Robb & Robb’s Two-Year Run Brings in $285M in Aviation Accident Settlements, Verdicts

Kansas City Business Journal - December 23, 2025

BY JAMES DORNBROOK

Kansas City-based Robb & Robb LLC is celebrating an impressive two-year run of victories for clients: $285 million in settlements and verdicts.

Founded in 1984, the personal injury law firm specializes in cases involving aircraft crashes. Through the years, it has handled many high-profile cases, including the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in 2020. It represented Jean Carnahan after the plane crash death of her husband and former Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan and her son Randy in 2000.

This year alone, Robb & Robb earned $185 million in settlements from four wrongful death lawsuits:

• $50 million in September 2025 for the wrongful death of TV meteorologist Jason Myers in North Carolina due to faulty control rod connectors
• $30 million in June 2025 for a 2017 crash of a Duke Life Flight in North Carolina that was due to faulty engine indicators
• $15 million in May 2025 for the death of firefighter Michael Fournier in a crash in Southern California that was due to faulty hydraulics
• $90 million in March 2025 for a helicopter crash into New York’s East River that killed Trever Cadigan because of a faulty passenger strap and the failure of floats to properly deploy

The Cadigan settlement came after Robb & Robb won a $116 million verdict for the family in the case in September 2024. The $90 million settlement ensured there was no appeal.

Robb & Robb also won a $100 million settlement for the family of a tourist who was severely burned in a Grand Canyon helicopter accident because it lacked a crash-resistant fuel system.

Partner Anita Robb said the money is an important part of seeking justice for clients because of the deterrent it represents. But more important is how the cases improve aviation safety.

“A lot of what we do that makes us different is that we’re willing to go to trial, and we won’t accept a cheap settlement that allows these companies to just sweep it under the carpet,” she said. “We insist on accountability. It’s so important to our clients that we improve aviation safety.”

Robb said the Grand Canyon crash resulted in Airbus equipping all of its helicopters with crash-resistant fuel systems to prevent burn injuries from hard landings that otherwise would be survivable.

“Our law firm pushes these cases to complete justice, and sometimes the only language these corporations understand is the green language of money, so sometimes we speak to them in that language,” she said. “Our adversaries have told us that we are mentioned and impact what happens in these corporate boardrooms to improve aviation safety. That means a lot to us and our clients.”

Partner Andrew Robb, Anita Robb’s son, said the firm often is much smaller than the defense teams of its adversaries. But it relies on its partners’ experience to fight for clients. He said the firm gets a lot of inquiries but is picky about the cases it chooses.

“When we accept a client and take a case, we are all hands on deck,” he said. “We are all in for that client. We see ourselves not just as attorneys, but also as counselors. People call our office after what is typically the single most horrific event of their lives. We see ourselves as there to help them, give them answers and find some closure. We want to help our clients get as good of a result as they can so they can move forward with some dignity and a sense of justice being done.”

The firm’s goal is to put itself out of business, he said. They would love to see a day with no more aircraft going down because of faulty systems or maintenance. The firm would find other cases to focus on at that point.

Unfortunately, Anita Robb said, that day probably won’t arrive anytime soon.

“In New York and other places, they’re starting to do Uber helicopter flights, and that scares us to death,” she said. “We think it could be a recipe for disaster. We’re also concerned with the prevalence of drones being used more around airports and other aircraft. We think that is likely to become a problem area in aviation safety and aviation litigation. So we’re not Pollyannas who are overly idealistic. We know there is more work likely to be done, and we’re standing ready to be there and do it.”