Steve Strauss

Steve specializes in complex business litigation, including intellectual property, real estate, partnership and hospitality disputes. He has obtained trial verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 billion.

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Steve has successfully argued numerous appeals in complex business litigation cases, including intellectual property, real estate, partnership and hospitality disputes. 

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Cooley advised Manchester Financial Group on the closing of a $425 million credit facility for the refinance of its Fairmont Austin Hotel.

Obtained a significant victory for pipeline operator SFPP, which is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, when the 2nd US District Court of Appeal overturned $100 million in damages awarded to Union Pacific Railroad based on an examination of acts of Congress from more than a century earlier. The court held that Union Pacific may not charge SFPP rent for easements underlying rights-of-way acquired by the Congressional Act and that Union Pacific has the burden to prove sufficient title to charge SFPP rent. The court also reversed the award of $20 million in prejudgment interest. On January 21, 2015, the California Supreme Court refused Union Pacific's petition to rehear the ruling.

Cooley obtained a victory for Qualcomm and its executives in a securities class action filed in the Southern District of California. The plaintiffs, relying heavily on “confidential witnesses,” alleged the company misled investors by failing to disclose overheating problems with a high-end chipset and the impending loss of a large customer. Piercing through these allegations, the court granted our motion to dismiss with leave to amend after oral argument. Plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint and we filed and argued another motion to dismiss. The court ultimately granted our second motion to dismiss with prejudice, and the ruling was affirmed on appeal.