John A. Bruegger

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Partner

John is an experienced personal injury trial and appellate lawyer based in St. Louis, Missouri. With 25 years of experience in litigation and appeals, John has represented individual plaintiffs who have been injured by defective drugs and other products, class members in class action consumer fraud cases, small businesses in class action and other individual litigation, and large Fortune 500 companies. His true passion is fighting for the rights of individual people who have been injured as a result of companies that put profits over people, and he has litigated cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States. John also holds advanced law degrees in taxation and jurisprudence, and regularly publishes articles on these and other topics.

Personally, John lives near St. Louis with his wife Sandi, their five children, and three rescue dogs. He occasionally teaches classes at Southern Illinois University Simmons School of Law and volunteers his time with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and Stand Up For Pits Foundation, Inc., a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting and advocating for pitbull-type dogs.

Education

• Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO, 2014, J.S.D., Jurisprudence/ Philosophy of Law.
• Washington University School of Law, St. Louis, MO, 2006, LL.M., Taxation.
• Saint Louis University School of Law, St. Louis, MO, 2001, J.D.
• University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 1998, B.A., Psychology.

Bar Admissions & Years

• Missouri, 2001
• Illinois, 2002
• California, 2007
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
• United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois
• United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
• United States District Court, Central District of California
• United States District Court, Northern District of California
• 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
• 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
• 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States Supreme Court
• NOT ADMITTED TO FLORIDA

Legal Practice Areas

• Plaintiffs’ Mass Tort
• Personal Injury
• Product Liability
• Class Actions
• Appeals

Current/Past Affiliations

• The Missouri Bar
• Illinois State Bar Association
• The California Bar
• American Association for Justice
• Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys

Honors & Awards

• AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell in Litigation, Toxic Torts and Personal Injury
• Rising Star, Super Lawyers (2011-2015)
• 10/10, Superb, rating on Avvo.com

Published Works & Certifications

Articles

• Bruegger, John A. “’Original-Intent’ Originalism, Semantic Instability, and the Impact of Linguistics on American Constitutionalism.” Washburn Law Journal vol. 61, no. 2 (2022).
• Bruegger, John A. “Freedom, Legality, and the Rule of Law.” Washington University Jurisprudence Review, vol. 9, no. 1 (2016).
• Bruegger, John A. “Anatomy of a Class Action Killer: Picking Off Named Plaintiffs in Illinois Class Actions After Barber.” Illinois Bar Journal, vol. 100, no. 4, page 208 (April 2012).
• Bruegger, John A. “Republican Freedom – Three Problems.” The Journal Jurisprudence, Volume 11, pages 569-588 (2011).
• Bruegger, John A. “Tax Whistleblower Proceedings at the State Level: Common Themes and a Call to Action.” Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives, Volume 19, No. 2, p. 12 (May 2009).
• Bruegger, John A. “Blowing the Whistle on Tax Fraud,” TRIAL, American Association for Justice, (December 2008).

Chapters

• Bruegger, John A. “Dog Bites,” Chapter 9, Tort Actions, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education (IILCE) (2026).
• Bruegger, John A. “Motor Vehicle Actions: Automobiles and Heavy Trucks,” Chapter 12, Tort Actions, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education (IILCE) (2026).
• Bruegger, John A. “Damages to Personal Property,” Chapter 28, Tort Actions, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education (IILCE) (2026).
• Bruegger, John A. “Federal Actions in Illinois State Courts,” Chapter 30, Tort Actions, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education (IILCE) (2026).
• Bruegger, John A. “Punitive Damages: Plaintiff’s Perspective.” Chapter 9, Proving and Disproving Damages in Personal Injury Cases, Illinois Institute on Continuing Legal Education (IILCE) (2024).
• Bruegger, John A. “Depositions,” Chapter 4, Missouri Discovery Deskbook, 2nd Ed., Missouri Bar CLE (2015).
• Bruegger, John A. “Discovering Evidence for Trial Through Requests for Admission,” Chapter 6, Missouri Discovery Deskbook, 2nd Ed., Missouri Bar CLE (2015).
• Bruegger, John A. “Liens, Subrogation, and Assignments,” Chapter 8, Missouri Settlements Deskbook, Missouri Bar CLE. (2014).
• Bruegger, John A. “Income Taxation of Individuals,” Chapter 5, Missouri Taxation Law and Practice Deskbook, 4th edition, Missouri Bar CLE. (2009).
• Bruegger, John A. “Motor Fuel Taxation,” Chapter 28, Missouri Taxation Law and Practice Deskbook, 4th edition, Missouri Bar CLE. (2009).

Media

• Frankel, Alison. “Does Motive Matter in Mass Action Venue Fights?” Reuters. July 25, 2024.
• Harroff, Ryan. “Justices Turn Away Venue Row in Zantac Carcinogen Claims.” Law360, January 27, 2025.
• Keller, Aaron. “Sanofi Challenges Jurisdiction in Conn. Zantac Lawsuits.” Law360. April 28, 2025.

Presentations

• “General and Specific Causation Experts.” Perspectives on Medical Evidence. Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), Live Webcast, May 28, 2025.
• “How to Depose Treating Physicians and Medical Experts.” Perspectives on Medical Evidence. Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), Live Webcast, May 28, 2025.
• “Using Respondents in Discovery: Why to Use Them, How to Find Them, and Avoiding Potential Pitfalls.” Perspectives on Medical Evidence. Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), Live Webcast, May 28, 2025.
• Petition for Certiorari Briefing Workshop. Stanford Law School, Supreme Court Clinic, Palo Alto, CA, December 10, 2024.
• “Conducting Missouri Depositions.” Missouri/Illinois CLE Program, Hawkins, Parnell, Thackston & Young, LLP, St. Louis, MO, June 2013.
• “Freedom and the Rule of Law.” Third Annual Workshop on International and Comparative Law. Washington University School of Law, The Center on Law, Innovation and Economic Growth (CLIEG), St. Louis, MO, March, 1-2, 2013.