Northeast News
July 5, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – In nearly 20 years of business, a handful of cases stand out as the most impactful in the history of the Hubbard & Kurtz law firm.

Hubbard & Kurtz recently put together a comprehensive list of the most important cases the firm has handled in each year of its existence. Several of those cases had strong ties to the Historic Northeast community.

One such example occurred in 1997, when the law firm then known as Hubbard, Kurtz, Taylor, & Maloney took on derelict landlords following a deadly fire that killed seven people, including four children, at the intersection of St. John and Gladstone Boulevard. Though there was suspicion of arson in the case, it was never proven conclusively.

The lawsuit charged that the landlords failed to provide a reasonably safe premises, most notably by “failing to provide an operable fire warning system of smoke detectors.” John Kurtz recently described to the Northeast News what he most remembers about the case.

“I remember working at my downtown office all night that night and coming home before dawn. As I came to that area, I saw the fire,” Kurtz said. “A few weeks later, I was contacted by the families of the children and adults who had died in the fire. It was so heartbreaking. I will never forget it.”

The case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.

Another notable case involved the death of a seven-year-old Obarimomoya Nkani, who in 2009 was struck by a fire truck at the intersection of 9th and Woodland. Nkani was on his way home from school when the incident occurred. According to reporting conducted at the time, the fire truck’s line of sight was blocked by a moving truck as Nkani attempted to cross the street.

The suit alleged that the moving vehicle failed to yield to the fire truck’s flashing lights ahead of the accident. In addition, the suit claimed that the Kansas City Fire Department failed to take the highest level of caution, and that the driver of the truck should have taken an alternate route instead of driving through a school zone at 3:30 p.m., when the incident occurred.

The family of the victim was eventually awarded a $280,000 settlement from the City of Kansas City, Missouri, as well as a $780,000 settlement from the insurance company affiliated with the owners of the moving company.

The family has since moved to Cedar Hill, Texas, but Kurtz stays in contact with them to this day.

“I just got a call from his older brother Gershom Nkani, inviting me to his wedding in Texas on November 26, 2017,” Kurtz said.

Hubbard and Kurtz also represented plaintiffs in the 2007 wrongful shooting death of Jerry Meszaros. Meszaros, a labor activist located in the Northeast, was with his disabled sister in 2007 when he was shot and killed by an off-duty security guard outside of his home on Monroe Avenue.

Meszaros had turned east onto Thompson – a one-way street westbound – in order to conveniently reach his driveway, which was merely 60 feet from Monroe. The security guard, Vincent Flores, was on his way to work when he saw Meszaros pull the illegal traffic maneuver on his way home. Flores confronted Meszaros, blocking Meszaros’ vehicle with his own car. The pair exchanged words before Meszaros got back into his vehicle and attempted to drive around Flores’ car. Flores pulled out a handgun and fired a bullet through the front windshield of Meszaros’ car, hitting the victim in the heart. Meszaros died in the car, sitting alongside his sister. The case was ultimately settled for a confidential amount.

All of us are always saddened whenever there is violence in our beloved Northeast,” Kurtz said. “Jerry Meszaros was a good friend.”

The law offices of Hubbard & Kurtz, LLC have over 40 years of experience handling wrongful death claims, personal injury law, elder and probate law, and business law. Contact them today by calling (816) 472-4673.