2025 Product Liability & Complex Torts Webinar: Recent Developments in Product Liability: Are Rideshare Applications Entering the Product Liability Arena?

The Product Liability & Complex Torts Practice Group hosted a complimentary webinar on December 4, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. Central Time titled, “Recent Developments in Product Liability: Are Rideshare Applications Entering the Product Liability Arena?” CLE credit can be acquired in most states for this webinar.

Click HERE to view recording. 

About the Webinar:

In many jurisdictions, product liability claims have traditionally been reserved for tangible products. However, in a March 2025 ruling, the Missouri Court of Appeals reversed a trial court’s decision to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit against a rideshare company, finding that a rideshare app could be a product subject to Missouri’s product liability law. Join us as we discuss this ruling, the ongoing evolution of what constitutes a product in jurisdictions across the country, and practical approaches for advising and defending a new era of product liability claims.

Panelists:

TUCKER BLASER is a principal with Brown & James, P.C., ALFA International’s member firm in Belleville, Illinois. He has over fifteen years of experience representing a variety of clients, including insured individuals, medical professionals, corporations – local and global, and insurance companies in a broad range of cases, including mass toxic torts, medical malpractice, construction liability, shareholder derivative actions, premise and product liability, and insurance defense. Currently, Tucker’s practice is primarily focused on defending mass toxic tort (asbestos, talc, flavoring chemicals, organic/solvents and others); health care liability; and insurance defense cases. His mass toxic tort practice includes serving as managing partner of the firm’s Belleville toxic tort litigation team, which handles more than 1,500 cases for contractor, premises, and product liability defendants in state and federal venues across Illinois and Missouri. He is recognized by Best Lawyers for Product Liability Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College before graduating cum laude from the John Marshall School of Law.

KEHL FRIESEN is a member of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC in Kansas City, Missouri, where he represents a wide range of clients in personal injury, product liability, premises liability, employment, and general liability matters. Kehl practices in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, construction, hospitality, healthcare, insurance, and medical devices. Kehl also represents clients that utilize app-based technology in the gig economy. Kehl has achieved successful verdicts in federal and state courts. Kehl was listed as a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in 2023 and 2024, received an Up & Coming Award from Missouri Lawyers Media in 2021, and has been recognized as a Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2022. After graduating from the University of Kansas School of Journalism, Kehl earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kehl serves as the 2025 Program Chair for the ALFA International Gig Economy Practice Group.