With regard to the R.A., Sarah, Blake Anyan v Mercy Hospital East - Dr. Daniel McNeive medical malpractice, birth injury case that realized a 48.1 million dollar jury verdict the criticism is a lack of candor with the public and the deliberate use of a "Ghost Verdict" for marketing purposes of which the unsophisticated consumer practicing due diligence is simply unaware of.
This is an example of the "Big Law Public Relations Industrial Complex" that creates a "lottery" unjustified expectation among injured parties when seeking legal representation for a personal injury claim.
Both the Gunn Slater Law Firm of Amy Collignon Gunn, Erica "Big Bird" Slater and of The Simon Law Firm P.C. featuring Managing Partner John G. Simon and appointed counsel to represent the interest of Simon Law, Elizabeth S. Lenivy are complicit in this false narrative of obtaining "substantial justice" for their plaintiff client.
1) Nine minutes before the jury rendered their 48.1 million dollar verdict plaintiff counsel and defense counsel entered into a "high-low agreement" that capped the gross recoverable amount at 18m dol milars. This was a reduction in gross recovery of over 60% (percent) of the jury award.
2) The case is now in the appeals court after over 1.5 years after the jury rendered their verdict in March, 2025 whereat plaintiff counsel is attempting to enforce the 18m high low agreement being award that if it is not affirmed the result will default back to the 48.1m jury verdict which would be subject to the overturning of the punitive damages award, remittitur and to statutory caps and non-economic compensatory damages.
The criticism is not the high-low agreement entered into by plaintiff and defense counsel whereas it is a common mechanism in high stakes p.i. claims to mitigate risk that serves the interests of both the plaintiff and the defendant. It is a negotiated contract of which there is a "meeting of the minds" between both parties.
The criticism as alluded to in the opening paragraph is the marketing of the 48.1m verdict to the public and the consumer when plaintiff counsel knows that the gross amount of the verdict will nev, 2026er be recoverable for their clients.
Furthermore, For over 1.5 years the aforementioned law firms have been advertising this jury verdict as though "substantial justice" has been realized for their client yet, the case is still on appeal and know one knows as of that date of the composition of this update (Oct. 30, 2026) what the final disposition will be. - The injured party, the Anyan family are in "litigation limbo" for the foreseeable future.
Herein is further commentary compiled from public sentiments within various social media conversations.
The Landmark $48.1 Million Verdict
On March 25, 2025, Gunn | Slater, alongside co-counsel Elizabeth S. Lenivy from Simon Law, PC, won a verdict in the St. Louis County Circuit Court.
- The Case: The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a minor child, R.A., whose mother was a nurse at Mercy Hospital. During delivery, a Mercy Clinic obstetrician allowed the labor's pushing stage to continue for over 12 hours without documenting the chart or executing a timely C-section.
- The Injuries: Due to prolonged oxygen deprivation (asphyxia), the infant suffered hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), permanent brain damage, and cerebral palsy. [
- The Award: The jury ordered $48.1 million in damages, which notably included $20 million in punitive damages specifically levied against the doctor and clinic of which would never survive the statutory threshold on appeal for a punitive award.
The "Ghost Verdict" Public Controversy
In late 2026, the firm faced public scrutiny and criticism regarding their advertising of the $48.1 million win. Dubbed a
"Ghost Verdict" by critics online, public petitions emerged pointing out that the firm allegedly knew
before the jury rendered its verdict that they would never actually collect the full $48.1 million. This typically occurs due to confidential "high-low" settlement agreements made between opposing legal teams while a jury is actively deliberating, ensuring a guaranteed minimum and maximum payout regardless of what the final jury verdict dictates. Critics argued for more transparency regarding the actual financial recovery families see versus publicized "mega-lottery" numbers.
[1] For further investigative documentation and expose on the Anyan v Mercy / McNeive birth injury case, the contemporaneous and post trial dynamics awaiting a final dispositon visit the following website domain url's
Prepared by: Dinah Schlemiel, consumer advocate, independent journalist
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"https://jury-watch.org/gunn-slater-law-firm",
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"https://medium.com/@litigant.pro.se.advocate/actionable-recklessness-gunn-slater-simon-law-firm-high-low-agreement-90ee2d2b8ed1",
"https://litigantproseadvocate.substack.com/p/where-are-they-now-gunn-slater-simon"
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