which critics have labeled a "ghost verdict" due to a lack of transparency regarding an undisclosed payout cap.
The Medical Malpractice Verdict
On March 25, 2025, attorneys Amy Collignon Gunn and Erica B. Slater secured a $48.1 million medical malpractice jury verdict against Mercy Hospital St. Louis and an attending obstetrician on behalf of the Anyan family. Promoted heavily by Gunn | Slater and regional legal trade media, it was widely celebrated as the largest birth injury medical malpractice verdict in Missouri state history.
Even though Amy Collignon Gunn and Erica B. Slater were lead counsel representing the Anyans the preponderance of the case litigation prior to trial was performed while Gunn, Slater was still employed with The Simon Law Firm P.C. that advance and financed the litigation and had the supporting staff and infrastructure.
Background Note | Formation of Gunn Slater Law Firm:
Approximately six weeks before the case went to trial, on or about: 02/17/2025 Gunn and Slater left The Simon Law Firm P.C. and amended the articles of incorporation of K.K. Changes LLC (Charter Number #LC014569724) to reflect Amy Collignon Gunn and Erica B. Slater as Organizers.
The original date and creation of K.K. Changes LLC was on 08/13/2024 naming Tammy White as Organizer and Scott D. Levine as registered agent.
The Core of the Criticism per the advertisement of the Anyan v Mercy Jury Verdict
The controversy emerged when public court records later revealed that while the jury was actively deliberating, the law firm entered into a confidential "high-low agreement" with the defense.
The Agreement: To mitigate the financial risks of an unpredictable jury, both sides agreed to a recovery floor of $8 million and a maximum ceiling of $18 million.
The Omission: Because the agreement capped the gross recovery at $18 million, over $30 million of the highly publicized jury award was legally neutralized before the verdict was even read.
Public Backlash: Public petitions (such as a notable one hosted on Change.org) and legal watchdogs have criticized the firm for continuing to run advertisements and press releases touting the full $48.1 million figure. Critics argue that promoting the uncapped "Mega Lottery" number to unsophisticated consumers without disclosing the actual $18 million limit constitutes a misleading omission of fact.
The case remains a point of regional legal discussion as the enforceability of the underlying agreement continues to face scrutiny amidst ongoing appellate reviews.
Consumer and Business Alert
Without making a statement of fact or a legal conclusion the conclusive primary evidence strongly suggests that Gunn and Slater are operating their law practice in a manner that is a Class C Misdemeanor. In violation of the missouri model rules of professional conduct (rule 4) and the missouri merchandising practices act.
Amy Collignon Gunn and Erica B Slater in the practice of law for consideration is registered as K.K. Changes LLC (Charter Number #LC014569724). However as of the date of the amended corporate Articles of Organization Gunn and Slater while offering and advertising their public facing presentation, press releases and reference by legal news publications and trade journals has failed to date of 09/16/2026 to file a Fictitious Name registration with the Missouri Secretary of State specifically - "Gunn Slater Law Firm"
The legal implications are as follows:
Operating and advertising as "Gunn Slater Law Firm" without an active fictitious name registration on file, several legal vulnerabilities exist under Missouri law:
1. Misdemeanor Violation under § 417.200, RSMo
Missouri’s Fictitious Name Act (§ 417.200, RSMo) makes it unlawful for any entity to transact business under any name other than its true legal name without filing a Fictitious Name Registration with the Secretary of State.
Under § 417.230, RSMo, failure to register an operating trade name constitutes a Class C misdemeanor.
Because "Gunn Slater Law Firm" does not appear as the legal entity name on the Articles of Organization or Amendment, using it in commercial practice without a separate filing is a direct statutory violation.
2. Loss of Limited Liability (Veil Piercing & Personal Liability)
The fundamental protection of an LLC is to shield individual owners from personal liability. However, to maintain this protection, the LLC must properly disclose its true legal identity in business dealings:
Failure to Disclose Principal: Under agency law, if attorneys execute contracts, retainers, leases, or vendor agreements under "Gunn Slater Law Firm" without disclosing "K.K. CHANGES, LLC," they are contracting under an undisclosed principal.
Personal Liability Exposure: Courts can hold the individual operators personally liable for obligations or liabilities incurred under an unregistered phantom entity name.
3. Lack of Legal Standing in Court Proceedings
If the firm needs to bring a claim—such as a lawsuit to recover unpaid legal fees or enforce an operating contract—operating under an unregistered name creates immediate procedural defects:
Motion to Dismiss/Abate: Opposing parties can challenge the firm's capacity to sue, as "Gunn Slater Law Firm" has no recognized legal existence or standing in Missouri courts.
While courts usually allow parties time to cure this administrative oversight, it creates unnecessary delays, motions, and potential dismissal of filings.
4. Financial and Administrative Disruptions
Banking and AML Compliance: Financial institutions are subject to federal Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. Opening accounts, taking client retainers, or negotiating checks made out to "Gunn Slater Law Firm" when the registered bank account belongs to "K.K. CHANGES, LLC" creates red flags for financial institutions without a verified DBA link.
Consumer Protection Exposure: Under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (§ 407.020, RSMo), advertising services under a name that is completely unlinked in public state records can expose an entity to claims of deceptive or misleading business practices.
When the issue is strictly isolated to advertising under an unregistered trade name while using the proper legal entity name internally on contracts, the legal exposure shifts away from breach of contract and centers primarily on state statutory compliance, administrative sanctions, and regulatory advertising standards.
1. Direct Misdemeanor Exposure (§ 417.200, RSMo)
Under Missouri's Fictitious Name Act, the statute specifically targets public presentation and advertising, not just contract execution.
Statutory Requirement: § 417.200, RSMo explicitly states that it is unlawful for any person or entity to “engage in or transact any business… under any name other than the true name of such person or entity” without registering the fictitious name.
Scope of Advertising: Operating websites, publishing news/media reports, maintaining Google Business Profiles, and branding domain URLs under "Gunn Slater Law Firm" without a registered DBA directly triggers this statute.
Penalty: Under § 417.230, RSMo, doing so constitutes a Class C misdemeanor. While state prosecutors rarely prioritize purely administrative registration failures absent fraud, the statutory violation exists on face value.
2. Legal Ethics & Advertising Advisory Opinions
The Missouri Advisory Committee and Legal Ethics Counsel have issued guidance regarding law firms using trade names or corporate structures (e.g., Informal Opinion 940156).
Dual Name Disclosure: When an attorney or firm uses a trade name or fictitious name in advertising, ethics opinions routinely state that to avoid creating a misleading impression under Rule 4-7.1, the advertisement or public-facing material should disclose the true underlying operating entity or attorney identities associated with the practice.
Rule 4-7.5 Compliance: While using a trade name based on the actual partners' surnames (Gunn and Slater) is allowed under Rule 4-7.5, advertising exclusively under a trade name that has no legal filing or link back to the parent LLC (K.K. Changes LLC) in public state registries creates an omission of material fact in public communications.
3. Deceptive Trade Practices Risk (MMPA)
Under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (§ 407.020, RSMo), advertising services under a market name that cannot be cross-referenced or verified through official Secretary of State registries leaves an entity open to claims of misleading or deceptive trade practices if a consumer or competitor alleges confusion regarding who is actually offering and delivering the services.
Summary:
If the contracts correctly identify K.K. Changes LLC, the firm avoids contract invalidity and personal liability claims. However, advertising externally as Gunn Slater Law Firm without a Fictitious Name Registration remains a statutory Class C misdemeanor under Missouri law and an administrative non-compliance issue under state legal advertising standards.
Albert B. Pepper Jr. d/b/a Phoenix Rising Productions LLC reporting. A member in good standing of the Society of Professional Journalists and Online News Association
Mo. Sec. State: Original articles of incorporation for K.K. Changes LLC : bsd.sos.mo.gov/Common/CorrespondenceItemViewHandler.ashx?IsTIFF=true&filedDocumentid=136626303&version=2
Mo. Sec. State: Amended articles of incorporation for K.K. Changes LLC : bsd.sos.mo.gov/Common/CorrespondenceItemViewHandler.ashx?IsTIFF=true&filedDocumentid=138173963&version=4
Mo. Sec. State Fictious Name Search 09/16/2026 : Missouri Business Filings
See the captured screenshots hosted on the following Facebook url: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14qXqFpm7GE/