Stephen A. Tuggy has experience in a wide variety of areas, including the defense of consumer class actions in antitrust, insurance, and false advertising cases; environmental litigation and remediation, including toxic torts and groundwater contamination litigation; patent infringement and other intellectual property matters; business torts; employment classification litigation; and other complex commercial matters. Mr. Tuggy’s practice includes all phases of civil litigation before state and federal courts.
Recent engagements include representing a software developer in multiple consumer antitrust class actions; a major insurer in consumer class actions; an automobile manufacturer in a patent infringement litigation; an aerospace manufacturer in a series of toxic tort cases and environmental litigations, including serving as lead counsel for the successful appellants in U.S. v. Andruss (Case No. 08-55996, 9th Cir. 2010), an important Ninth Circuit opinion relating to CERCLA settlements; an energy company in a Proposition 65 matter; Taiwan-based manufacturers in disputes arising from the distribution of their products in the U.S.; and a chemical manufacturer in a series of workplace toxic tort cases.
Mr. Tuggy is the Chairman of the Board of Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles, which sponsors and staffs legal aid clinics in the Los Angeles area. He is also President-Elect of Christian Legal Society, focusing on legal aid initiatives and religious freedom litigation by that organization.
Education
- J.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1985
UCLA Law Review, Order of the Coif - B.A., with high honors, Wheaton College, 1982
Bar Admissions
Representative Experience
- Lead counsel for a major insurer in a number of class action litigations, including a consumer class action relating to the reimbursement of premiums upon cancellation of insurance policies and a policyholder class action arising out of the handling of hail storm claims.
- Lead counsel for employers in cases where independent contractors seek to be reclassified as employees.
- Lead counsel in drafting appellate briefs and conducting oral argument regarding CERCLA issues in successful Ninth Circuit appeal in United States v. Andruss, Case No. 08-55996 (9th Cir. 2010).
- Represented major automobile manufacturer in a patent infringement litigation relating to the operation of the manufacturer’s engines.
- Represented aerospace manufacturer in CERCLA and toxic tort litigations relating to groundwater contamination.
- Represented energy company in Proposition 65 compliance matter.
- Represented major software developer in antitrust and unfair competition (Cal. B&P Code § 17200) class action litigation.
- Represented breast implant manufacturer on pre-emption issues in connection with the breast implant litigations.
- Represented manufacturer of products used in commercial and manufacturing processes in a series of individual product liability and mass tort litigations.
- Represented electronics manufacturer in a R.I.C.O. action against former officers and directors based on alleged unlawful taking of corporate assets and business opportunities.
- Represented the defendant in an antitrust litigation challenging the merger of Pennzoil Company and Quaker State Corporation.
- Represented credit card association in a federal court action brought by a purported class of cardholders who alleged that the association charged an improper fee.
- Represented financial institution in an action brought by nine Japanese banks and a major U.S. bank, arising out of over $500 million in lost guarantees on student loan portfolios.
- Represented one of the principal defendants in a $1 billion companion federal securities class action and a state court derivative action involving Pacific Enterprises' diversification program.
Professional History
- Of Counsel, Locke Lord LLP
- Associate, Shareholder, and Of Counsel, Heller Ehrman LLP (1988 - 2008)
Professional Affiliations & Achievements
- State Bar of California
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Chairman of the Board, Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles
- President-Elect, Christian Legal Society
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