Steve Obus has had extensive experience in both the public and private sectors litigating significant cases.
Prior to coming to the firm, Steve was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he served as Chief of the Civil Rights Unit, Chief Appellate Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division. Since joining Proskauer, Steve has tried numerous cases in the federal and state courts, and before arbitrators, including the defense, through a six-week jury trial, of a massive federal securities fraud class action, as well as the prosecution, through a three-week jury trial, of an action for common law fraud and statutory violations. He has handled a wide variety of commercial matters, including the prosecution of significant credit risk and professional liability insurance recovery claims, and the defense of antitrust and securities class actions, derivative claims, false advertising claims and employment-related claims, as well as many other contract, fraud, defamation and unfair competition matters. Steve also has frequently represented health care providers in cases that have presented issues ranging from the validity of exclusive contracts with specialty practice groups to a comatose patient's “right to die.”
In addition to practicing law, Steve has served as an instructor at the U.S. Attorney General's Advocacy Institute and at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (Northeast Region), and has lectured on federal appellate advocacy for the New York State Bar Association.
Education
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Columbia Law School, J.D.
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Rutgers College, B.A.
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District
- U.S. District Court, New York, Southern District
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Memberships
New York City Bar
Awards & Recognition
Institutional Investor, Benchmark Litigation Guide Local Litigation Star - New York 2014-2015
New York Super Lawyers 2006-2012, 2017-2022
Best Lawyers in America 2010-2023
Government Service
- Assistant United States Attorney, Chief, Civil Division, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
- Assistant United States Attorney, Chief Appellate Attorney, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
- Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Chief Appellate Attorney, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
- Assistant United States Attorney, Chief, Civil Rights Unit, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
- Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
Matters
Examples of matters that Steve has handled include:
- Defense through trial of 10(b)(5) class action claims against ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Defense of antitrust class action claims against Biovail Corporation
- Prosecution of credit risk insurance claims on behalf of MBIA Insurance Corporation and Lucent Corporation
- Defense of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in proceedings that established that statements by financial services companies in “U-5” forms are absolutely privileged
- Defense of Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in a constitutional challenge to the overhaul of the Center’s labor system