Steve is a trial and class action attorney who has represented clients in trials, arbitrations, and appeals in a number of industries. Steve has handled the defense of significant nationwide consumer class actions for clients in the financial services, insurance, telecommunications/technology, retail, consumer products, and entertainment industries. In these class actions, Steve has successfully defended claims of unfair competition, false advertising, violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, violation of numerous state consumer protection statutes, and product liability.

Steve also has deep experience in insurance coverage and bad faith matters. He has represented insurers in matters asserting coverage and bad faith for mass tort, environmental, professional liability, and construction defect claims seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance coverage. Additionally, Steve has brought affirmative claims on behalf of insurers to determine proper allocation and contribution for long-tail exposures.

His insurance experience also includes representation of health care insurers, plans, and administrators. Steve has defended contract, bad faith, other state law and ERISA claims against those defendants, and has successfully asserted an array of preemption-based defenses to those claims. Steve’s advocacy in this area has included multiple jury trials and the handling of successful appeals.

Steve’s practice further includes intellectual property and technology litigation relating to trademark, copyright, trade dress, trade secret, and right of publicity claims, as well as licensing disputes. He has handled these claims for clients in the entertainment, new media, publishing, technology, and retail/consumer products industries.

Finally, Steve has handled a wide variety of complex business disputes. In this area, he has particular experience in handling claims related to real estate development and leasing.

Class Actions

• Representing a bank based in Hawaii in defense of a class action alleging violation of the TCPA based on texts sent through text banking system.
• Representing a financial services company in defense of a class action alleging violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) based on calls to alleged reassigned numbers.
• Representing a regional bank based in the south/midwest in defense of a class action alleging violation of the TCPA based on text alerts sent to alleged reassigned numbers.
• Represented an insurance company in a class action alleging that use of insurer-appointed defense counsel under a flat fee arrangement violated California law and professional responsibility rules.
• Represented an insurance company in a representative/class action alleging violation of California consumer protection statutes based on alleged misrepresentations in the marketing and terms of employment practices liability policies.
• Represented a national eyewear retailers in two consumer class actions alleging violation of California consumer protection statutes based on a complex California regulatory scheme, as well as false advertising claims.
• Represented a mattress manufacturer in a consumer class action alleging violations of California consumer protection and warranty statutes based on alleged terms and application of express product warranties.
• Represented an air conditioner manufacturer in a statewide class action in Nevada alleging product defects in air conditioning units installed in more than 60,000 homes throughout the state.
• Represented a major hotel management company in the successful defense of a class action alleging violation of the TCPA based on alleged marketing calls to cellphones.
• Represented several cellphone content providers in defending eight nationwide consumer class actions alleging violations of the TCPA and various state consumer protection laws based on unauthorized charges. Also represented these companies in responding to various state attorney general inquiries.
• Represented a telecommunications/technology company in the successful defense of a consumer class action alleging violation of the TCPA. The case settled favorably on an individual basis after defeat of the plaintiff’s motion for class certification.
• Represented a telecommunications/technology company in the defense of a consumer class action alleging violation of Washington consumer protection statutes based on alleged unauthorized text messages and charges to cellphone customers.
• Represented a sports accessory company, and its officers and directors, in the defense of 22 class actions filed in four states alleging false advertising and violation of state consumer protection statutes.
• Represented athlete endorsers of a consumer product in a class action alleging false advertising and violation of state consumer protection statutes based on their product endorsement.
• Obtained a dismissal prior to class certification of three separate class actions alleging false advertising and unfair competition against Southern California’s largest mattress retailer and a national mattress manufacturer.

Insurance Coverage Litigation

• Defending an insurer in a lawsuit seeking coverage and bad faith damages for environmental cleanup costs, stemming from its consent agreements with state environmental agencies, and in a water district’s parallel lawsuit relating to industrial site in Orange County, CA.
• Defending an insurer in lawsuit seeking coverage and bad faith damages for environmental cleanup costs stemming from regional water board investigation and parallel lawsuit brought by homeowners relating to residential site in Torrance, CA.
• Defending an insurer in lawsuit seeking coverage for environmental cleanup costs stemming from regional water board investigation and the city’s parallel lawsuit relating to industrial site in Torrance, CA.
• Defended an insurer in a lawsuit seeking coverage and bad faith damages relating to underlying construction defect/product liability resulting from the failure of a rooftop parking deck at a shopping center in Honolulu, HI.
• After a bench trial obtained a verdict that independent counsel was not required in an administrative proceeding related to the cleanup of an environmental site.
• Obtained a favorable settlement for an insurer, following the granting of summary judgment motions, in defending a lawsuit seeking coverage and bad faith damages for environmental cleanup costs stemming from a consent agreement with a Nevada state agency.

Health Care Litigation

• ABC Services Group, Inc. v. Health Net of California, Inc., et. al., 8:19-cv-00243-DOC (C.D. Cal. June 13, 2022) – Obtained dismissal with prejudice of litigation against Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company, Anthem, Inc., Beacon Health Options, Inc., Beacon Health Strategies, LLC, ValueOptions Federal Services, Inc., and ValueOptions of California, Inc. The plaintiff sought to recover claims on behalf of a closed substance abuse treatment facility. The litigation was initially filed as individual lawsuits in state and federal court against 36 defendants, asserting state law and ERISA claims. The litigation was consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s first amended complaint. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the state law claims and remanded the ERISA claims to the district court, which dismissed the remaining ERISA claims for lack of standing and failure to cite specific plans and plan terms.
• Defending a health insurance plan against ERISA claims brought by emergency services group seeking millions of dollars in alleged unreimbursed emergency room charges.
• Defending a health insurance plan against breach of contract, ERISA, and related state law claims based on more than $60 million of alleged unreimbursed charges incurred by residential treatment program in Southern California.
• Obtained a unanimous defense verdict after 2-week jury trial on breach of contract and fraud claims, affirmed on appeal, for a health insurance plan relating to a home infusion provider’s claim seeking exorbitant charges for its provision of drugs to a plan member.
• Obtained a dismissal on federal preemption grounds of tort claims against a Medicare Advantage health insurance plan based on the managed care system of financial incentives. Dismissal was affirmed on appeal.
• Obtained a dismissal on federal preemption grounds of contract and bad faith claims against a Medicare Advantage health insurance plan.

Business Litigation

• Represented a U.S. development subsidiary of a major international construction company in a lawsuit relating to the development of major hotel/retail complex in area near Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
• Obtained a unanimous verdict on business tort and unfair competition claims and an award of more than $6 million for a major shopping center REIT in a three-month jury trial related to a dispute over a prime shopping center site.
• Represented a major bank in an arbitration relating to the sale of the bank’s interest in a commercial office building. The arbitrator found for the bank on all substantive issues.
• Represented an asphalt emulsions producer in fraud and intentional interference claims against the largest chemical company in the world. After complete defeat of the defendant’s motion for summary judgment, the case was settled on a confidential basis.
• Obtained a settlement for a minimal amount on very favorable terms for a national ratings agency in its successful First Amendment-based defense of billion-dollar claims arising from the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy.
• Represented several major grocery chains in litigation related to a shopping center development, commercial leasing, exclusive use restrictions and nuisance claims.
• Represented a national truck rental company in the defense of product liability claims throughout California and Nevada.

Intellectual Property/Technology Litigation

• Obtained a settlement of more than $13 million, following a partial verdict and favorable post-trial rulings, for the largest exporter of U.S. beef to Korea, in a five-week jury trial on trademark, contract, and unfair competition tort claims.
• Represented a rights clearance agency and a national consumer products company in disputes over the licensing of songs performed by the Village People.
• Represented the rock band Guns N’ Roses in trademark litigation related to the release of its “Greatest Hits” album.

• Best Lawyers in America®: Commercial Litigation (2021-2026), Insurance Law (2025-2026)
• Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2024) – independently rated lawyers
• Southern California Super Lawyer (2012, 2013, 2015-2017)