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Stephen A. Weisbrod 

Steve Weisbrod handles complex litigation throughout the United States. Known for his ability to explain complicated issues clearly, simply, and persuasively, he has tried cases in eight states and the District of Columbia. He has won or successfully settled cases against insurance companies, product makers, service providers, fund managers, and other parties in cases involving fraud, negligence, breach of contract, and other wrongdoing. Steve’s clients include major public companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, banks, food and consumer product companies, property owners, post-bankruptcy trusts, government entities, and many individuals. Over the course of his three-decade career, Steve has helped clients win recoveries totaling over $1 billion.

​In insurance cases, Steve represents policyholders exclusively. He never represents insurers.

Steve handles claims for many types of damage and loss.

• Steve has represented major private equity firms, portfolio companies, banks, fund managers, and affiliated individuals seeking insurance coverage for claims alleging fraud, breaches of duty, negligence, and antitrust violations, and has helped those clients recover hundreds of millions of dollars from insurers.
• Steve has represented numerous clients in negotiations and lawsuits against domestic and foreign suppliers of defective products. In one product recall matter involving a salmonella-contaminated ingredient used by over a hundred food producers and restaurant chains, Steve represented one of the world’s largest food companies and negotiated a global settlement, without ever filing a lawsuit.
• Steve won a rare jury trial in a life insurance class action and obtained a settlement for $27 million after the life insurer improperly imposed new premiums and charges to shock elderly policyholders into giving up their insurance policies.
• Steve has helped clients resolve insurance and indemnification issues arising out of building collapses and other disasters.
• Steve currently represents corporate and individual plaintiffs (including multiple sexual harassment victims) in RICO cases arising out of a judgment evasion scheme perpetrated by a conglomerate of Chinese companies and their American affiliates.

Steve has tried more than 30 cases. His clients at trial have included: a defendant accused of shooting a rival gang member and attempting to kill a police officer (the defendant was acquitted); a class of life insurance policyholders accusing a life insurer of breaching thousands of policies (the jury ruled in favor of the policyholders and awarded damages at in exact dollar amount requested); a tire company seeking payments from Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, which had accused Steve’s client of submitting a fraudulent insurance claim (minutes before Steve was scheduled to cross-examine the insurer’s claims handler, the insurer agreed to pay over 90% of the claim and formally retracted all fraud accusations against Steve’s client); a trustee seeking to rescind a secondary market life insurance transaction (the transaction was rescinded); an asset manager accusing a major securities firm of breaching federal securities laws (after Steve cross-examined the defendant’s main expert, the case settled for tens of millions of dollars).

Steve’s pro bono work has included:
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• Representing a bipartisan coalition of Members of Congress and congressional candidates—led by Representative Ted Lieu (Democrat from California), Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat from Oregon), and Representative Walter Jones (Republican from North Carolina)—in litigation against the Federal Election Commission seeking to constrain “super PAC” election spending.
• Representing an Assistant United States Attorney seeking health insurance for her same-sex spouse under the Department of Justice health benefits program.
• Representing a mother of four who lived her entire adult life in the United States in connection with efforts to obtain her release from an ICE detention center. 
• Various criminal matters.

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Steve clerked for Judge James B. Moran of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Justice Alan B. Handler of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

​Seattle: (206) 990-0380
​Washington, D.C: ​(202) 499-7909
[email protected] 
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Education
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• J.D., Harvard Law School (1991)
  
  
• B.A., University of Michigan (1987)

Professional Activities

• Adjunct Faculty, Seattle University School of Law

 

• Washington State Bar Association Judicial Recommendation Committee

 

• New York City Bar Association Insurance Law Committee
  

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• Faculty, National Institute of Trial Advocacy at Georgetown University Law Center

 

• Arbitrator, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly NASD)

Bar Memberships

• California
  
  
• District of Columbia
  
  
• Florida
  
  
• Illinois
  
  
• New York
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• Washington

Selected Publications/ Presentations

• Representing Asylum Seekers in Immigration Detention – A Guide for New Practitioners and Pro Bono Volunteers, Washington State Bar Association, November 2024

 

• Supply Chain Issues and Disputes, Washington State Bar Association, June 2024

 

• Resolving Supply Chain Disputes in and Out of Court, Lawline, December 2023

 

• Update on U.S. Securities Litigation and Coverage Considerations New York City Bar Association, October 15, 2021

 

• D&O and E&O Insurance Update, Florida Bar Federal Securities Institute, Coral Gables, Florida, February 13, 2020

 

• The Effect of Natural Disasters on Supply Chains, Perrin Natural Disaster Conference, Miami, Florida, April 3, 2019

 

• Best Frenemies Forever: Rocky Relationships between Grocery Stores and Grocery Manufacturers GMA Legal Conference, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, March 5, 2019

 

• Protecting the Firm and Its People: Addressing Insurance and Indemnification Challenges for Hedge Funds ALM and Corporate Counsel Hedge Fund General Counsel and Compliance Officer Summit, New York, New York, September 26th, 2018

 

• How to Mitigate Loss when Disaster Strikes Your Supply Chain GMA Legal Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 28, 2018

 

• Ethical Considerations Facing In-House and Outside Counsel During a Product Recall Crisis FMI Legal Conference, Washington, D.C., June 26, 2018

 

• Mass Claims and Certification of ‘Particular Issues’ under Rule 23(c)(4) National Consumer Law Center Consumer Rights Litigation Conference, Washington, D.C., November 17, 2017

 

• Turning the Legal Department into a Profit Center ALM Super Conference, New York, New York June 21, 2017

 

• Regulation of the National Flood Insurance Program
  New York City Bar Association, April 21, 2017

 

• Current Issues in D&O Liability and Insurance: Special Considerations in D&O Claims Handling New York City Bar Association, May 11, 2016

 

• Class Actions and Mass Actions Involving Health, Disability and Long-Term Care Insurance New York City Bar Association, January 9, 2015

 

• Ethical Issues Confronting Insurers, Policyholders and Counsel in Complex Financial and Securities Litigation New York City Bar Association, January 24, 2014

 

• Early Case Evaluation for Corporate Plaintiffs, ACI National Forum on Controlling Litigation Costs, October 23, 2013

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• Joint Defenses, Common Interests, and Adverse Interests among Insurers, Policyholders, and Claimants New York City Bar Association, February 16, 2012