Late last September, Mission Hills personal injury attorney Peter Goss was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after he drove the wrong way on a Missouri highway, colliding with another vehicle and killing Kevin Wilson, 65, of Lee’s Summit.
Less than two months later, Goss was back at work taking cases and representing clients at the firm he founded — and it’s unclear if or when his law license may be suspended or revoked.
Despite his arrest and a previous history of disciplinary action from both the Kansas and Missouri supreme courts, Goss remains in good standing with the Kansas Supreme Court and Missouri Bar Association.
Court records show Goss has represented plaintiffs in more than a dozen cases in Kansas since the crash — including some in which people injured in crashes are suing the drivers who allegedly hit them — even as he’s settled a wrongful death civil lawsuit with Wilson’s family and faces the prospect of criminal charges himself.
When asked if any disciplinary actions against Goss are pending, a spokesperson for the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, an arm of the Missouri Supreme Court that investigates allegations of misconduct against lawyers, said in an email to the Johnson County Post that they could not comment.
The disciplinary process for Missouri’s chief disciplinary counsel remains largely confidential until a number of things happen.
That includes a determination that there is probable cause to proceed with a disciplinary hearing, the office filing information about a potential rule violation in court, and the attorney in question also being given a chance to file a response.
Following that, a hearing in front of a disciplinary panel will be scheduled and information will be posted at the Missouri Office of Legal Ethics Counsel website. Currently, Goss is not listed on the office’s hearing schedule.
In Kansas, when asked for any pending disciplinary action against Goss, a representative for the Kansas Judicial Branch’s Office of the Disciplinary Administrator did not comment, saying that Goss was in good standing with the Kansas Bar Association.
The office did say Goss has previously faced disciplinary action once, when the Kansas Supreme Court suspended his license for one month in December 2014 for violating the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys for breaking rules regarding truthfulness in statements to others and engaging in conduct involving misrepresentation.
What happened last September
Goss was driving west on eastbound U.S. Highway 50 near Highway Z just before 11 p.m., on Sept. 20, 2024, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Investigators say his Chevrolet Suburban struck a Subaru Legacy driven by Wilson, 65, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Goss suffered serious injuries and was taken to Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, according to the Highway Patrol’s online crash report.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest report posted in the immediate aftermath from the incident said Goss was placed under arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated involving the death of another person, driving in the wrong direction of a divided highway and careless and imprudent driving involving an accident.
Goss has yet to be criminally charged, but he did reach a $2.3 million wrongful death settlement in December 2024 with Kevin Wilson’s son, Aaron Wilson, and daughter, Olivia Wilson.
Goss has been active as an attorney since crash
Since the crash, Goss has been listed as an attorney in a number of personal injury civil cases in Kansas, according to court records.
The cases Goss has worked on include representing people who were injured in car crashes.
The first case after the crash he took, according to records, began on Nov. 11, 2024, just shy of two months after the crash that killed Wilson.
Goss’s case load since last September include:
- A case filed on Feb. 24 in Reno County, Kansas, in which Goss’ client is suing the estate of a man who injured them in a car crash and damaged their Freightliner truck after they allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign. The man who the lawsuit claims caused the crash died, and now the plaintiff is asking the driver’s estate to pay for lost wages because of their injuries and damaged vehicle.
- A case filed on Feb. 12 in Wyandotte County where the vehicle of a Lenexa woman driving on Interstate 35 slid off onto a grassy median due to icy road conditions. While she waited for AAA, another vehicle slid off onto the same median, sideswiping her vehicle. Following that, a third vehicle, driven by an Olathe woman, allegedly did not slow down, despite seeing the disabled vehicles and struck the first vehicle’s car while she was in the driver’s seat, causing her head to strike the driver’s side window that allegedly resulted in a traumatic brain injury.
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Two cases, one filed on March 19 in Leavenworth County and another filed on April 2 in Johnson County, in which Goss’ clients say they were significantly injured in crashes when they were rear-ended by other vehicles while they were stopped at red lights.
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A case filed on May 12 in Wyandotte County by a delivery driver represented by Goss against the owner of a pitbull. Goss’s client alleges the dog owner did not do enough to restrain the dog after it jumped through a screen door and bit him.
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A case representing a person in Wyandotte County who is suing hardware store Menards. Goss’ client in that case, filed on May 14, alleges they were injured at a Kansas City, Kansas, Menard’s location when an employee instructed them to stand on a wooden pallet to reach a desired product and it gave way, causing the person to be injured.
With no charges, attorneys can practice law
If an attorney is involved in a serious crime but is not charged, then they are still allowed to practice law, Richard Painter, the S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Minnesota, and vice-chair of the nonprofit legal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.
“I don’t think an arrest for DWI will result in immediate suspension,” he said. “A conviction for a DWI, different jurisdictions handle that differently, but for a mere DWI, in most jurisdictions, (they) would not immediately suspend (an attorney) because it’s an arrest.
“Even an indictment, they probably wait until there’s a resolution.”
For more serious crimes, like involuntary manslaughter, Painter said a state bar association might temporarily suspend an attorney’s license, but they would still wait for charges to be filed before doing so.
“You can’t suspend someone based on news reports or even a police report … if someone were arrested,” he said.
Missouri prosecutor confirms he’s working on charges
In April, Johnson County, Missouri, Prosecuting Attorney Robert Russell confirmed to the Post that his office is still building a criminal case against Goss, but he did not give an exact timeline for when he would file charges.
Russell said they are taking the matter seriously.
“This is a very significant incident,” he said of the crash that killed Kevin Wilson. “A family lost a father, lost a spouse. It’s a significant situation.”
In his obituary, Wilson was described as an avid golfer and person with a quick wit and caring nature.
“He was a selfless father, who showed his love through acts of service, whether it be making long drives or always keeping his kids’ cars clean. He was a reliable friend, brother, and uncle,” the obituary said.
When reached for comment via email, Goss referred the Johnson County Post to his attorney, who declined to comment about any pending charges.
