Biography
Steve is an experienced labor and employment litigator with a national practice.
He represents domestic and international employers in a broad range of disputes, particularly discrimination and wage and hour cases. His clients operate in a wide variety of industries, including health care, accounting, transportation, media, energy, technology, hospitality, manufacturing, retail and financial services. Steve has defended employers against:
- California class actions and representative actions under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) involving theories related to overtime, minimum wage, meal periods, rest periods, wage statements, final pay, reimbursement and recovery periods
- Nationwide class actions involving allegations of systemic discrimination and other civil rights violations
- Nationwide class actions filed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Nationwide collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and related state wage and hour laws
- Pattern-or-practice cases filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Large-scale, systemic EEOC investigations in response to Commissioner's Charges and other class-based charges of discrimination
In addition to being a class action defense attorney, Steve is an accomplished trial attorney, having successfully won a variety of high-profile jury trials, including race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, disability, age, retaliation and other employment-based cases. He is also adept in handling emergency evidentiary hearings to secure early injunctive relief against departing executives and other workers for trade secret theft and other unfair competition against their former employers.
Steve often provides advice and counsel with respect to strategic planning and human resources issues, including executive terminations, wage and hour compliance and the development of personnel policies, employment contracts and noncompete agreements.
Due to his class action and collective action experience with statistical analyses, he assists companies with pay equity audits and related analyses of other employment practices. He also utilizes data analysis to evaluate a company’s risks with wage and hour compliance including overtime, minimum wage, meal break, rest period and other related pay practices.
Before Fox Rothschild
Prior to joining Fox Rothschild, Steve was a partner and co-chair of the class action litigation practice group at a national labor and employment law firm.
Representative Matters
Representing an international aviation manufacturer against a collective action alleging age discrimination in a reduction in force.
Representing a trucking company in a nationwide EEOC pattern and practice civil action alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Represented a tax, audit, and advisory firm in a nationwide class and collective action filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Pay Act, and New York law alleging systemic discriminatory pay and promotion practices.
Represented a health care company in a representative action filed under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) regarding allegations of missed meal and rest periods.
Represented a transportation-based company in a 26-plaintiff national origin discrimination trial including subsequent appeal.
Represented a health care company in a nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act collective action involving over 1000 opt-in plaintiffs, who allege they were misclassified as exempt employees and were owed overtime.
Represented a large chain of convenience stores in a multistate hybrid collective and class action under the Fair Labor Standards Act and related state claims regarding allegations of overtime and other wage and hour violations.
Represented one of the nation’s largest financial institutions in a class investigation being conducted by the Denver Field Office of the EEOC regarding allegations of age discrimination resulting from a merger and related reductions in force.
Represented a large restaurant chain in a nationwide pattern and practice civil action filed by the EEOC involving allegations of systemic discrimination against female employees regarding promotion and pay practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Represented a large hospital system against a class action filed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and approximately 4,000 putative plaintiff nurses alleging retaliation and constitutional claims related to a union organizing drive.
Represented an international airport in a class action involving allegations of racial discrimination against African-American and Hispanic employees with respect to the airport’s zero tolerance policy regarding drug and alcohol use.
Bar Admissions
- California
- Colorado
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Education
- University of Denver College of Law (J.D., 1993)
- American Jurisprudence Award (Corporations)
- Old Dominion University (B.A., 1989)
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law, Co-Editor (2006-2013)
- Government Fellowship Task Force, Co-Chair (2013-2015)
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, Co-Chair (2003-2006)
- Colorado Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
- Denver Bar Association
- The Bar Association of San Francisco, Labor and Employment Law Section
- State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in the Chambers USA Guide for Labor & Employment in Colorado (2010-2025)
- Selected to the "Best Lawyers in America" list for Employment Law - Management (2014-2026) and Labor & Employment Litigation (2019-2024, 2026) in Denver, CO by Best Lawyers
- Colorado Super Lawyers list, Employment Litigation (2006-2009, 2011-2021, 2026)
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation (2008-present)
- Fellow, College of Labor & Employment Lawyers (2015-present)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
