Zerger & Mauer Attorney Wins $8.2 Million Verdict in Jury Trial

KANSAS CITY, MO (May 2011) – Steve Mauer, of Zerger & Mauer LLP, won a jury trial in Cass County representing the City of Harrisonville, MO. Mauer was lead trial counsel for the City and was assisted by fellow Zerger & Mauer legal assistant Liz Crotty and by John Polhemus of Bryan Cave LLP.

The case dates to 2005, when the City of Harrisonville filed suit against the Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund (PSTIF) and the owners of a gas station near Harrisonville arising out of a petroleum leak. Contamination from the leak was discovered when the City installed a new sewer line through an easement and uncovered the spill. PSTIF initially agreed to fund the cost of remediation if the City used PSTIF’s approved contractor. The City sued after it incurred the cost of work recommended by PSTIF but PSTIF refused to pay — and continued refusal over a period of seven years.

After a week-long jury trial and short deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the City in the amount of approximately $172,000, representing a complete recovery of the costs incurred to remediate the contamination. The jury also awarded the City $8 million in punitive damages against PSTIF.

About Steve Mauer and Zerger & Mauer LLP

Steve Mauer and Heather Zerger established Zerger & Mauer LLP in April 2011. The firm represents financial institutions, businesses, municipalities and individuals in complex commercial litigation, employment counseling and defense, trust litigation and contract and tort actions.

Steve Mauer is a civil trial lawyer focusing on commercial litigation. Prior to co-founding Zerger & Mauer, Steve was a long-time partner with an international Kansas City law firm where he represented a variety of businesses and municipalities as plaintiffs and defendants. In civil suits, his recoveries total over $100 million. In four consecutive years, his cases were among top ten verdicts, judgments and settlements in the State of Missouri.