Trey Jones joined the Brunini firm in 1999 after serving as law clerk to then Chief Judge Tom S. Lee, United States District Court, Southern District of Mississippi. He practices general civil litigation and focuses primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, mass torts, environmental litigation and products liability. Trey is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Commercial Litigation.

Trey received his J.D., summa cum laude, from the Mississippi College School of Law, where he served as Articles Editor of the Mississippi College Law Review and graduated second in his class. His professional and civic activities include membership in numerous state and federal bar associations, and he is also a past board member of the Downtown Jackson Exchange Club and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the MS Arthritis Foundation.

Representative Matters

• Defended a Mississippi Supreme Court appeal, along with Chris Shapley, concerning a statute of limitations issue which is very important in the areas of personal injury and environmental exposure litigation. Brunini's clients were sued for allegedly causing the plaintiff's cancer by exposure to chemicals. Shapley and Jones successfully argued to the trial judge that the case should be dismissed based on the statute of limitations since the plaintiff did not file suit within three years of when she was diagnosed with cancer. The plaintiff argued on appeal that the statute of limitations should not begin to run in "latent injury" cases until the plaintiff knows that her injury was caused by wrongful conduct. She also argued that her claims were timely under the federal CERCLA statute. Following en banc oral argument, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brunini's client and held that the statute of limitations begins to run on the date the plaintiff is diagnosed with the disease.

• Obtained summary judgment, along with Chris Shapley, on behalf of two owners and operators of a wood-treating facility. The plaintiff in the federal court action was the estate of a deceased man which claimed that chemicals from the wood treating facility were responsible for wrongful death and property damage. Plaintiff sought substantial compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief. Shapley and Jones were successful in obtaining Daubert exclusions of plaintiff's causation experts and dismissal of all claims.

• Obtained summary judgment, along with Chris Fontan, on behalf of a major lending institution in a lawsuit in which two plaintiffs sought compensatory and punitive damages based on the bank's alleged breach of a loan agreement and other wrongful acts in connection with a residential construction project. Following discovery, Jones and Fontan were successful in obtaining dismissal of all claims in favor of the bank.

• Obtained a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversing a verdict against a wood treating company and rendering judgment in favor of the defendant. The plaintiff alleged that her mother's breast cancer and death were caused by exposure to chemicals from the wood treating plant. The federal appeals court ruled that the plaintiff's claims were untimely under the Mississippi statute of limitations. The court also addressed for the first time the preemptive breadth of Section 9658 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and rejected the plaintiff's argument that the statute of limitations had been tolled by the CERCLA provision.

• Obtained a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, along with Chris Shapley and Brian Kimball, affirming the district court’s dismissal of ERISA claims filed in a putative class action  against a major lending institution .  The Court ruled that the plaintiffs had no right to a remand of the case to the ERISA plan administrator to consider new claims that were not presented to the plan administrator in the first instance.  The Court also ruled that the district court had properly dismissed the ERISA claims that were based on alleged violations of U.S. Treasury regulations.    Finally, the Court affirmed the dismissal of the claims of putative class members who did not exhaust administrative remedies.     

• Defended multiple companies in toxic tort environmental litigation involving claims by thousands of plaintiffs alleging exposure to various wood treating chemicals.
   
• Obtained a judgment on the pleadings in a suit filed against a major lending institution. In this case, the Plaintiff alleged that his property had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and that he had suffered damages as a result of an erroneous flood zone determination and the failure to obtain flood insurance in connection with the mortgage closing.  In a case of first impression for Mississippi state courts, the Brunini attorneys successfully obtained a ruling that lenders are immune from such suits, and all claims were dismissed. 
  
• Succeeded in obtaining a summary judgment in an ERISA case filed in federal court by numerous plaintiffs as a putative class action against a major lending institution.  The case involved allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation and other statutory violations.  After substantial briefing, the court determined that all of the plaintiffs' claims should be dismissed before trial.
  
• Obtained a summary judgment and dismissal of all claims in a suit brought in state court against a major lending institution and one of its loan officers.  The plaintiffs in the case alleged claims of breach of contract, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation and negligent hiring, supervision and retention.
  
• Obtained a defense verdict in Hinds County Circuit Court in a suit brought against a lender. The plaintiff alleged that the lender failed to compensate him appropriately for his work assisting in bringing several large custodial accounts to the bank. The jury found for the lender and awarded plaintiff no damages. Judge Winston Kidd presided over the trial.
   
• Obtained a summary judgment and dismissal of all claims in a suit in federal court against a lender. The plaintiff alleged various tort claims and violation of banking regulations.

Speeches & Publications

• "Maverick or Trendsetter?: Fifth Circuit Addresses Slippery Questions in Employment Discrimination", 20 Miss. C.L. Rev. 277 (2000)

Community & Professional Activities

• Hinds County Bar Association
• Rankin County Bar Association
• Mississippi Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division
• Mississippi Bar Association (Executive Committee Member, Litigation and General Practice Section)
• American Bar Association (Member, Sections on Environmental Law and Litigation)
• Federal Bar Association
• Fifth Circuit Bar Association
• Jackson Young Lawyers Association
• Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Federalist Society
• American Inns of Court
• Christian Legal Society
• Mississippi College School of Law Fund-Raising Committee
• Rankin County Chamber of Commerce