Curriculum Vitae : Steven R. Weinmann

Steven is Of Counsel to the Arns Law Firm, specializing in the litigation and management of consumer class action cases.  He is involved in The Arns Law Firms’ pending certified class action cases involving wage and hour laws and claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, as well as other complex litigation cases.

Steven’s extensive experience in class action and complex litigation includes cases having issues as to product defects, mortgage loan disclosures and fees, and false advertising and unfair competition.  He has worked in the fields of antitrust law, securities litigation, construction defect and real estate nondisclosure litigation, and on breach of contract and fraud actions. He has argued successfully in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and in Superior Court, Appellate Division cases.  He also was involved in environmental litigation, and was part of the team of lawyers working for the plaintiffs on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill litigation.  He also represented companies in the litigation of environmental contamination actions in state and federal courts for small corporations and Fortune 500 companies, including government and private cost recovery actions under CERCLA, and counseling as to environmental issues. 

Steven is admitted in and practiced in the States of New York and New Jersey, before making California his home in 1998.  He became associated with the Arns Law firm in 2008.

 

EDUCATION

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, Hempstead, NY
                        Juris Doctorate conferred with distinction, June 1, 1989
                        Class Rank:  9th of 295
                        Honors:  Associate Editor, Law Review

RUTGERS COLLEGE, New Brunswick, NJ
                        B.A. in English, May 1986
                        B.A. in Political Science, May 1986
                        Honors:  Dean’s List five semesters

EXPERIENCE

Current            The Arns Law Firm
                        San Francisco, California

                        Of Counsel

Litigation and management of all aspects of consumer class actions, including cases involving labor law, insurance and securities and investment fraud issues.  Engaged in appellate litigation of cases on issues of insurance law, and research and briefing of federal jurisdictional issues under the Class Action Fairness Act.                                                                      

2004-2008       BERDING & WEIL, LLP
                        Alamo, California

                        Of Counsel

Responsible for management and litigation of consumer class action cases, construction defect and real estate nondisclosure, breach of contract, and fraud actions.  Cases included issues as to product defects, mold and waterproofing, mortgage loan disclosures and fees, and false advertising and unfair competition.  In charge of appellate litigation in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and in Superior Court, Appellate Division cases.  Reported decision favorable to client and calling for class certification in case under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act and Unfair Competition Law, McAdams v. Monier, Inc., 151 Cal.App.2d 667 (May 30, 2007)(since depublished, pending review by the California Supreme Court); unpublished appellate decision involving bankruptcy issues favorable to client in case briefed and argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Maxitile, Inc. v. Jiming Sun (In Re Maxitile, Inc.), No. 05-56273 (June 2007).
                       
                                   

2002-2003       GOLD BENNETT CERA & SIDENER LLP
                        San Francisco, California
 
                        Of Counsel

Engaged in litigation of class action cases under the federal securities laws at both trial and appellate levels.  Responsible for discovery, investigation of claims, and briefing of class certification issues and oppositions to motions for summary judgment.  Also engaged in litigation of consumer class actions and representative actions under state unfair competition laws, and general commercial litigation including a multimillion-dollar contract dispute involving the collection of accounts receivable.   Substantial responsibility for litigation of a wrongful termination action involving issues of federal and international tax evasion by a corporation, and the attorney-client privilege and attorney work product protection as applied to in-house tax counsel.

 

2000-2001      THE FURTH FIRM, LLP
                        San Francisco, California

                        Of Counsel

Primary responsibility for litigation of antitrust class action and consumer class action cases under federal and state law in numerous jurisdictions.  Successfully opposed motions for summary judgment, and prepared for and acted as second chair in trial of multimillion -dollar private Sherman Act suit for monopolization in the natural gas processing industry. Engaged in coordination of complex, multi-party actions involving claims under California’s antitrust and unfair competition laws.  Researched and briefed issues of antitrust injury and standing under federal and state antitrust laws.      
                     

1998-1999       SEDGWICK, DETERT, MORAN & ARNOLD
                        San Francisco, California

Associate, Environmental and Business Litigation Groups.  Engaged in litigation of suits arising under state and federal environmental laws, and counseling clients regarding risk management, prevention and remediation to promote conformance with those laws as well as avoidance of litigation.  Research into causes of action under Federal and California law for environmental contamination and successor liability.  Primary responsibility for management and litigation of cases involving real estate disputes, lender liability issues, and deficiency actions.  Arbitration and litigation of fidelity bond actions. 

1995-1998      DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH, LLP
                       Princeton, New Jersey

Associate, Environmental and Litigation Departments.  Engaged in litigation of environmental contamination actions in state and federal courts for small corporations and Fortune 500 companies, including government and private cost recovery actions under CERCLA, and counseling as to environmental issues.  Primary responsibility for the management and litigation of general commercial cases.  Principal associate in litigation involving multimillion-dollar claims for property damage and lost profits arising out of the catastrophic March 1994 rupture and explosion of a natural gas pipeline in Edison, New Jersey.  Second chair participation in trials and arbitration cases.

 

1993-1995      COHEN, SHAPIRO, POLISHER, SHIEKMAN, and COHEN
                       Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Associate, Litigation and Environmental Departments.  Responsible for all aspects of litigation in general commercial practice, with substantial emphasis on environmental litigation.  Involved in litigation of contract disputes, contested foreclosures, and environmental litigation and compliance issues under federal and state law.  Experience with bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, real estate foreclosure and deficiency actions.  Engaged in litigation and arbitration of accountants’ liability actions, and lender liability actions for both lenders and borrowers.  Full responsibility for substantial corporate collection actions, defense of tort actions involving wrongful death, negligence and landlord liability.  Firm dissolved in 1995.

 

1993-1995      MILBERG, WEISS, BERSHAD, SPECTHRIE, & LERACH
                       New York City, New York

Associate, Litigation Department.  Engaged in litigation of class action suits for claims under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, common law fraud and negligent misrepresentations; stockholders’ derivative actions for breach of fiduciary duty and waste under state corporate law.  Researched and briefed issues concerning the recovery of punitive damages, injunctive relief, and the certification of classes in mass tort cases for class certification motion in the In re the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska, in which four classes were certified.

 

ADMISSIONS

·          California, New Jersey, New York
·          United States Supreme Court
·          United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Judicial Circuit
·          United States District Courts, Northern District of California, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, District of New Jersey

PUBLICATIONS

Co-author of copyrighted monograph entitled Disclosure of Environmental Contingent Liabilities of Public Corporations, May 1996.