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Stephen M. Fazio
Partner
Stephen Fazio chairs the Litigation Practice Group in Cleveland. He focuses his practice on domestic US litigation as well as international arbitration on behalf of clients in the energy and chemicals industries. In the US, Stephen represents clients in complex commercial, mass tort, and products liability disputes before state and federal courts. Stephen has extensive experience in complex multidistrict and class action litigation.
Stephen’s international commercial arbitration experience includes serving as counsel to energy companies in disputes concerning the price of natural gas in arbitrations under the ICC rules. He also has significant experience in investment treaty arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Prior to practicing law, Stephen worked for several years in the environmental consulting field focusing on environmental claims management. As part of that work, he designed, developed and implemented environmental claims management software that tracked more than US$1 billion in environmental claims.
- Representing a major chemical manufacturer in a 3,500+ plaintiff multidistrict litigation involving claims that drinking water allegedly contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) resulted in serious personal injury. Served in all aspects of the defense including as trial counsel in the first two bellwether trials.
- Representing a major petrochemical company in multidistrict litigation in Texas state court in which 48,000 plaintiffs alleged injuries resulting from refinery flaring activity. Client obtained a jury verdict in its favor following a month-long bellwether trial.
- Representing an Italian-based energy company in three separate ICC arbitrations concerning the pricing of natural gas or LNG resulting arbitral awards and settlements exceeding €950 million.
- Representing a Spain-based energy company in an ICC Arbitration concerning the price paid under a long-term LNG purchase agreement.
- Representing a group of investors in an international arbitration under UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules involving claims arising under the bilateral investment treaty between the Russian Federation and Mongolia.
- Defending a major steel manufacturer in class action litigation involving claims of nuisance and trespass for the facility’s operations.
- Defending a major petrochemical company in class action litigation involving claims of environmental damage and fraud. Client obtained a complete defense verdict after a 17-week jury trial.
- Representing a specialty chemical manufacturer in toxic tort litigation involving allegations of cobalt-induced hard metal lung disease.
Education
- Case Western Reserve University, J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2003
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, B.S., cum laude, 1994
Admissions
- Ohio, 2003
Courts
- U.S. Ct. of App., Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
- Named in The Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants in 2024, as well as for Commercial Litigation in 2023 and 2024