Representative Cases

• During the 2005 expansion of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport runway system, Gene Keller was seriously injured when a dormant piece of dynamite exploded after he was instructed to drill into it. The stick of dynamite had misfired two days prior and the crew on site failed to neutralize the stick. Although the misfire had been reported to supervisors, Keller and a co-worker were never told of the incident. Matt represented Keller and successfully settled the case in 2011 against the engineering company overseeing the blasting for $2,000,000.00.
• A student at the University of Missouri Saint Louis died in a fire at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house where he was a resident. The local chapter of the fraternity was found to have broken multiple housing policies, including those pertaining to indoor smoking and fire detectors. Matt represented the parents of the student and successfully settled with the fraternity’s local chapter, the national organization and corporation. The confidential settlement was reached during trial in 2009, following the opening statements.
• In 1991, Ms. Ann Weiss went for a routine checkup with her OBGYN, Dr. Rojanasathit, who then failed to inform her of an abnormal Pap smear result. By 1995, she had developed cervical cancer and in 1996, she filed an action for medical malpractice against the doctor. While the court ultimately upheld the doctor’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that Ms. Weiss’s action was barred by the two-year statute of limitations (section 516.105, RSMo 1994), her story made its way to the Missouri Legislature and became the basis for a revision of the statute. Today, in a case in which there is a negligent failure to inform a patient of negative medical test results, the two-year statute of limitations starts on the date of the discovery of such negligent failure to inform, or from the date on which the patient in the exercise of ordinary care should have discovered such alleged negligent failure to inform, whichever date first occurs.
• United Airlines Flight 232 crashed during an emergency landing in Sioux Falls, Iowa, in 1989. It was determined that the engine manufacturer had used defective metal casting techniques on critical components in the engine, causing it to explode mid flight and rendered controls to the aircraft only partially effective. Of the 296 people on board, 111 died in the accident and 185 survived. Matthew Padberg was involved in the representation of passengers and obtained combined settlements in excess of $20,000,000.00.

Professional & Community Involvment

• Missouri Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• St. Louis University School of Law, Adjunct Professor, 2001 – present
• Triad Bank, Incorporator / Board of Directors, 2004 – present
• Founders Bank, Incorporator / Board of Directors, 1995 – 2004
• Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry
• BREM Catholic Social Ministry
• Guardian Angel Settlement Board of Directors 1988 – 1993
• American Board of Trial Advocates
• National Trial Lawyers Association
• Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Board of Governors, 1991 – present
• The Lawyers Association of St. Louis
  • President 1998 – 1999
  • Executive Committee 1988 – 1999
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
• St. Louis County Bar Association
• St. Louis Police Board Commissioner, 1993 – 1996

Published Works & Presentations

Matt regularly presents and writes on litigation topics, such as medical malpractice, products liability, litigation strategy and personal injury.

• Speaker, “Federal Practice & Procedure,” UMC, 1994
• Speaker, St. Louis Lawyers Association, All Medical Seminar, 1994
• Speaker, “Primer on Malpractice,” Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, 1994
• Speaker, “Civil Jury Trial Demonstration Institute,” Washington University School of Law, 1993
• Speaker, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Bridge the Gap Seminar, 1993
• Speaker, “How to Win Auto Cases Without Going to Trial,” Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, 1992
• Speaker, “Winning the Difficult Injury Case,” UMKC, 1990
• Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, Adam’s Mark Hotel, 1990