Trial Attorneys Eric Trelz, Laura Bentele Earn One of the Top Missouri Plaintiff Wins

St. Louis trial attorneys Eric Trelz and Laura Bentele won big for their client in 2017 when a federal jury awarded them more than $8 million over a natural gas explosion and fire that destroyed the client’s office building. The win was recently ranked #25 on the list of top plaintiff’s wins in the state by Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Trelz has more than 30 years of trial experience and regularly represents clients in complex commercial litigation, including trade secret and noncompete matters. He serves clients from a wide range of industries, including banking and financial services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail entities, transportation, health care, automotive, food services, entertainment, and construction. Trelz also counsels clients on employment matters including agreements, employee handbooks and policies, and has handled workplace claims in multiple venues throughout the country, including federal and state trial and appellate courts, and administrative agencies.

Bentele focuses her practice on commercial disputes, tort litigation and real estate matters. She defends multi-state consumer product retailers and manufacturers, regional utility companies, transportation companies, financial institutions and mining companies in state and federal courts across the country. Bentele also counsels clients concerning regulations impacting agricultural industries, food safety and consumer fraud issues, including cases involving labeling claims, sanitary transportation and product contamination. She is co-founder and co-leader of the firm’s Agribusiness and Food industry team.