PRACTICE AREAS

Health Care Litigation

Mr. Ruse is a trial lawyer. He has first chair experience in all phases of jury and non-jury litigation including trials and appeals. For the past 25 years, Mr. Ruse’s practice has focused on representing hospitals, physicians and lawyers in malpractice litigation. He also has substantial experience in discrimination and other employment-related litigation and in personal injury litigation.

Medical Malpractice Defense Experience

Mr. Ruse has been actively involved in the defense of medical malpractice litigation for approximately 25 years. His experience includes the defense of physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and psychiatric facilities. He has defended claims of medical malpractice, staff privileges revocation and negligent credentialing. Mr. Ruse has tried to conclusion medical malpractice jury trials in Johnson County District Court and Wyandotte County District Court. He has represented physicians specializing in neurology, general surgery, thoracic surgery, ophthalmology, obstetrics-gynecology, neurosurgery, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, radiology, physical medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, nephrology and family practice. He has represented clients in proceedings before the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, Board of Dentistry, Board of Pharmacy, and Board of Nursing. He has defended medical malpractice cases in the metropolitan state courts (Jackson County, Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte County, Kansas), in out-state Kansas (Allen County, Sedgwick County, Saline County, Leavenworth County) and in Kansas federal courts in Wichita and Kansas City. Mr. Ruse is a member of the Kansas Association of Hospital Attorneys.

Legal Malpractice Defense Experience

Mr. Ruse has represented attorneys specializing in real estate, domestic relations, tax, corporate law, employment law, litigation, and in general practice. He has also represented insurers in coverage disputes and bad faith litigation involving claims of legal malpractice.

Mr. Ruse serves on the Johnson County Ethics & Grievance Committee, and in that capacity performs investigations and prepares reports arising from attorney disciplinary complaints filed with the Kansas Disciplinary Administrator.

Employment Law Experience

Mr. Ruse's experience includes the defense of employers in cases involving claims of discrimination based on race, age, gender, disability and harassment, wrongful discharge, retaliation, and violations of wage & hour statutes. He also has substantial experience representing employers and employees in disputes and litigation involving employment agreements, covenants not to compete and trade secrets. He has successfully represented clients in jury trials involving sex discrimination (John v. Whirlpool Corp., U. S. District Court, District of Kansas), race discrimination (Paul v. Shawnee Mission School District, U. S. District Court, District of Kansas), age discrimination (Alexander v. L.M. Berry Co., U. S. District Court, Western District of Missouri), and breach of employment contract (Vianello v. PRIMEDIA, U. S. District Court, Western District of Missouri; McLaughlin v. GCSAA, U. S. District Court, District of Kansas). He has also represented employers in investigations by the EEOC, Department of Labor and OSHA and in proceedings before the Kansas Department of Labor.

DISTINCTIONS

Received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating

Listed in Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers®, 2005, 2006, 2007

Steve was selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers 2008 for Personal Injury Defense: Medical Malpractice

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for personal injury litigation, 2007-2009

COMMUNITY AND BAR INVOLVEMENT

Kansas Bar Association

Johnson County Bar Association

Civil Bench-Bar Committee

Ethics and Grievance Committee

Kansas Association of Defense Counsel

The Missouri Bar

Kansas Association of Hospital Attorneys

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Winter 2008

Litigating Non-Compete Agreements in Kansas

Kansas Defense Journal

2000

Chapter 6 - Employees Not Covered by Labor Agreements

Missouri Employer-Employee Law, Second Ed.

1986

Litigating Noncompetition Agreements in Kansas

Vol. 55, No. 3 Journal of the Kansas Bar Association

1986

Employee Responsibilities - Covenants Not to Compete, Trade Secrets, Loyalty, Conflicts of Interest

Chapter 21.15, Vol 1A, West's Federal Practice Manual

EDUCATION

J.D., cum laude, Creighton University, 1975, Creighton Law Review Lead Articles editor

B.A., with honors, University of Kansas, 1972

BAR ADMISSIONS

Missouri, 1975

Kansas, 1982