Steven A. Luxton
Partner
Representing clients ranging from large corporations to small businesses, Steven A. Luxton litigates product liability, mass and toxic tort, environmental, and commercial matters. Throughout his legal career, Steve has litigated numerous complex matters throughout the United States. He has taken hundreds of fact and expert witness depositions and tried both bench and jury trials in state and federal court.
In his product liability, mass tort, and environmental practice, Steve successfully defends corporations in negligence and other claims involving exposure to solvents, chemicals, mold, asbestos, silica, and numerous other substances, as well in matters alleging design and manufacturing defects. In his commercial litigation practice, he represents companies and individuals in a diverse array of business actions including contractual and warranty disputes, tortious interference with business relationships, and fraud.
Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Environmental Litigation
- Member of a trial team that successfully represented an international oilfield services company in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana involving the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April 2010, including all phases of pretrial and trial practice; obtained a directed verdict after a two-month bench trial.
- Ongoing representation of pharmaceutical companies in nationwide litigation asserting claims based upon allegedly fraudulent promotion of opioids.
- Successfully represented an independent oil and gas operator against claims that hydraulic fracturing caused groundwater contamination. Landowner claimed contamination from deep upward migration of fracturing fluids from target shale, from releases from a drill cuttings pit and an impoundment, and from surficial spills and releases. Case tried over the course of 20 hearing days before Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board in first trial of its kind before EHB.
- Served as lead counsel for Fortune 100 Company in a CERCLA action in federal court in Ohio; negotiated favorable settlement for the defendant.
- Represented various healthcare providers in several multimillion-dollar wrongful death and medical malpractice jury trials in Maryland.
- Represented railroad defendants in numerous negligence actions brought in Maryland, successfully trying several cases to verdict.
- Secured jury verdict on behalf of an individual defendant in a negligence action filed in the District of Columbia Superior Court against multiple defendants.
- Ongoing representation of numerous defendants in defense of thousands of consolidated toxic tort negligence actions currently pending in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
- Represented a Fortune 500 corporate plaintiff in a legal malpractice action filed in federal court in Maryland.
- Involvement in significant aspects of the defense of a large pharmaceutical company in an MDL proceeding pending in federal court in Florida.
- Lead counsel in defense of a product liability action brought in Maryland state court against an international medical device company; negotiated favorable settlement for the defendant.
- Lead trial counsel in investigation and defense of construction manager against job-site personal injury claims on construction projects.
- Serving as lead counsel for a global transportation company in defense of thousands of individual product liability claims in multiple state and federal courts.
Commercial and Business Tort Litigation
- Served as lead counsel and negotiated a favorable settlement for the nation's largest manufacturer of air-cooled heat exchangers in a negligence and breach-of-contract action filed in federal court in Minnesota.
- Served as lead counsel for a Fortune 100 bank in a several hundred million dollar breach-of-contract arbitration against a large private mortgage insurance company.
- Successfully obtained directed verdict as lead counsel in a fraud jury trial in Maryland state court on behalf of a commercial business owner.
- Successfully represented a Fortune 100 company involving allegations of consumer protection violations related to the sale of residential townhomes with toxic mold infestation.
- Served as lead counsel in a breach-of-contract case stemming from a multimillion-dollar business dispute and negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of the defendant.
- Represented a large financial institution in a several hundred million dollar breach-of-contract, bad-faith, and declaratory judgment action brought in North Carolina state court against a mortgage insurer.
- Represented numerous defendants in defense of breach-of-contract claims in various real estate disputes.
- Represented various corporations in business disputes seeking temporary restraining orders and injunctive relief in Maryland state court.
- Dickinson College, 1995, B.A.
- The George Washington University Law School, 2008, LL.M., With High Honors
- University of Baltimore School of Law, 1998, J.D., Magna Cum Laude
- District of Columbia
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- West Virginia
- US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- US District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
- US District Court for the District of Columbia
- US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
- US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
- US District Court for the District of Maryland
- Clerkship to Judge Robert Cadigan of the Circuit Court - Baltimore County, MD
Member, Practice Tier 1, Products Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action – defense: toxic tort, The Legal 500 US (2024)
Former Member, Board of Directors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland (2001-2004)