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Erik O. Solverud
Partner
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group Leader
Overview
Erik Solverud leads the St. Louis office’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution team. He is an experienced trial lawyer and business litigator, having been involved in a wide variety of complex commercial and business litigation in Missouri and southern Illinois. He has counseled and represented primary and excess insurers and policyholders in insurance coverage disputes and bad faith litigation.
Erik has also represented both minority and majority shareholders in various types of shareholder disputes. He currently represents a number of national and local manufacturing, construction, and transportation companies in a variety of litigation matters. Erik’s experience includes litigating – and counseling prospective employers on how to avoid – claims involving misappropriation of trade secrets and enforcement of non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
Based on Erik’s ability to provide practical advice and achieve creative resolutions, a number of small and mid-sized privately-held companies in the St. Louis area look to Erik as outside general counsel. In addition, Erik has experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of personal injury and wrongful death cases, including automobile negligence, trucking litigation, and products liability claims.
Prior to joining Spencer Fane, Erik was an associate with Thompson Coburn, where his practice focused on insurance coverage disputes and business litigation. In college, Erik was a captain of the Quincy College football team, and was elected to the GTE / CoSIDA National Academic All-American Football Team.
Erik has been actively involved in numerous charitable and civic organizations. He served as a board member of Shelter the Children. For many years, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Covenant House Missouri, a local non-profit agency providing shelter and support services to at-risk youth in the St. Louis area. He also served as a Partner of the St. Louis Social Venture Partners, which is the philanthropic program of The Regional Business Council, and was a member of the University of St. Louis Friends Board.
Credentials
Education
- Saint Louis University School of Law, 1995 (J.D.), Order of the Woolsack
- Quincy College, 1992 (B.S.), cum laude
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Obtained dismissal of plaintiffs’ personal injury lawsuit against Jamaican corporation based on lack of personal jurisdiction. DeSirey v. Sandals Resorts International, LTD., 2013 WL 5945075, E.D. Mo. 2013.
- Successfully defended majority shareholder and manager of St. Louis-based technology and cloud computing company in shareholder litigation, resulting in the favorable settlement of multiple claims filed in St. Louis City and St. Louis County and before the American Arbitration Association.
- Lead trial counsel for national life insurance company in a breach of fiduciary duty case by policyholder seeking $5 million in damages, and obtained a defense verdict following a one-week jury trial in the City of St. Louis.
- Trial counsel for national general contractor in dispute with subcontractor related to the defective manufacture and supply of building materials on multi-million dollar project, resulting in a favorable settlement for the general contractor following a one-week trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
- Lead trial counsel for a moving and storage company in a breach of contract case against a large furniture retailer, and, after a one-week jury trial in St. Louis County, obtained a unanimous verdict for damages, including lost profits that would have been earned had the contract not been wrongfully terminated.
- Obtained dismissal of Illinois Consumer Fraud Act claims against national technology company based on forum selection clause in lawsuit filed in Montgomery County, Illinois (Fourth Judicial Circuit).
- Lead counsel for national insurance company defending coverage claims by the stockholders, executive officer, and a director of a large manufacturer for personal injury claims, and obtained summary judgment in favor of the insurer rejecting plaintiffs’ coverage claims.
- Successfully appealed decision by Illinois Department of Human Services to revoke license of Illinois social service agency.
- Served as national counsel for Fortune 50 Company on non-compete and trade secret litigation.
- Served as second chair in trial of product liability / wrongful death action arising out of collision between motor vehicle and farm equipment, resulting in a seven-figure settlement for our clients following the first week of two-week jury trial in Jackson County.
- Successfully pursued declaratory judgment claim in U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Missouri on behalf of health plan challenging participant’s assignment of ERISA benefits and rights to third party and demands for documents pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1024(b)(4) and 29 C.F.R. § 2560.503-1, resulting in favorable settlement for the plan.
- Served as second chair in bench trial in U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Missouri, successfully defending competitive local exchange carrier against action by Southwestern Bell attacking a preferred marketing arrangement.
- Served as lead counsel on negligence claims by local manufacturer against environmental services company based on failure to identify adverse environmental conditions prior to acquisition of property for multi-million dollar manufacturing facility, resulting in favorable settlement for the local manufacturer.
- Successfully represented defendant in action in U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Missouri alleging misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition.
- Served as lead counsel on claim by local roofing contractor against its insurance brokers for failure to procure adequate insurance coverage, resulting in a favorable settlement for the roofing contractor.
- Illinois’ Best Lawyers, 2017
- Missouri Lawyers Media, Largest Defense Verdicts, 2013
- Best Lawyers in America, 2017-2024
- American Bar Association
- Missouri Bar Association
- Illinois Bar Association
- Contracts for Contractors – A Best Practices Guide
- “Contracts 101: Things to Consider When Writing or Reviewing Your Roofing Contracts,” Roofing & Siding Contractors Alliance, Inc., 2014
- “Jury Trials – Perception Is Reality,” Spencer Fane Labor and Employment Seminar, 2012
- “Thinking Outside The Box – The Shift to Alternative Fee Arrangements,” Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis Chapter, 2011
- “The Social Network – The Virtual Workplace In 2011,” Spencer Fane Labor and Employment Seminar, 2011