Trey Morris

Introduction

Trey Morris is a personal injury trial attorney and the founding partner of Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, with offices in Shreveport, Bossier City, Minden, Ruston, Covington, and Lake Charles. The firm was founded in 2001 and grew into one of Louisiana’s leading plaintiff-side trial practices, representing injured people across Louisiana, Texas, and the gulf south.

Over more than two decades of active practice, Mr. Morris has served as lead counsel on more than 100 cases with results in excess of $1 million. Ten of those cases were tried to judgment, including the $409 million Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum Testers verdict, the largest personal injury verdict in Louisiana history. He concentrates his practice on matters where trial readiness and trial experience determine the outcome: catastrophic injury, wrongful death, complex liability, and corporate defendants.

More than half of the firm’s caseload originates from attorney referrals, including from defense counsel and from firms in venues where Morris & Dewett does not maintain a local office. Mr. Morris regularly serves as co-counsel to other firms on complex personal injury matters across Louisiana and Texas.

Education

• Juris Doctor -- Southern University Law Center
• Bachelor of Arts -- L.S.U.

Bar Admissions

• Louisiana State Bar (admitted 2002)
• State Bar of Texas (admitted 2014)
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Memberships

• Louisiana State Bar Association
• Louisiana Association for Justice -- Board of Governors
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Lead counsel: Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum Testers ($409 million verdict)

In March 2023, Trey Morris served as lead counsel in Grantham v. Stuart Petroleum Testers, tried before a jury in the 26th Judicial District Court for Bossier Parish, Louisiana. The jury returned a $409 million verdict for Kirk and Morgan Grantham, the parents of four-year-old Katie Grantham, who was killed when a Stuart Petroleum employee ran a red light while driving a company truck.

Mr. Morris conducted voir dire, delivered the opening statement, examined the majority of witnesses, and gave the rebuttal closing. The verdict was reported by KTBS, KSLA, and other Louisiana news outlets as the largest personal injury verdict in Louisiana history and the fifth largest personal injury verdict in the United States in 2023.

The jury allocated 90 percent of fault to the corporate defendant Stuart Petroleum Testers and 10 percent to the driver, awarding $200 million to each parent, $5 million for the mother’s injuries, and $4,122,013 in punitive damages under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2315.4.

Trial experience

Mr. Morris has tried cases to judgment, including jury and bench trials, in eleven Louisiana parishes, one Texas county, and two United States federal district courts. Louisiana trial venues include Caddo, Bossier, Webster, DeSoto, Ouachita, Morehouse, Union, Franklin, Richland, Calcasieu, and St. Tammany Parishes. He has also represented plaintiffs in cases that resolved by settlement in Orleans, Jefferson Davis, Cameron, Tangipahoa, Washington, and Livingston Parishes, and in additional Texas venues.

Practice areas

• Personal injury (plaintiff)
• Wrongful death
• Catastrophic injury
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Commercial trucking accidents (18-wheeler, tractor-trailer)
• Oilfield and industrial injuries
• Product liability
• Premises liability
• Maritime and offshore injuries
• Brain injury and spinal cord injury
• Negligent entrustment
• Punitive damages litigation under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2315.4

Honors and recognition

Mr. Morris was inducted into the Southern University Law Center Hall of Fame in 2023, selected from among thousands of SULC law alumni for his distinguished career and contributions to the legal profession. He has been named a Louisiana Super Lawyer every year from 2019 through 2026, eight consecutive years, following four years on the Rising Stars list (2012-2015). He holds the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer-review rating issued, with a current peer-review average of 4.9 out of 5.0.

TopVerdict.com has certified his work with multiple top-ranked verdict and settlement awards:

• #1 Personal Injury Verdict in Louisiana (2023)
• #1 Fire Injury Settlement in Texas (2024)
• Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in the United States (2023)
• Top 10 Truck Accident Verdicts in the United States (2023)
• Top 10 Wrongful Death Settlements in Texas (2024)

He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which limits membership to lawyers who have served as principal counsel in cases resulting in verdicts or settlements of two million dollars or more.

In November 2023, Mr. Morris was appointed to the Coastal and Environmental Council on Governor-elect Jeff Landry’s gubernatorial transition team. He advised the incoming administration on Louisiana coastal protection, restoration, and environmental policy ahead of the January 2024 inauguration.