Gordon Ankney is a highly experienced trial attorney who achieves significant courtroom wins for clients in cases involving commercial disputes, white collar criminal defense, products liability, environmental law, employment matters, antitrust claims, and a variety of other matters.
Companies seek Gordon’s advice to tap into his straightforward, fact-driven courtroom demeanor, discerning approach to jury selection, and excellent relationships with state and federal judges. Gordon has tried over 200 jury trials as lead counsel, including many complex lawsuits. With a career spanning 50 years, he is known for successfully representing corporate clients at trial in federal and state courts in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Alabama, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Before entering private practice, Gordon served as special prosecutor on high-profile criminal cases throughout Missouri, including capital cases and significant fraud matters.
In July 2023, Gordon was appointed as a Special Assistant Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis to assist with the large backlog of homicide cases as a pro bono service to the St. Louis community. Assigned 20 homicide cases, Gordon successfully resolved 12 cases within the first 10 months, including three by convictions after jury trials, with the remainder set for trial.
experience
- Served on the trial team that secured a landmark advertising judgment in a copyright infringement case over the longstanding advertising agency practice of using low-resolution photos in proposals for clients. The plaintiff, a professional photographer, sued an ad agency for using his photos for “comp” purposes in client proposals and presentations. The Thompson Coburn defense team discovered key documents showing the photographer was aware of comp use and generally willing to permit it, and that he had benefitted in the past when his photos, after having been used in proposals, were approved by the agency’s client and licensed for publication use. The client won a significant summary judgment ruling finding that its comp use was justified on two independent grounds: implied license and fair use. A favorable settlement on remaining claims and counterclaims followed.
- Served as co-trial counsel in an employment case involving former delivery drivers in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, resulting in a favorable verdict for the client and an important blueprint for similar cases pending across the country.
- Served as lead trial counsel and obtained defense verdicts for Federal Signal in the trial of nine products liability cases brought by Philadelphia firefighters. Plaintiffs claimed Federal Signal sirens were defectively designed, causing hearing loss. More than 3,500 such cases are pending in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago. This was the fifth trial in the series and the first in which TC was primary counsel. The trial, which involved strict liability and negligent design claims, lasted two weeks. The jury returned its verdict in less than two hours. The trial team had similar successes in two subsequent jury trials in Chicago.
- Serves as lead trial counsel and achieved a number of significant successes for Sigma-Aldrich in dealing with litigation related to the 2003 explosion at a chemical plant that damaged surrounding properties and forced an evacuation of over 3,000 residents. A number of lawsuits were filed, including several class actions on behalf of the neighbors within the evacuation zone. After a successful jury trial where the average award was under $200, plaintiffs appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, where Gordon argued the matter on behalf of the defense. The court agreed with Sigma-Aldrich in affirming the verdict, holding that residents were required to demonstrate physical discomfort to recover damages for annoyance and discomfort and cause of the explosion. Gordon was lead counsel in a second successful jury trial.
- Served as lead trial counsel in a record-setting trial in St. Louis City defending an agribusiness owner of large hog farms in north Missouri against a multi-plaintiff lawsuit by 119 individuals claiming nuisance and personal injury from insects and odors associated with the farms. The firm won a favorable result at trial. About half of the plaintiffs received no award, while the remaining plaintiffs were awarded an amount well below the demand. This case was the longest trial in the history of the City of St. Louis Circuit Court.
- Served as lead trial counsel in a wrongful death lawsuit defending an individual who was alleged to have failed to provide appropriate medical care and notice to authorities of a guest at his home who suffered died of a drug overdose. The jury returned with a defense verdict exonerating the client.
Professional
- The Missouri Bar Association
- American Bar Association, White Collar Criminal Section
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Military Service
- U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Eleven (Seabees), with service in Vietnam. Honorable discharge with rank of Lieutenant earning National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Campaign Medal and Vietnam Service Medal with Fleet Marine Force insignia and two Bronze Campaign Stars.
- The Best Lawyers in America® (by BL Rankings), 2006-2022, Commercial Litigation and White Collar Defense, Qui Tam Law
- Chambers USA (by Chambers & Partners) for White Collar Crime and Government Investigations, 2009-2019
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters), 2005-2022
- Missouri’s Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year, Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys
When younger, I carried a single-digit golf handicap. Age has increased my handicap to an 11, but I have been playing more pickleball recently instead. My wife and I enjoy playing doubles with other couples, and I also play with a mostly men’s group weekly.
I enjoy reading historical non-fiction. I highly recommend the biographies of Lafayette and Hamilton. Occasionally my wife refers a novel, and I found “A Gentleman in Moscow” to be my favorite.