Thomas J. Preuss

Thomas J. “T.J.” Preuss is a partner at Wagstaff & Cartmell specializing in the areas of professional liability; products liability, including complex pharmaceutical and medical device litigation; commercial litigation; personal injury; and qui tam actions.

T.J. is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Missouri and Kansas. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Missouri and Kansas Bar Associations. He was honored to participate in the Greater Kansas City Bar Leadership Academy in 2006-07, and he has given numerous presentations to physicians and attorneys relating to health care litigation. He has also been recognized as one of the Kansas Business Journals “Best of the Bar” and has been included in the Kansas City Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for the past three years.

T.J. graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1996. He then moved to Kansas City and graduated from Rockhurst University in 2000 with degrees in Biology and Political Science. T.J. received his law degree from the University of Misosuri-Kansas City in 2003. After working as a law clerk for Wagstaff & Cartmell throughout law school, T.J. began practicing with the firm following his graduation in 2003.

T.J. has two daughters, Taylor and Peyton. He is active in the community, previously working with Big Brothers Big Sisters and American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ozanam, an organization that offers residential and educational treatment to children and their families.

Some of T.J.’s verdicts, settlements and successes include:

• Defense verdict for a general surgeon in a medical malpractice action alleging leg amputation
• $750,000 arbitration award against MHTC/MoDOT for negligent roadway design
• Confidential settlement in qui tam action against telephone directory alleging fraud against federal government
• Member of Plaintiff Steering Committee’s Science and Daubert committees in Avandia MDL
• Member of Plaintiff Steering Committee’s Discovery, Science/Expert and Daubert committees in Bextra/Celebrex MDL resulting in $745 million settlement for users of Bextra and Celebrex
• Confidential settlement against pharmaceutical manufacturer alleging fraud against state Medicaid program
• Over $1.2 million judgment for a family in an Ephedra wrongful death case
• $850,000 settlement for a patient in a nursing home negligence case
• Over $1.2 million verdict for a family in an auto/pedestrian accident

Currently, in addition to his practice in personal injury and professional negligence cases, T.J. is actively prosecuting claims related to DePuy ASR and DePuy Pinnacle defective hip implants.