Steve assists clients in resolving business disputes involving issues such as breach of contract, business tort and unfair competition claims, disputes over corporate control, misappropriation of trade secrets, and infringement of intellectual property rights. He also advises clients regularly on antitrust and distribution matters. Steve has handled business cases in federal and state courts throughout the country.

Steve is admitted to the Supreme Court of Ohio, the United States District Court Southern District of Ohio, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits, and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

Education

  • University of Cincinnati College of Law, J.D., 1977, Order of the Coif; University of Cincinnati Law Review, Editor-in-Chief, 1976-1977
  • St. Joseph's College, B.A., 1974, magna cum laude

Representative Matters

  • Defense of manufacturer in False Claims Act litigation in Louisiana seeking $250 million in damages for alleged product substitution on federally funded project.
  • Obtained injunction in federal court in Florida, which was affirmed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, enforcing a non-compete agreement on behalf of manufacturer against a terminated distributor.
  • Designed and conducted internal investigation for manufacturer which suspected that its regional plants in Massachusetts and North Carolina had provided nonconforming products under government contracts, and then implemented a procedure to resolve the matter without litigation by disclosing the results of the investigation to the government agency.
  • Defense of landfill operators in environmental citizens’ suit alleging federal statutory and state common law claims.
  • Representation of commercial property owner in indemnification claim against seller of business for environmental remediation costs.
  • Assisted in representation of manufacturing companies in Superfund contribution claims.
  • Defense of manufacturer in litigation in Ohio by a distributor alleging price discrimination.
  • Represented inventor of technology in litigation with equity investors over control of the corporation.
  • Defense of soft drink bottler in grand jury price fixing investigation in Kentucky that was terminated without indictment.
  • Defense of manufacturer of stormwater detention system in 400 unit condominium project in New Jersey in litigation over collapse of the system by the developer against the manufacturer, the engineer and the contractor.
  • Defense of company accused of stealing trade secrets after hiring a chemist employed by a competitor in FBI investigation and related civil litigation in Ohio.
  • Defense of physician in litigation in California for copyright infringement based on materials presented at medical seminar.
  • Defense of manufacturer in litigation in Texas involving failure of natural gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Defense of contractor in criminal investigation, government enforcement action, and civil class action in Indiana arising out of discharge of chemicals into a river.
  • Representation of Australian manufacturer of consumer products in design patent infringement case.
  • Representation of digital printer manufacturer in patent infringement case.
  • Defense of company in civil investigation by Attorney General of Missouri into alleged monopolistic practices.
  • Obtained injunction on behalf of national catalog company in Lanham Act false advertising case against a competitor.
  • Obtained $10 million arbitration award for damages suffered by purchaser of a business arising from seller's breach of representation that it had operated the business in compliance with the law.
  • Representation of chemical manufacturer in action to enjoin a competitor's misappropriation of product formula.
  • Defense of manufacturer of storm water treatment device in patent infringement litigation.
  • Defense of manufacturer of products issued in concrete construction in patent infringement litigation.
  • Representation of steel manufacturer in claim against supplier of scrap metal for delivering scrap containing radioactive material that contaminated the manufacturer's plant.

Professional & Civic Involvement

Professional Associations

American Bar Association · Litigation Section, Antitrust Section
Ohio State Bar Association
Cincinnati Bar Association

Community Activities

The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park · Trustee (1994-1999)
Junior Achievement of Greater Cincinnati · Director (1995-1997)

Presentations

  • Seminar presentation on antitrust and contracting issues in purchase and sale transactions
  • Seminar presentation and publication of materials entitled "Distribution Conflicts in Cyberspace," dealing with antitrust issues involved in doing business on the Internet.
  • Presentation of training programs to clients' sales employees on antitrust compliance.

Awards & Honors

  • Recognized in the directory of The Best Lawyers in America
  • Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers by Ohio Super Lawyer magazine