Blog Post 02.26.24
Steve Knott knows the business in and out. He is extremely knowledgeable. A superb trial lawyer in coverage and construction.
As lead counsel for over forty jury and bench trials, Steven Knott focuses his practice on commercial litigation, insurance recovery, and construction litigation.
With over 30 years of experience, Steven has advised clients in a diverse array of disputes including fraud, breach of contract, construction claims, unfair competition, class action and third party and first party insurance recovery, banking, Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) enforcement actions, groundwater contamination, computer network disputes, insurance program advice, petroleum franchise disputes and asbestos bodily injury defense. Before law school, Steven served as a field artillery cannon battery officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Representative Experience
- Lead counsel for bank in OCC action and insurance counseling.
- Lead counsel in cogeneration contract dispute for national energy company against international oil and gas company.
- Lead counsel in appellate court win on conflict of laws and estoppel issues in Textron, Inc. v. Travelers Cas. and Sur. Co., 45 Cal.App.5th 733 (2020).
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- Lead counsel on $280 million construction dispute representing public agency against contractor joint venture involving value engineering claims, change order disputes, force majeure issues, right of way timing and liquidated damages related claims, and changes in conditions. Resolved without submission to DRB.
- Lead counsel for owner in construction dispute and related first-party and third-party insurance claims for $152 million in alleged construction defects and resulting damage for multistory building, related transit property and related retail spaces.
- Lead counsel in construction dispute over $75 million in claims for site access disputes representing public transportation agency due to construction timing windows and related railroad right of way disclosures.
- Lead counsel in construction dispute involving tunneling operations for metropolitan transit agency and damage to third-party property, delayed construction liquidated damages issues, indemnity, builder’s risk claims and liability of designer.
- Lead counsel for national energy company in construction contract dispute with contractor and third-party claims against designer (shoring) for gas-fired power plant.
- Lead counsel for national energy company in construction defect dispute regarding tanks for tank farm.
- Lead counsel for international manufacturer of valve products defending construction and manufacturing defects claims for oil refinery. Obtained a clean defense verdict with no appeal after a five-week federal jury trial where a manufacturer sought $125 million in damages against a national corporate client that supplied component parts to plaintiff.
- Lead counsel on environmental property damage and bodily injury lawsuits for three national manufacturers for national and international liabilities; recovered over $1 billion from liability insurers.
- Lead counsel for national energy company and state public agency in construction and commercial contract lawsuits in state and federal court and in contractual arbitration.
- Led litigation team defending publicly traded energy company and various affiliates and employees in federal and state court cases for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
- Represented Texaco in Petroleum Marketing Practices Act trial win and successful defense of the win after argument before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and thereafter defeated certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.
- Represented Texaco in federal jury trial involving motor fuel service station lease that settled during jury trial.
- State court bench trial win involving unfair business practices and unconscionability contract challenge.
- Lead counsel in arbitration win for downstream arm of oil and gas company on market withdrawal, breach of contract and misrepresentation claims.
- Sunoco v. Lloyds of London, et al. Complex insurance coverage action involving thousands of soil and groundwater claims throughout the United States and interlocutory appeals on groundbreaking procedural rules on complex litigation.
- Conoco v. Allianz, et al. Complex insurance coverage action involving thousands of soil and groundwater claims throughout the United States, creating bellwether case selection and case management orders used in similar litigation by other cases for following decades.
- Crane Co. v. Allstate, et al. Negotiated settlement with multiple primary, umbrella and excess insurers covering multiple years to pay defense costs and remediation costs for substance of concern at aerospace manufacturing plant.
- National counsel for aerospace manufacturer and California counsel for international electronics manufacturer in thousands of asbestos bodily injury claims.
- CERCLA cost recovery action on behalf of commercial landowner against multiple petroleum refiners in federal court resolved in payment of remediation by refiners.
- Military Courts Martial: Jury trials, court trials and administrative hearings before panels of officers in 95 contested cases tried to verdict, judgment or decision administrative panel of officers as a non-lawyer trial counsel.
- Durham v. Lockheed Martin Corporation Federal officer defense of aerospace manufacturer leading to win in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Flores v. Philips Electronics North America (one of over 12 similar actions) Defense of asbestos bodily injury cases for premises and product liability settled during trial in addition to hundreds of similar claims resolved with summary judgment wins.
- California Regional Water Board v. PepsiAmericas, Inc. Successful win in federal court at outset of case on a motion to dismiss with prejudice for procedural errors.
- Six-week federal jury trial involving fraud, contract and warranty claims where plaintiff sought compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $125 million. The trial involved complex expert damages causation analysis resulting in a clean win and bankruptcy of opponent.
- KJLA v. Charter Communications Capitulation by national cable company in state court on eve of trial involving Federal Communications Commission “must carry” rules where cable company had failed to broadcast television station on cable network.
- United Television Broadcasting Systems v. Rancho Palos Verdes Broadcasters Inc. State court jury trial resulting in trial judge granting nonsuit at the end of the trial and ultimate business resolution of dispute.
- Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. v. National Union Insurance Company Federal court lawsuit representing policyholder and settlement obtaining defense and indemnity from clients’ primary insurers to defend class actions pending in multiple states.
- San Diego Padres Insurance recovery counseling.
- Represented a national energy company in litigation arising out of shoring operations that penetrated a cooling water tunnel that flooded the construction site.
- Represented a local power generating station in litigation arising out of the failure of coatings in a maritime environment.
- Represented another power generating station and a state agency in litigation arising out of multiple change order and value engineering disputes.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Insurance Law (2021 – 2024)
- American Jurisprudence Awards in Appellate Advocacy
- Selected to the Super Lawyers List
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- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Member of the Insurance Recovery & Advisory practice, named by Law360 as a Practice Group of the Year in 2010, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2022.
- Board of Governors, Association of Business Trial Lawyers
Education
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J.D., University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
Admissions
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California
Courts
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All District Courts of California
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit