About Erich Vieth
For more than thirty years, Erich Vieth has worked as a trial and appellate attorney in St. Louis. His experience includes numerous first chair trials before federal and state judges and juries. He has been lead author of many appellate briefs and presented oral arguments to both federal and state appellate courts. Since 2017, he has worked as a solo practice trial attorney at Erich Vieth – Attorney at Law.
His early career included four years with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office (1986-1990), where he investigated and litigated civil and criminal consumer fraud cases in many areas, including automobile sales and repair, telemarketing, health care fraud, and diploma mills. While serving as an AAG, he designed and supervised successful sting operations focusing on automobile fraud and diploma mills.
Throughout much of his career, Erich has represented classes of consumers who have suffered damages as a result of a wide variety of unfair acts and business practices. He has filed numerous cases on behalf of consumers victimized by predatory lenders and financial services organizations, many of those cases involving contractual provisions ostensibly requiring binding arbitration. Other cases have involved products liability, ERISA, environmental law and employment issues.
For 18 years (1981-1986 and 1991-2004), Erich worked as a litigation and appellate lawyer with two St. Louis insurance defense firms (Evans and Dixon and Holtkamp, Liese, Childress and Schultz). From 2004 to 2013, he was part of the Consumer Law/Class Action Department of the Simon Law Firm in St. Louis. From 2013 to 2017, he was a partner with the Missouri law firm of Campbell Law LLC. For two years (2017-2019), he assisted Arch City Defenders in a part-time Of Counsel relationship.
In 2011 and 2013, he was honored as “Influential Appellate Attorney” by Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
Huch v. Charter Communications, Inc., 290 S.W.3d 721 (Mo. 2009), a case in which Erich served as co-counsel, was voted the Best Appellate Win of 2009 by Missouri Lawyers Weekly. Erich has been honored as one of Missouri’s leading brief writers in 2009 by Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly.
Since May 2013, Erich has served as Chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. In February 2014, in conjunction with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and Saint Louis University School of Law, Erich chaired “Mastering Appellate Advocacy,” an intense series of panel discussions focusing on critical aspects of appellate practice. Participants included highly experienced practitioners, and judges. In May 2017, in conjunction with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Erich chaired “Appellate Lawyering in the Trenches,” focusing on appellate practice. The Speakers include numerous experienced appellate law practitioners, plus representatives from the Missouri Court of Appeals.
PUBLICATIONS BY ERICH VIETH
“Whence Public Policy”, Journal of the Missouri Bar, July-Aug. 1996 (co-authored with James Lemonds).
“Establishing Damages in Cases Involving the Death of a Minor,” The Missouri Trial Attorney, Spring 2005 (co-authored with James P. Lemonds).
“Pharmaceutical Litigation: The Plaintiff’s Overview,” Spring, 2005, St. Louis Bar Journal, (Co-authored with John Simon) “Challenging Arbitration Provisions in Consumer Cases,” The Missouri Trial Attorney, Summer 2007.
Co-authored (with John Campbell) “Binding Mandatory Arbitration,” in the Missouri Consumer Law & Practice CLE Desk Book, Ch. 9,
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND TEACHING
“The Psychology of Persuasion,” June 20, 2006, Annual Trial Practice Seminar, St. Louis, Missouri.
Seminar: “Cover Your Assets – Legally & Ethically,” March 12-13, 2014, at the University of Denver.
“Drafting the Complaint and Answer,” September 8, 2007, Mortgage Lending Litigation Conference sponsored by the National Association of Consumer Attorneys.
“Use of Experts to Certify Class Actions,” October 27, 2008, NCLC Class Action Symposium, Consume Rights Litigation Conference, Portland, Oregon.
Since 2013, Erich has worked as an Adjunct Law Professor at Saint Louis University School of Law, teaching Civil Practice. Beginning in October 2017, Erich has served to teach one-week seminars on American Trial Law at Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
EDUCATION, AWARDS & EXPERIENCE
A.B. Philosophy and Psychology from University of Missouri – St. Louis (1978)
J.D. from St. Louis University (1981)
Co-Counsel with John Campbell in a case Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly recognized as the largest settlement in the State of Missouri for 2015, reported as $262 Million in debt forgiveness for customers of an illegal title loan operation. This case required seven appeals to the Missouri Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2012, Co-Lead Counsel for class action settlement that offered $25 million in relief to class members against a payday loan operation called QuikCash.
Erich Vieth recognized as most “Influential Appellate Advocate” – 2011 and 2013
– Erich Vieth recognized for Best Appellate Win – 2009
– Erich Vieth voted one of Missouri’s Top Brief Writers – 2009NCL
