Edward C. Kruse
edk@krhlawfirm.com
Mr. Kruse practices in the areas of civil and criminal litigation. His civil practice is concentrated in the areas of personal injury litigation and in the enforcement and defense of non-compete agreements. He is AV rated, the highest ranking possible for ethics, ability and competence by the peer review lawyer rating company, Martindale-Hubbell.
Prior to founding the firm, Mr. Kruse worked for several years at the St. Louis County Counselor's Office and obtained extensive trial experience in the defense of personal injury cases in the area of criminal prosecution. Mr. Kruse practices in the areas of Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Workers' Compensation, Criminal Law and Employment Law with particular expertise in the area of employee/employer non-compete litigation.
Non-Compete Specialization Mr. Kruse has successfully represented over one hundred individuals from all over the country who have been sued for in connection with their non-compete agreements against their former employers. Many of these cases have involved paintless dent removal companies such as Dent Wizard International Corporation, Car Medic, Dent Pro and Dent Busters. Mr. Kruse’s clients include Dent Solutions, Dentology, The Dent Man, Dent Giant, Dent Magic, Dents R Us and Premium Paintless Dent Removal. Mr. Kruse represented the defendant technicians in a winning case against Dent Wizard International in the case Dent Wizard International Corp. v. Puricelli & Glandt. (See Dent Wizard International Corp. v. Puricelli, 976 S.W.2d 582, Mo.App. E.D., 1998). Mr. Kruse also consults with and acts as local counsel for other attorneys who represent clients who have litigation pending in the courts of St. Louis County, Missouri and surrounding areas.
Education
- J.D. 1988, University of Missouri, Columbia
- B.A. Economics 1988, University of Miami, Florida, Hurricane Varsity Soccer team
Bar Admissions
- Missouri Bar, 1988
- Illinois Bar, 1989
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, 1989
Professional Associations and Memberships
Admitted to practice before the Missouri and Illinois State courts and the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
- Missouri Bar Association
- Illinois State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, LRIS Executive Committee
- St. Louis County Bar Association
- St. Louis Lawyers Association
- Volunteer Lawyer's Association
Significant Reported Non-Compete Case
Dent Wizard International Corp. v. Puricelli
976 S.W.2d 582
Mo.App. E.D.,1998
The case involved two Dent Wizard International technicians who left their employment with Dent Wizard to form a competing business. The Court ruled that the technicians’ noncompete agreements were not enforceable against them and they were free to compete in the area of paintless dent removal against their former employer.