Similar personal injury attorneys in Kansas City
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
About Tom Porto
Tom Porto is a trial lawyer who represents people facing catastrophic injury and wrongful death, with many cases involving children or families whose loss stems from a preventable institutional failure. His practice covers severe injury, wrongful death, police brutality, and jail deaths. Tom began his career as a Missouri State Public Defender, which shaped his trial approach and his instinct to represent people facing the weight of systems that overlook ordinary lives.
He was elected to the Missouri Bar Board of Governors in 2018 and to the 16th Circuit Judicial Commission in 2024. He serves as Chairman of the Board of the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority of Kansas City, focused on housing for low-income residents. A Kansas City native and Rockhurst High School graduate, Tom earned his journalism degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
Proven verdicts and settlements
On September 12, 2019, Jackson County Deputy Tyler Naudet fired five shots at a car in Independence, Missouri, killing Allen Cates, 29, who was wanted on a felony warrant. After a six-day trial, a Jackson County jury awarded Cates's two young sons $7 million on May 24, 2024, on a wrongful death claim based on battery. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, affirmed that award on March 10, 2026.
Tom Porto of The Popham Law Firm secured a $5 million settlement, approved by a Jackson County judge in April 2023 and reported as the largest in Kansas City Police Department history, for the family of Terrence Bridges Jr., an unarmed man fatally shot by Officer Dylan Pifer during a foot chase in 2019.
On September 12, 2019, Jackson County Deputy Tyler Naudet fired five shots at a car in Independence, Missouri, wounding passenger Randi McGaugh and killing the driver, Allen Cates. On May 24, 2024, a Jackson County jury awarded McGaugh $3 million on her negligence claim and assigned her one percent of the fault. On March 10, 2026, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, reversed that verdict on official immunity grounds.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
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Proven verdicts and settlements from other Kansas City firms
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.