Profile
Steven J. Rosenwasser represents both plaintiffs and defendants in claims involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, regulatory and consumer protection violations, and other matters. Steven has wide-ranging experience in both individual and class claims, having prosecuted and defeated numerous nationwide class actions. Over the course of his career, Steven has obtained verdicts and settlements in excess of $600 million, including obtaining a jury verdict of $281 million in a breach of contract action and securing settlements of $192.5 million, $112 million, and $34 million. Steven has been equally effective on the defense side, defeating numerous nationwide class actions and individual claims where the plaintiff was seeking millions of dollars in damages. As just some examples, Steven obtained the dismissal of a nationwide class action alleging that a publicly-traded payments company overcharged merchants and obtained the dismissal of a nationwide class action alleging that a payments company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Over the last several years, Steven had gained deep knowledge in the payments / fintech industry, having litigated many cases for clients in that growing industry. Steven has represented payments/fintech companies against class actions and breach of contract actions, and has also represented them against former employees who have breached non-solicitation and confidentiality covenants, including recently obtaining a preliminary injunction that was affirmed by the Third Circuit.
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented client in obtaining a $281 million jury verdict in a breach of contract lawsuit involving the sale of sports teams and arena operating rights. The jury verdict is one of the largest compensatory damage awards in Georgia history.°
- Served as plaintiffs’ Class Counsel in a class action antitrust case filed against a manufacturer of home improvement products and the four largest manufacturers of insulation. The case settled for $112.25 million, one of the highest antitrust settlements to date in the state of Georgia. This settlement was named the #1 class action settlement in Georgia in 2012 by the Fulton County Daily Report.°
- Represented a publicly-traded payments company in bringing breach of fiduciary duty and contract claims against its former founder and Chief Executive Officer.°
- Served as plaintiffs’ counsel in a class action breach of contract/RICO case against one of the nation’s largest shipping companies. The lawsuit alleged that the company intentionally overcharged its customers by imposing residential delivery charges for deliveries to non-residential addresses such as courthouses, government buildings and banks. The case was settled for $21.5 million.°
- Served as a member of plaintiffs’ Class Counsel in a class action race discrimination lawsuit that was settled for $192.5 million, the largest settlement of a private race discrimination lawsuit in the U.S. to date.°
- Represented a publicly-traded payments company against numerous former employees who violated their non-solicitation and confidentiality covenants. Obtained a preliminary injunction, that was recently affirmed by the Third Circuit.°
- Represented a technology company and 40 of its largest shareholders in a lawsuit alleging that eight Wall Street firms, engaged in naked short selling and illegal conversion and flex option trades that artificially depressed the company's stock price. The case was resolved through a confidential settlement.°
- Obtained class certification on behalf of approximately 1,000 property owners who alleged that a rendering company negligently operated its rendering plant in Laurens County, Georgia. Defended the certification decision before the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.°
- Represented a local bank in nearly all aspects of litigation, including breach of contract, loan defaults and banking regulation issues.°
- Defended a publicly-traded payments company against a nationwide putative class action for alleged overcharges. Won a motion to dismiss, ending the litigation.°
- Defended a publicly-traded payments company against a nationwide putative class action for alleged FCRA violations. After winning a motion to dismiss, the litigation ended.°
- Defended a publicly-traded payments company against claims for advancement brought by its former founder and CEO. Obtained a ruling denying advancement on a key claim.°
- Defended one of Atlanta’s largest law firms against claims of malpractice; argued to have the case dismissed shortly after it was filed and defended the trial court’s Order against challenges made in both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.°
- Defended a Fortune 1000 company against claims for breach of contract and fraud where the plaintiffs were seeking damages in the tens of millions of dollars.°
- Defended one of the creators of a multimillion-dollar private technology fund against claims of fraud and negligent misrepresentation.°
- Defended a subsidiary of a payments company against claims of alleged tortious interference.°
- Defended an automobile dealership against claims brought by an international automobile manufacturer.°
- In a pro bono case, obtained the reversal of a lower court decision on behalf of a prisoner in an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals to the Eleventh Circuit. The ruling clarified the requirements for exhaustion of administration remedies, and has been followed by other circuit courts.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Rosenwasser prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
- Law Clerk, Hon. Chief Judge Geral Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 1996
Recognition & Leadership
- Team Member, The American Lawyer’s “Regional Litigation Department of the Year - Georgia,” 2021
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Georgia Super Lawyers, 2017-2022
- Georgia Rising Star, 2007, 2009, and 2011-2013
- Listed, Fulton County Daily Report, “On The Rise,” 2008
- Member, American Inns of Court (Lamar Inn)
- Member, Atlanta Bar Association, 1999-Present
- Member, Northern District Civil Litigation Fund, 1999-Present
Credentials
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J.D., magna cum laude, Duke University School of Law
- Order of the Coif
- B.S., summa cum laude, University of Florida
- Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1998-1999
- Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States