Corey Stern | |
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| Occupation | Lawyer |
Corey Stern is an American lawyer, known for representing children and their families in lead-poisoning and sex abuse lawsuits. [1] [2]
Corey Stern | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Corey Stern is an American lawyer, known for representing children and their families in lead-poisoning and sex abuse lawsuits. [1] [2]
Working as a partner at Levy Konigsberg LLP, [3] Stern filed cases against the City of Flint, State of Michigan, and several private entities in 2016 during the Flint Water Crisis. [4] [5] [6] Starting with around a hundred cases, [7] after being appointed Lead Counsel in the Genesee County Litigation [8] [9] by Circuit Court Chief Judge Richard Yuille, [10] the number of cases filed quickly grew, [11] with the total children he has represented expanding to in excess of 2500. [12] The lawsuits also named three employees of the local water authority. [13] Stern has represented over one hundred children, individually, against the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) in lead-poisoning cases; the poisonings occurred as a result of lead paint hazards in the buildings maintained by the authority. [14] [15] In 2017, Stern filed a Federal class action lawsuit against NYCHA and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, alleging violations of residents’ constitutional rights. [16]
In 2019, Stern filed a class action suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York representing sexual assault victims of Dr. Reginald Archibald during his employment at The Rockefeller University. The lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Poppel, a former patient, alleges that during his four decades as a pediatric endocrinologist at Rockefeller, Dr. Reginald Archibald had more than 9,000 patients, many of whom were boys who were unable to grow normally. [2] The New York Times spoke with 17 people, most of them men, who said they were abused by Dr. Archibald when they were young boys or adolescents. [17]
He has previously worked with lead-poisoning cases in the State of Georgia. [18] In 2016, Stern secured a $2.5 million judgment from New York City, the property owner, after lead paint caused lead-poisoning in a child resident. [4]
Stern is known for spearheading litigation over the Flint Water Crisis, in which he represented thousands of plaintiffs, including more than 2,500 children, who were exposed to lead, legionella, and other contaminants in the City of Flint's municipal water supply system.
Stern became aware of the case in late 2015 when he received a phone call from a woman in a homeless shelter in Michigan. [19] Though initially hesitant of the claims and not yet licensed to practice law in Michigan, he returned the woman's call after researching the issue and receiving encouragement from his wife and secretary. [19] Being experienced in lead poisoning litigation, he knew even low levels of lead exposure in children could lead to lifelong deficits. [20]
In January 2016, he attended a town hall hosted by Rachel Maddow that drew thousands of Flint residents, prominent community organizers, and local leaders. The town hall was televised nationally and served as motivation for Stern to work the case. [21] He began traveling weekly from New York to Flint to speak with residents and community members and his number of clients grew. [19]
On November 15, 2016, Circuit Court Chief Judge Richard Yuille appointed Stern as Lead Counsel in the Court's first Case Management Order governing the Flint Water Litigation. [22] The Order applied to all plaintiffs maintaining claims in Genesee County Circuit Court for personal injuries and losses resulting from the Flint Water Crisis.
On July 27, 2017, Stern was appointed Liaison Counsel in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan for all individual personal injury and property damage cases arising from the Crisis. The Court renewed the appointment in 2018, 2019, and 2020. [23]
On August 12, 2020, following years of litigation and 18 months of court-supervised negotiations, Stern signed a $600 settlement agreement with the State of Michigan, the largest settlement in state history. [24] As an architect of the settlement, Stern advocated for children by insisting most of the settlement be paid to plaintiffs ages six and younger.
On November 10, 2021, U.S. District Judge Judith Levy issued final approval of the $626 million partial settlement. [25] Per settlement terms, nearly 80% of money paid through a court-monitored victims compensation fund was dedicated to plaintiffs who were younger than 18 at the time of the crisis, with children 6 years old and younger receiving the largest share. The settlement also required $35 million to be set aside for “future minor claimants” who had not yet filed claims. [25] The state of Michigan and other defendants associated with state agencies would be responsible for approximately $600 million, while the remaining portion of the settlement would be paid by the city of Flint and its associated defendants, McLaren Healthcare and Row Professional Services Company. [25]
Stern continues to represent plaintiffs in ongoing litigation against private companies involved in Flint's switch from Lake Huron to the Flint River for its source of drinking water. [26] This includes serving as counsel for children in the first bellwether trials against private engineering firms Veolia North America (VNA) and Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN), which were hired as consultants on Flint's water system. [27]
Stern is serving a leading role in a federal lawsuit filed in October 2021 against the city of Jackson, Mississippi over claims that hundreds of children were exposed to lead after officials disregarded warnings about water safety, corrosion, and unsafe levels of lead in its water supply for more than six years. Stern and his firm represent more than 1000 children in the ongoing Jackson litigation.
In September 2022, Stern provided an update on the litigation, stating that the same mismanaged and underfunded water system which led to the Jackson Water Crisis and subsequent federal emergency declaration also contributed to children being exposed to contaminated water for years on end. [28] He stated that counsel is continuing to research and study the problems in Jackson, and that there is potential for a resolution of the cases in the future.
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action originated in the United States and is still predominantly an American phenomenon, but Canada, as well as several European countries with civil law, have made changes in recent years to allow consumer organizations to bring claims on behalf of consumers.
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties against one or more parties in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used with respect to a civil action brought by a plaintiff who requests a legal remedy or equitable remedy from a court. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint or else risk default judgment. If the plaintiff is successful, judgment is entered in favor of the defendant. A variety of court orders may be issued in connection with or as part of the judgment to enforce a right, award damages or restitution, or impose a temporary or permanent injunction to prevent an act or compel an act. A declaratory judgment may be issued to prevent future legal disputes.
Geoffrey Fieger is an American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan. Fieger is the senior partner at the law firm of Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harrington P.C., and is an occasional legal commentator for NBC and MSNBC. His practice focuses on personal injury, civil rights litigation and medical malpractice cases.
Richard Dale Snyder is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previously served as the chairman of the board of Gateway from 2005 to 2007. He co-founded Ardesta, LLC, a venture capital firm, HealthMedia, Inc., a digital health coaching company, and is currently the co-founder and CEO of SensCy, a cybersecurity company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC is a US plaintiffs' law firm, established in 1965 and based in New York City. It has mounted many class action cases on behalf of investors, and has been recognized as among the leading firms in its field by the National Law Journal, RiskMetrics Group, Securities Class Action Services, and Law360.
William Mark Lanier is an American trial lawyer and founder and CEO of the Lanier Law Firm. He has led a number of high profile product litigation suits resulting in billions of dollars in damages, including Johnson & Johnson baby powder and Merck & Co.'s Vioxx drug.
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Edelson PC is an American plaintiffs' law firm that focuses on public client investigations, class actions, mass tort, and consumer protection laws. Edelson’s cases include class action settlements against Facebook for $650 million (2021), social casino apps for nearly $200 million (2021), and a $925 million verdict against ViSalus (2020.)
Delphine Allen et al. v. City of Oakland was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland, California which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. Plaintiffs alleged mistreatment at the hands of four veteran officers, known as the "Riders", who were alleged to have kidnapped, planted evidence, and beaten citizens. Plaintiffs also alleged that the Oakland Police Department (OPD) turned a blind eye to police misconduct.
Raymond Paul Boucher is an American trial attorney. Throughout his career, Boucher has represented clients in a wide range of matters including consumer litigation, construction defect litigation, product liability, toxic tort litigation and employment discrimination. He served as lead attorney in the landmark $660-million sexual-abuse settlement with the Catholic archdiocese where he represented over 250 abuse victims in the July 2007 settlement. He was able to help secure over one billion dollars in recovery for victims of abuse by Catholic Priests in Southern California.
Eric Gibbs is an American attorney at Gibbs Law Group LLP in the United States. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California. As a part of the American Association for Justice, he co-chairs the Consumer Privacy and Data Breach Litigation Group and the Lumber Liquidators Litigation Group, and serves as the secretary for the Qui Tam Litigation Group.
The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis that started in 2014 after the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria. In April 2014, during a financial crisis, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. Residents complained about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply, exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels. A pair of scientific studies confirmed that lead contamination was present in the water supply. The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16, 2015. It later signed a 30-year contract with the new Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) on November 22, 2017.
Levy Konigsberg is an American-based law firm that was established in 1985. The company is known for a number of high-profile cases in the United States. Its practice areas include asbestos litigation, qui tam, lead poisoning, sexual abuse, tobacco litigation, medical malpractice, and negligence. In 2015, Levy Konigsberg was recognized as one of the 50 Law Firms in the 2015 Elite Trial Lawyers list by The National Law Journal.
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Baron & Budd, P.C. is an American plaintiffs' law firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Opponents of mass tort litigation have criticized the firm for the zealousness with which it represents its clients, and for the political activities of some of its attorneys.
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Richard Yuille is an American judge. In 2009 Yuille became the chief judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Genesee County in Michigan. He is known for acting as the judge for cases against the State of Michigan during the Flint Water Crisis. He is a former editor of the Journal of Law Reform, and graduated with his JD from the University of Michigan Law School.
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