Steven J. German

A founding partner of the firm, Steven has extensive experience in complex civil litigation, with verdicts and settlements exceeding $1billion. Steven represents victims of serious injuries including motor vehicle, trip/fall, construction, premises liability, pharmaceutical, environmental, toxic exposure, civil rights, class action, consumer fraud, breach of contract, surreptitious viewing, and fertility clinic negligence. Steven has also briefed and argued numerous appellate issues in state and federal courts involving substantive and procedural issues like statutes of limitations, arbitration clauses, rideshare liability, class certification, and environmental exposure. From 2014-2024, he taught an advanced law school course on environmental and toxic tort litigation. His cases have been covered by television, radio, and print media nationwide. Steven’s accomplishments include:

• Represents female victims of hidden bathroom camera in the landmark Brown v. New York Design Ctr., Inc., (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dept. 2023). Steven persuasively argued that Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress claims should not require extreme and outrageous conduct, resulting in the Appellate Division reversing its own prior holdings.
• Represents New York City woman in fertility clinic negligence case involving lost embryos.
• Represents Wichita, KS residents in lawsuit against Union Pacific railroad concerning contaminated groundwater and VOC vapor intrusion (D. KS).
• Court-appointed Settlement Class Counsel in Duarte v. U.S. Metals, representing New Jersey residents with smelter pollution on their properties ($44mm cash + $60mm cleanup settlement, D.N.J. 2023).
• Court-appointed Plaintiffs’​ Class Counsel / lead trial counsel in Pere v. Town of Fallsburg, representing New York homeowners with toxic algae in their lake from sewage releases (N.Y., 2022).
• Appointed Special Counsel to State of New Jersey by Gov. Christie in natural resource damage litigation against ExxonMobil ($225mm settlement, N.J. 2018).
• Represent Florida residents with radiation from phosphate mining and reclamation activities on their properties (M.D.F.L..).
• Plaintiffs’​ counsel in Cole v. Marathon. Represented Detroit residents harmed by refinery emissions (E.D.M.I. 2016; 6th Cir. 2017).
• Court-appointed Settlement Class Counsel in Halley v. Honeywell & PPG, represent New Jersey property owners impacted by hexavalent chromium disposal ($15mm settlement, D.N.J. 2017).
• Plaintiffs’​ class counsel in Roeder v. Atlantic Richfield. $20mm settlement + water extension to desert community for mining waste in drinking water wells (D.NV 2014).
• Court-appointed Plaintiffs’​ Co-Lead Class Counsel in In Re Behr Dayton Thermal Litigation, $9mm settlement concerning contaminated groundwater and TCE vapor intrusion at 500+ properties in Ohio (W.D.OH 2011; 6^th Cir. 2018).
• Represented drinking water providers in connection with MTBE contamination of water wells ($423,000,000 settlement, S.D.N.Y. 2008).
• Appointed Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of New Mexico (2006).
• Trial team in Interfaith Community Org. v. Honeywell. Trial and appellate victories resulted in one of the nation’s largest environmental cleanups of soil, groundwater, and river sediments valued over $400,000,000. (D.N.J. 2004). 

Education

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D.)
SUNY Binghamton (B.A., cum laude and with honors)

Clerkships

U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Enforcement Section (Washington, DC)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New Jersey Superfund Branch (New York, NY)

Bar Admissions

New York
New Jersey
The District of Columbia
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Contact:
SGerman@germanrubenstein.com