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Stephen J. O'Neil
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Stephen J. O'Neil is a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office, where he specializes in environmental law and complex environmental litigation.
Areas of Practice
Mr. O'Neil has extensive experience in environmental counseling and in environmental and toxic tort litigation. He has advised major oil companies in environmental regulatory matters, and he regularly counsels clients on the environmental implications of the purchase or sale of real property. He has tried or arbitrated numerous environmental cases, and he has extensive experience in managing large, complex environmental cases and conducting depositions and discovery. He has conducted settlements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and has been engaged in complex Superfund litigation and private cost recovery actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA") and various state and environmental laws. He has also appeared before numerous state and local environmental agencies.
Education
- J.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 1986
- B.A., University of Notre Dame, 1983, magna cum laude
Admissions
- California
- Federal District Courts for the Central and Eastern Districts of California
- Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit
Representative Litigation Experience
Exxon - Texaco Property Exchange
Mr. O'Neil advised Exxon Corporation regarding the environmental implications of a major property exchange between Exxon and Texaco Refinery and Marketing.
MS Partners - Morgan Stanley
Mr. O'Neil advised a real estate partnership regarding the environmental risks associated with purchasing a portfolio of real estate assets owned by Union Bank.
Roscoe Moss Company - San Jose Water Merger
Mr. O'Neil advised a corporation on the environmental implications of its merger with San Jose Water.
Carrier Corporation v. Detrex Corporation (Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. C703625).
Mr. O'Neil represents the defendant in a $50 million lawsuit brought by a subsidiary of the United Technologies Corporation. Plaintiff alleges that Detrex negligently designed and installed a large industrial degreaser, and that the defendant's negligence resulted in the contamination of a groundwater aquifer in the San Gabriel Valley. Mr. O'Neil tried the case over three months in 1994 and 1996 and won a defense judgment for Detrex.
Southern California Gas Company v. Texaco Exploration and Production, Inc., et al. (Ventura County Superior Court No. Civ. 142695).
Mr. O'Neil represented Exxon Corporation in a $20 million lawsuit brought by the Southern California Gas Company relating to the use of a natural gas sweetening product sold by Exxon and other defendants. Mr. O'Neil assisted in the negotiation of a de minimus settlement on behalf of Exxon, while the other defendants paid in excess of $9 million to settle the case.
Coca Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles v. Shell Oil Company, Inc., et al. (United States District Court, Central District of California, Case No. 91-5436 WMB (JRx)
Mr. O'Neil represented the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles in a private cost recovery action under CERCLA, the Federal Superfund law. Mr. O'Neil negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of the Coca Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles.
Nader Mirzai v. West Village Plaza Partners, et al. (Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Case No. 197953).
Mr. O'Neil defended Atlantic Richfield Company in an action brought by a landowner for damages resulting from the alleged contamination of his property by a former Atlantic Richfield Company property. Mr. O'Neil mediated the case to a successful conclusion for Atlantic Richfield.
BKK Corporation
Mr. O'Neil advised a landfill operator of the environmental consequences under federal law associated with its sale of landfill space in Southern California.