An experienced trial lawyer who handles both hourly and contingent fee cases, Steve has expertise in class actions, environmental clean-up litigation, antitrust litigation, securities litigation, corporate disputes, intellectual property disputes, unfair competition claims, and disputes involving family wealth. Steve regularly represents individuals and businesses in federal and state court and has obtained class-wide recovery in multiple class actions. A veteran practitioner, Steve’s clients value his creative approach to resolving complex litigation matters.

University of Oregon Law School, J.D., Order of the Coif, graduating first in his class, 1986
Recipient of the American Jurisprudence Awards for Evidence, Contracts, Damages, and Trusts and Estates

University of Minnesota, B.A., 1981

Oregon State Bar, 1986

U.S. District Court, Oregon

U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

Stoll Berne
Shareholder, 1995-present
Associate, 1990-1994

Lindsay Hart Neil & Weigler LLP
Associate, 1986-1990

Oregon State Bar
Board of Governors, 2009-2012; Vice President, 2012
Litigation Section Executive Committee, 2007-2008
Consumer Law Section Executive Committee, 2007-2008
Business Litigation Section Executive Committee, 2000-2004; Chairman, 2004
Securities Regulation Section Executive Committee, 1999-2003; Chairman, 2003
Uniform Trial Court Rules Committee, 1998-2000
Oregon Practice and Procedure Committee, 1996-1998

Multnomah Bar Association
Board of Directors, 2016-2018
Judicial Screening Committee, 2015-2016
CLE Committee, 2007-2008
Committee on Judiciary, 2002

American Bar Association
Litigation Section
Class Actions and Derivative Suits Committee
Antitrust Section

Oregon Trial Lawyers Association
Board of Governors, 1994-1998
Consumer Protection Section Co-Chair, 2001-2006
Business Litigation Section Chair, 1999

National Consumer Law Center
Partners Council, 2008-present

Bud Clark Commons
Volunteer, 2011-present

Oregon Law Foundation
Board Member, 2006-2008

Senior Law Project
Volunteer, 1986-2008

Campaign for Equal Justice
Advisory Board, 2000-present

Practice Areas

Antitrust Litigation

We represent United States and international companies and consumers in all aspects of antitrust litigation, including, price-fixing, customer allocation, market division, price discrimination, and unfair or deceptive trade practices.

Business Litigation

From everyday contract disputes to bet-the-company litigation, our litigation team works to understand each party's priorities and to create a solution that best serves you.

Class Actions

As Oregon's leading plaintiffs'-side class actions firm, we help our clients to level the playing field and find justice. We have earned our reputation and work hard for our clients.

Employment

From wage and hour class actions to advising employers and employees on noncompetition and severance issues, our lawyers handle many aspects of employment law.

Environmental

We have experience litigating environmental issues including mass environmental torts, consumer products contamination, and state and federal natural resource damage recovery.

Intellectual Property Litigation

We represent parties in patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, medical research practice, and related intellectual property matters.

Lawyer, Accountant & Professional Malpractice

We represent clients in disputes with attorneys, accountants, auditors, insurance brokers, stock brokers, real estate professionals, and many other professionals.

Securities Litigation

Stoll Berne is Oregon's premier securities litigation firm. We have represented as many or more investors in securities and financial advisor fraud cases than any other firm in Oregon and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.

Trust & Estate Litigation

We represent clients involved in trust and estate litigation in a wide range of disputes including self-dealing and mismanagement of assets, business dealings and investment strategies, undue influence and lack of capacity, and accountings.

Representative Cases

Sony Antitrust Class Action

Steve Larson filed a federal class action against Sony Corporation, Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics, Inc., Toshiba Corporation and others on behalf of Oregon consumers who purchased optical disk drive products (such as CD, DVD or Blu-ray players, or computers containing such devices).

Auto Parts Antitrust Litigation

Steve Larson represented Oregon purchasers of automobiles in over 38 putative class actions that alleged the manufacturers of a wide variety of automotive parts fixed prices for those parts. Many of the claims have been settled, and the settlement proceeds for all of the nationwide class actions currently exceed $250 million.

Consumer Class Action Before the U.S. Supreme Court

Steve Larson appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in two cases brought by consumers alleging that their insurers had not provided them with notice that the insurers were charging them higher premiums because of their credit scores, notice that is required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

FedEx Ground Class Action

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson represented Oregon drivers for FedEx Ground in a class action alleging that FedEx Ground misclassified the drivers as independent contractors, but treated them like employees. After the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the Oregon drivers, the case settled.

Smurfit Newsprint Class Action

Steve Larson represented former employees of Smurfit Newsprint who filed a class action against their former employer to recover statutory penalties for the alleged late payment of wages after the plant was sold.

Jewelry Conversion Claim

Steve Larson represented a Portland, Oregon luxury jewelry store in a lawsuit filed by a customer who alleged that her very expensive emerald ring had not been returned by the jewelry store.

Executive Compensation Disputes

The firm represented the Chief Operating Officer for a major food products company, who was terminated without being paid a large severance payment that was owed.

Traeger Grills East vs. Traeger Pellet Grills

Steve Larson obtained a jury verdict in favor of their client, a distributor of Traeger Pellet Grills, for breach of a distributorship agreement.

Christopher Place Senior Communities vs. Frontier Management

Steve Larson represented the owner of an Alzheimer's Senior Residential Care Facility in a breach of contract action against the company that managed the facility.

Oregon Eye Specialists vs. West Coast Bank

Steve Larson represented a group of ophthalmologists seeking to recover monies that had been embezzled by their in-house accountant when he set up online banking on their checking account without approval by the signers on the account.

Columbia Cascade Company vs. Dale R. Gordon

Steve Larson represented an Oregon corporation that filed suit against its National Sales Manager alleging that the Sales Manager had engaged in an alleged kick-back scheme, in violation of his fiduciary duties. Following trial, the jury awarded the firm’s client its claimed damages.

Call Center Misrepresentation

An Oregon call center retained Stoll Berne to defend against investor claims that the Oregon corporation had misrepresented facts about the future operations of the call center.

Security Source, Inc. vs. Hollywood Entertainment Corporation

In a multi-million-dollar breach of contract arbitration, Steve Larson defended Hollywood Entertainment against allegations that it had breached a contract with the claimant to purchase security devices.

Edge Wireless, LLC vs. U.S. Cellular Corporation

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson defended an Oregon wireless company in a trademark infringement action brought by a national competitor.

Soloflex, Inc. vs. Bowflex, Inc.

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson represented an Oregon home exercise machine manufacturer in alleging that a competitor was making false advertising claims.

Injunction Against Former Employees

Steve Larson obtained an injunction prohibiting former employees from starting a competing business using a client list and other proprietary information that were improperly taken from the client, a medical device manufacturer.

Soloflex, Inc. vs. Nordictrack, Inc.

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson successfully represented the plaintiff, an Oregon home exercise machine manufacturer, in a lawsuit alleging that a competitor was infringing on its trade dress.

Executive Compensation Disputes

The firm represented the Chief Operating Officer for a major food products company, who was terminated without being paid a large severance payment that was owed.

Ponzi Scheme Securities Class Action

Stoll Berne attorneys Tim DeJong, Steve Larson, and Elizabeth Bailey are co-lead counsel for the investors in a massive, $1 billion securities class action against the perpetrators of an alleged Ponzi scheme and those who aided and abetted it.

Melridge Securities Litigation

Robert Stoll, Gary Berne, and Steve Larson obtained an $88 million jury verdict, on behalf of investors in a class action for violations of the federal securities laws.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. Securities Class Action

In a securities class action against Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Steve Larson helped to obtain a $65 million settlement as one of the lead attorneys for the shareholders.

Sony Antitrust Class Action

Steve Larson filed a federal class action against Sony Corporation, Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics, Inc., Toshiba Corporation and others on behalf of Oregon consumers who purchased optical disk drive products (such as CD, DVD or Blu-ray players, or computers containing such devices).

Auto Parts Antitrust Litigation

Steve Larson represented Oregon purchasers of automobiles in over 38 putative class actions that alleged the manufacturers of a wide variety of automotive parts fixed prices for those parts. Many of the claims have been settled, and the settlement proceeds for all of the nationwide class actions currently exceed $250 million.

Consumer Class Action Before the U.S. Supreme Court

Steve Larson appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court in two cases brought by consumers alleging that their insurers had not provided them with notice that the insurers were charging them higher premiums because of their credit scores, notice that is required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

FedEx Ground Class Action

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson represented Oregon drivers for FedEx Ground in a class action alleging that FedEx Ground misclassified the drivers as independent contractors, but treated them like employees. After the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the Oregon drivers, the case settled.

Stahlbush Farms Class Action

Steve Larson represented agricultural employees in an employment class action against Stahlbush Island Farms for failure to pay overtime wages under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Oregon Wage and Hour Law.

BP Unpaid Dividends Suit Following Deepwater Horizon Disaster

A team of Stoll Berne attorneys represented the named plaintiff in a multidistrict litigation class action against BP p.l.c., seeking to collect on behalf of U.S. investors the dividends that BP declared, but never paid, following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Chehalem Physical Therapy, et al vs. Coventry Health Care, Inc.

In a national class action against Coventry Health Care, Steve Larson and Josh Ross, along with counsel from Oregon and Louisiana, represented health care providers (such as doctors and physical therapists) who provide medical services in the workers' compensation system.

Bottomley Evergreens Class Action

Stoll Berne attorneys Steve Larson and Jen Wagner obtained a settlement from Bottomley Evergreens in a wage and hour class action in Oregon state court on behalf of over 400 seasonal workers that made Christmas wreaths at an Oregon facility.

Rite Aid Class Action

Rite Aid assistant store managers sued the national pharmacy giant in federal court, alleging that they had been improperly misclassified as exempt from overtime when they performed no managerial tasks.

Quantum Residential Class Action

Stoll Berne represented a class of over 2,000 current and former tenants on claims against property manager Quantum Residential for charging illegal nonrefundable bond fees.

Nationwide Automobile Insurance Class Action

Over a span of five years, Steve Larson represented consumers who had purchased automobile insurance from Nationwide and alleged that the insurer had failed to adequately inform policy holders that they had been charged higher premiums because of their credit scores, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Reynolds vs. Hartford Financial Services Group

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson represented consumers that had purchased automobile insurance policies from Hartford in a class action alleging that Hartford failed to inform policyholders that they had been charged higher premiums because of their credit scores, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Smurfit Newsprint Class Action

Steve Larson represented former employees of Smurfit Newsprint who filed a class action against their former employer to recover statutory penalties for the alleged late payment of wages after the plant was sold.

Barlean vs. Black & Co.

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson settled a securities class action on behalf of investors in Hanna Car Wash securities.

FedEx Ground Class Action

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson represented Oregon drivers for FedEx Ground in a class action alleging that FedEx Ground misclassified the drivers as independent contractors, but treated them like employees. After the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the Oregon drivers, the case settled.

Stahlbush Farms Class Action

Steve Larson represented agricultural employees in an employment class action against Stahlbush Island Farms for failure to pay overtime wages under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Oregon Wage and Hour Law.

Executive Compensation Disputes

The firm represented the Chief Operating Officer for a major food products company, who was terminated without being paid a large severance payment that was owed.

Bottomley Evergreens Class Action

Stoll Berne attorneys Steve Larson and Jen Wagner obtained a settlement from Bottomley Evergreens in a wage and hour class action in Oregon state court on behalf of over 400 seasonal workers that made Christmas wreaths at an Oregon facility.

Rite Aid Class Action

Rite Aid assistant store managers sued the national pharmacy giant in federal court, alleging that they had been improperly misclassified as exempt from overtime when they performed no managerial tasks.

Smurfit Newsprint Class Action

Steve Larson represented former employees of Smurfit Newsprint who filed a class action against their former employer to recover statutory penalties for the alleged late payment of wages after the plant was sold.

Injunction Against Former Employees

Steve Larson obtained an injunction prohibiting former employees from starting a competing business using a client list and other proprietary information that were improperly taken from the client, a medical device manufacturer.

Natural Resource Damage and Environmental Contamination

As Special Assistant Attorneys General for the State of Oregon, Stoll Berne, along with co-counsel Keller Rohrback, worked with Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and attorneys from the Oregon Department of Justice on claims against Monsanto seeking recovery for damage caused to Oregon’s wildlife and environment by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Chehalem Physical Therapy, et al vs. Coventry Health Care, Inc.

In a national class action against Coventry Health Care, Steve Larson and Josh Ross, along with counsel from Oregon and Louisiana, represented health care providers (such as doctors and physical therapists) who provide medical services in the workers' compensation system.

Fly Fishing Lures Trademark & Trade Secret Litigation

The firm represented a Filipino manufacturer of fly fishing lures in defending against trademark and trade secret claims.

Edge Wireless, LLC vs. U.S. Cellular Corporation

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson defended an Oregon wireless company in a trademark infringement action brought by a national competitor.

Soloflex, Inc. vs. Bowflex, Inc.

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson represented an Oregon home exercise machine manufacturer in alleging that a competitor was making false advertising claims.

Injunction Against Former Employees

Steve Larson obtained an injunction prohibiting former employees from starting a competing business using a client list and other proprietary information that were improperly taken from the client, a medical device manufacturer.

Soloflex, Inc. vs. Nordictrack, Inc.

Rob Shlachter and Steve Larson successfully represented the plaintiff, an Oregon home exercise machine manufacturer, in a lawsuit alleging that a competitor was infringing on its trade dress.

Melridge Securities Litigation

Robert Stoll, Gary Berne, and Steve Larson obtained an $88 million jury verdict, on behalf of investors in a class action for violations of the federal securities laws.

Barlean vs. Black & Co.

Stoll Berne attorney Steve Larson settled a securities class action on behalf of investors in Hanna Car Wash securities.

Oregon Eye Specialists vs. West Coast Bank

Steve Larson represented a group of ophthalmologists seeking to recover monies that had been embezzled by their in-house accountant when he set up online banking on their checking account without approval by the signers on the account.

Ponzi Scheme Securities Class Action

Stoll Berne attorneys Tim DeJong, Steve Larson, and Elizabeth Bailey are co-lead counsel for the investors in a massive, $1 billion securities class action against the perpetrators of an alleged Ponzi scheme and those who aided and abetted it.

Melridge Securities Litigation

Robert Stoll, Gary Berne, and Steve Larson obtained an $88 million jury verdict, on behalf of investors in a class action for violations of the federal securities laws.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. Securities Class Action

In a securities class action against Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Steve Larson helped to obtain a $65 million settlement as one of the lead attorneys for the shareholders.

BP Unpaid Dividends Suit Following Deepwater Horizon Disaster

A team of Stoll Berne attorneys represented the named plaintiff in a multidistrict litigation class action against BP p.l.c., seeking to collect on behalf of U.S. investors the dividends that BP declared, but never paid, following the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Call Center Misrepresentation

An Oregon call center retained Stoll Berne to defend against investor claims that the Oregon corporation had misrepresented facts about the future operations of the call center.

Articles

February 2015 – “Class Actions Still in Action,” Multnomah Lawyer

Despite recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, class actions are still a viable way to challenge widespread corporate wrongdoing.

Spring 2014 – “Visual Trial Presentations,” Oregon State Bar Litigation Journal

With all the new apps available for the iPad and other tablets, a lawyer and assisting paralegal can do much more visual advocacy on his or her own.

December 19, 2013 – “Trial Presentation Made Easy,” American Bar Association

Jurors, trial judges, and arbitrators have grown to expect that lawyers will use technology in the courtroom to help present the evidence. As a result, lawyers must know how to […]

December 11, 2013: “Downtown Power Outage: Who’s to Blame and Who Should Pay?” Portland Business Journal

Steve Larson talks with Suzanne Stevens of the Portland Business Journal about the recent power outage in downtown Portland.

November 2012 – “Book Review: Show the Story, The Power of Visual Advocacy,” Multnomah Lawyer

Steve Larson begins his review of Show the Story, The Power of Visual Advocacy, “After having read numerous uninspiring text books about trial advocacy while in law school, many lawyers […]

May 2012 – “Standing at a Crossroads,” OSB Bulletin

The Oregon State Bar continues to support the justice system and advocate for adequate court funding. The situation has been bleak with recent cuts in services and potential future cutbacks.

December 2011 – “Leading the Way,” Oregon State Bar

The Oregon State Bar interviewed Steve Larson for an article published in the December 2011 edition of the Oregon State Bar Bulletin encouraging Oregon law firms to deposit their IOLTA funds with banks […]

September 26, 2008 – “Mandatory Arbitration Comes Under Attack,” Portland Business Journal

Arbitration has become the predominant alternative for resolving disputes in recent years but is now coming under attack and being challenged in the courts.

Spring 2008 – “FCRA: Class Actions Net Insurance Policyholders $72 Million,” Oregon State Bar Litigation Journal

In the summer of 2001, consumers discovered they were being charged more for insurance because of their credit scores and did not think that was fair.

Winter 2008 – “Credit Check – Help for Consumers,” Trial Lawyer Magazine

“Credit Check – Help for Consumers,” first appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of Trial Lawyer Magazine, the quarterly journal of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.

June 2007 – “The Legacy of Ratner v. Chemical Bank,” Class Action Reports

“The Legacy of Ratner v. Chemical Bank: Aggregate Statutory Damages in the Class Action Context”.

Fall 2005 – “9th Circuit Establishes Guidelines for Interlocutory Appeals of Class Certification Orders,” Litigation Journal

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(f), which became effective in 1998, allows federal courts of appeal to permit a discretionary interlocutory review of an order of a district court granting […]

June 2005 – “New in the Law: Court Case Updates – Class Actions: Two Important Developments Handed Down,” Sidebar

Two important decisions relating to class actions have recently been handed down by the Federal and Oregon Court of Appeals.

News

Stoll Berne and Keller Rohrback defeat Monsanto’s Motion for Summary Judgment in PCB Contamination Lawsuit

On February 2, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington denied Monsanto’s Motion for Summary Judgment in ongoing PCB litigation. Stoll Berne and co-counsel at Keller Rohrback represent the City of Seattle in this suit and seek to hold Monsanto accountable for the harms that Monsanto’s PCBs have caused to the City’s stormwater and drainage system and the Lower Duwamish Waterway.

Stoll Berne and Eight Lawyers Recognized in 2023 Chambers USA Guide

Stoll Berne, once again, has been recognized by Chambers USA in the 2023 Oregon guide in both Litigation: General Commercial and Real Estate.

Stoll Berne Attorneys Rank in The Best Lawyers in America 2024

Stoll Berne is excited to announce that fifteen of our attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2024® in 18 different categories.

Oregon Super Lawyers 2023 Recognizes Stoll Berne Lawyers

Ten individual Stoll Berne attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine in their 2023 Oregon Super Lawyers edition.

Nearly $700 Million Settlement Reached by State of Oregon in Monsanto PCB Contamination Lawsuit

Stoll Berne, as Special Assistant Attorney General to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and the Oregon Department of Justice, along with its partners at Seattle’s Keller Rohrback, are pleased to announce the settlement of State of Oregon v Monsanto for the amount of $698,000,000 ($698 Million).

Traveling Nurses Face Mandatory Arbitration Clauses in Class Action Lawsuits

Healthcare staffing agencies have been in the news recently for contracting with their travelling nurses at one pay rate but delivering on a much lower one. Traveling nurses often sign at-will employment contracts.

Ten Stoll Berne Attorneys Listed in the 2023 Edition of Benchmark Litigation

Stoll Berne, along with 10 individual attorneys, were recently selected to be included in the 2023 edition of Benchmark Litigation, a definitive source for America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys.

Fifteen Stoll Berne Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2023

Stoll Berne is excited to announce that fifteen of our attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2023©.

Oregon Super Lawyers 2022 Recognizes Stoll Berne Lawyers

Thirteen individual Stoll Berne attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine in their 2022 Oregon Super Lawyers edition.

Stoll Berne and Eight Lawyers Recognized in 2022 Chambers USA Guide

Stoll Berne, once again, has been recognized by Chambers USA in the 2022 Oregon guide in both Litigation: General Commercial and Real Estate.

See All News
Awards

American Board of Trial Advocates
Inductee, 2016

Benchmark Litigation
2012-2024

Chambers USA
2009-2023

Martindale-Hubbell
AV* Rated

Oregon Super Lawyers
2006-2023

The Best Lawyers in America®
2010-2024
Lawyer of the Year, Portland: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs, 2024 & 2021
Lawyer of the Year, Portland: Litigation – Securities, 2020

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