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Rueter","custom_t_tag_neutral_fullname":"Thomas J. Rueter","custom_s_tag_neutral_initial":"R","custom_s_tag_neutral_isfederal":"yes","custom_ss_tag_neutral_home_office_location":["jams_philadelphia"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_home_office_location":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania","custom_ss_tag_neutral_location":["jams_philadelphia"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_location_link":"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;/philadelphia","custom_s_tag_neutral_phone":"215-246-9494","custom_s_tag_neutral_fax":"215-246-0949","custom_ss_tag_judicial":["all_judge","magistrate_judge","federal_judge"],"custom_ss_tag_judicial_state":["pennsylvania"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list":["Antitrust & Competition","Arbitration","Business & Commercial","Civil Rights","Class Action & Mass Tort","Cybersecurity & Privacy","Education Law","Employment Law","Federal Law","Franchise & Distribution Law","Insurance","Intellectual Property","Professional Liability","Real Estate & Real Property","Special Master/Discovery Referee"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list_test":["Antitrust & Competition:89978","Arbitration:89977","Business & Commercial:89979","Civil Rights:89980","Class Action & Mass Tort:89981","Cybersecurity & Privacy:89982","Education Law:89983","Employment Law:89984","Federal Law:89992","Franchise & Distribution Law:89985","Insurance:89986","Intellectual Property:89987","Professional Liability:89988","Real Estate & Real Property:89989","Special Master/Discovery Referee:89990"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_specialties":["antitrust_competition_law","arbitration","business_commercial","civil_rights","class_action_and_mass_tort","cybersecurity_data_breach","education_schools","employment","federal","franchise","insurance","intellectual_property","professional_liability","real_property","special_master_discovery_referee"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_language":["english"],"custom_dt_last_published":"2021-11-24T23:30:50Z","content":"Hon. Thomas J. Rueter (Ret.) joins JAMS after 26 years of service as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, including four years as chief magistrate judge. Prior to ascending to the court, Judge Rueter served for nine years as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, including four years as chief of the Narcotics Section with the Justice Department. Before his time working with the Justice Department, Judge Rueter was an associate in the Philadelphia office of White and Williams LLP. He also served as a law clerk for United States District Judge Joseph L. McGlynn, Jr.  ADR Experience and Qualifications During his time on the bench, Judge Rueter conducted more than 4,000 settlement conferences, including business/commercial and class action disputes to personal injury, intellectual property, civil rights, insurance, employment, professional liability and franchise matters. Judge Rueter also served as the district court s employment dispute resolution coordinator and, in that role, mediated a wide range of employment disputes for district court employees. He also has significant experience as a special master/discovery referee, having resolved numerous complex e-discovery matters. Judge Rueter s MDL settlement experience is particularly notable. In the case of In re Asbestos Litigation MDL 875, Judge Rueter oversaw the settlement of hundreds of cases transferred by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 1991. Each case typically consisted of claims by multiple plaintiffs against multiple defendants. Judge Rueter also oversaw the settlement of several complex attorneys  fees disputes in the high-profile MDL In re NFL Players  Concussion Injury Litigation MDL 2323. This matter involved over 20,000 class members and nearly $1 billion in benefits. Representative Matters Examples of significant cases Judge Rueter successfully mediated while on the bench include the following: Breach of Contract Action against professional football team and owner for breach of contract Dissolutions of law partnerships Civil Rights Action against school district by child who was kidnapped from the school Excessive force cases against police departments Class Actions Nationwide class action claiming delays in receipt of SSI benefits by refugees and asylees Class action against Philadelphia Department of Human Services for reform of procedures Election Law Action by Federal Election Commission against a U.S. presidential campaign alleging improper use of campaign funds Employment Law Multiple-plaintiff gender-discrimination case against television network Multiple-plaintiff overtime wage case filed by firefighters against the City of Philadelphia High-profile allegation of sexual assault against prominent celebrity High-profile action by prominent municipal executive fired by mayor for sexual harassment ERISA Settlement of hundreds of long-term disability and breach of fiduciary duty claims False Claim/Whistleblower Action by several state attorneys general against a health care utilization review company Franchise Law Action by multiple franchisees against franchisor, resulting in dissolution of old franchise system and creation of new franchises Intellectual Property Key Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. ESI-Lederle, Inc., Civil Action No. 96-1219 (patent case; 402 F.3d 1056 (11th Cir. 2005) and 2009 WL 508869 (D.N.J. 2009)) Copyright action against cable television company for misappropriation of copyrighted images and movie posters Numerous misappropriation of trademark cases Land Use Action by multiple homeowners against developer for contaminated water due to faulty water filtration system Hurricane damage claims for commercial buildings in Houston Multidistrict Litigation In re Asbestos Litigation MDL 875: settlement of numerous multi-defendant cases In re NFL Players  Concussion Injury Litigation MDL 2323: settlement of attorneys  fees disputes Personal Injury Multi-million-dollar settlement against school for student injured in school bus accident Settlements of wrongful death cases involving trucking accidents ","custom_s_has_info_box":"yes","language":"en","content_en":"Hon. Thomas J. Rueter (Ret.) joins JAMS after 26 years of service as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, including four years as chief magistrate judge. Prior to ascending to the court, Judge Rueter served for nine years as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, including four years as chief of the Narcotics Section with the Justice Department. Before his time working with the Justice Department, Judge Rueter was an associate in the Philadelphia office of White and Williams LLP. He also served as a law clerk for United States District Judge Joseph L. McGlynn, Jr.  ADR Experience and Qualifications During his time on the bench, Judge Rueter conducted more than 4,000 settlement conferences, including business/commercial and class action disputes to personal injury, intellectual property, civil rights, insurance, employment, professional liability and franchise matters. Judge Rueter also served as the district court s employment dispute resolution coordinator and, in that role, mediated a wide range of employment disputes for district court employees. He also has significant experience as a special master/discovery referee, having resolved numerous complex e-discovery matters. Judge Rueter s MDL settlement experience is particularly notable. In the case of In re Asbestos Litigation MDL 875, Judge Rueter oversaw the settlement of hundreds of cases transferred by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 1991. Each case typically consisted of claims by multiple plaintiffs against multiple defendants. Judge Rueter also oversaw the settlement of several complex attorneys  fees disputes in the high-profile MDL In re NFL Players  Concussion Injury Litigation MDL 2323. This matter involved over 20,000 class members and nearly $1 billion in benefits. Representative Matters Examples of significant cases Judge Rueter successfully mediated while on the bench include the following: Breach of Contract Action against professional football team and owner for breach of contract Dissolutions of law partnerships Civil Rights Action against school district by child who was kidnapped from the school Excessive force cases against police departments Class Actions Nationwide class action claiming delays in receipt of SSI benefits by refugees and asylees Class action against Philadelphia Department of Human Services for reform of procedures Election Law Action by Federal Election Commission against a U.S. presidential campaign alleging improper use of campaign funds Employment Law Multiple-plaintiff gender-discrimination case against television network Multiple-plaintiff overtime wage case filed by firefighters against the City of Philadelphia High-profile allegation of sexual assault against prominent celebrity High-profile action by prominent municipal executive fired by mayor for sexual harassment ERISA Settlement of hundreds of long-term disability and breach of fiduciary duty claims False Claim/Whistleblower Action by several state attorneys general against a health care utilization review company Franchise Law Action by multiple franchisees against franchisor, resulting in dissolution of old franchise system and creation of new franchises Intellectual Property Key Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. ESI-Lederle, Inc., Civil Action No. 96-1219 (patent case; 402 F.3d 1056 (11th Cir. 2005) and 2009 WL 508869 (D.N.J. 2009)) Copyright action against cable television company for misappropriation of copyrighted images and movie posters Numerous misappropriation of trademark cases Land Use Action by multiple homeowners against developer for contaminated water due to faulty water filtration system Hurricane damage claims for commercial buildings in Houston Multidistrict Litigation In re Asbestos Litigation MDL 875: settlement of numerous multi-defendant cases In re NFL Players  Concussion Injury Litigation MDL 2323: settlement of attorneys  fees disputes Personal Injury Multi-million-dollar settlement against school for student injured in school bus accident Settlements of wrongful death cases involving trucking accidents ","_version_":1717354261099053056,"score":5.223527},{"id":"36007","url":"36007","custom_s_category":"neutral","custom_s_category_search":"neutral","custom_s_url":"/cooper","custom_s_neutral_image_thumb":"/images/neutrals/cooper-candace.jpg","custom_t_tag_neutral_fname":"Candace","custom_s_tag_neutral_fname":"Candace","custom_s_tag_neutral_fname_sort":"candace","custom_t_tag_neutral_lname":"Cooper","custom_s_tag_neutral_lname":"Cooper","custom_s_tag_neutral_lname_sort":"cooper","custom_s_tag_neutral_mail":"ccooper@jamsadr.com","custom_t_tag_neutral_nickname":"","custom_t_tag_neutral_maidenname":"","custom_s_tag_neutral_prefix":"Hon.","custom_s_tag_neutral_suffix":" (Ret.)","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_first_name":"Christina","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_last_name":"Lee","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_email":"DWLee@jamsadr.com ","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_phone":"213-253-9732","custom_s_tag_neutral_fullname":"Candace Cooper","custom_t_tag_neutral_fullname":"Candace Cooper","custom_s_tag_neutral_initial":"C","custom_s_tag_neutral_isfederal":"no","custom_ss_tag_neutral_home_office_location":["santa_monica_california","jams_ontario","jams_irvine_ca","san_diego_california","san_francisco_california","jams_los_angeles"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_home_office_location":"Century City, California (Southern)","custom_ss_tag_neutral_location":["jams_los_angeles","santa_monica_california","jams_ontario","jams_irvine_ca","san_diego_california","san_francisco_california"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_location_link":"Los Angeles, California (Southern);/losangeles","custom_s_tag_neutral_phone":"213-620-1133","custom_s_tag_neutral_fax":"213-620-0100","custom_ss_tag_judicial":["all_judge","appellate_judge"],"custom_ss_tag_judicial_state":["california"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list":["Appellate","Arbitration","Business/Commercial","Construction Defect","Cybersecurity & Privacy","Employment;/cooper/employment","Entertainment and Sports","Environmental","Family Law","Health Care","Higher Education & Title IX","Insurance","Intellectual Property;/cooper/intellectual-property","Professional Liability","Real Property;/cooper/real-property"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list_test":["Appellate:39267","Arbitration:39269","Business/Commercial:39268","Construction Defect:39270","Cybersecurity & Privacy:47573","Employment;/cooper/employment;39271","Entertainment and Sports:39272","Environmental:39273","Family Law:39274","Health Care:39275","Higher Education & Title IX:52791","Insurance:39276","Intellectual Property;/cooper/intellectual-property;39277","Professional Liability:39278","Real Property;/cooper/real-property;39279"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_specialties":["appellate","arbitration","business_commercial","construction_defect","cybersecurity_data_breach","employment","entertainment_and_sports","environmental","family_law","health_care","higher_education___jams_solutions","insurance","intellectual_property","professional_liability","real_property"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_specialty_link":["Employment;/cooper/employment","Intellectual Property;/cooper/intellectual-property","Real Property;/cooper/real-property"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_language":["english"],"custom_dt_last_published":"2021-12-02T11:25:58Z","content":"Hon. Candace Cooper (Ret.) has nearly three decades of judicial experience and has earned a reputation as a highly accomplished judge with a common sense approach to resolving disputes. Justice Cooper brings an ideal temperament and a wealth of legal expertise in handling complex, often highly publicized cases. She served for nine years on the California Court of Appeal, Second District, most recently as Presiding Justice of Division Eight from 2001-2008, and as a Superior and Municipal Court judge prior to that. Justice Cooper has also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court for 12 years, handling a variety of assignments, ranging from court management, civil master calendar and civil trials to felony criminal and death penalty trials to juvenile dependency and delinquency. During her noteworthy career, Justice Cooper has also made tremendous contributions to the legal community through her dedicated involvement in educational and professional associations. She served as president of the California Judges Association from 1988-1989. She was the second African-American, as well as the second woman, to head the nearly 2,000-member voluntary professional association representing all judicial officers throughout the state from the California Supreme Court to the remaining Justice Courts. Justice Cooper also served as a faculty member for the Continuing Judicial Studies Program, the Judicial College and the New Judges Orientation, teaching courses in evidence, jury selection, fairness and elimination of bias. Representative Matters Arbitration Unconscionability Required disclosures for binding arbitration agreements Scope of arbitrator power Action to enforce arbitration award Attorney Fees Award of experts witness fees against municipality Award of attorney fees against board of homeowners association Attorney fees under Intervenor Compensation Provisions Determination of prevailing party Attorney Malpractice Companion malicious prosecution case Construction Construction Services Licensing Law Construction defect Commercial/Business Litigation Contract interpretation Course of performance Implied-in-fact contracts • Ownership of employee inventions Contract performance Exclusive distribution rights Misappropriation Intellectual Property CEQA Class Action Litigation Class certification Conflict of Laws Discovery Disputes Scope Privacy Trade secrets Attorney-client privilege Clergy-penitent privilege Sealing and protective orders Election Law Compliance with Election Code Ballot requirements Initiative requirements Revision vs. amendment of State Constitution  Single Issue” limitation Employment FEHA Wrongful termination/employment discrimination Attorney fee awards Expert fee awards B P 1700 Workers compensation Unreasonable delay Wage   Hour Family Law Professional goodwill as community asset  In Kind” property division Foreign Judgment Uniform Foreign Money Judgments Recognition Act Finality of foreign judgment Public policy Insurance Coverage  Duty to defend” Excess policy coverage Subrogation Liability Intellectual Property Unauthorized commercial appropriation of name, photo or likeness Right of publicity/right of privacy Copyright Act Uniform Trade Secrets Act Misappropriation of patents/trademarks Licensing Infringement Agreement to disclose abstract idea Good will Medical Malpractice Standard of care Statute of limitations Negligence Existence of duty Assumption of risk Probate Creditor claim vs. will challenge Product Liability Design defect/manufacturing defect Failure to warn Real Property Premises liability Dangerous condition Condominium association Interpretation of CC Rs Liability of homeowners association board Escrow Misappropriation of trust assets by escrow agent officers and employees Subdivision and Map Acts Landlord-tenant Statutes of Limitation Delayed discovery Water Law Allocation of storage space in Central Basin water resource Wrongful Death Responsibility of amusement park as  common carrier” ","custom_s_has_info_box":"yes","language":"en","content_en":"Hon. Candace Cooper (Ret.) has nearly three decades of judicial experience and has earned a reputation as a highly accomplished judge with a common sense approach to resolving disputes. Justice Cooper brings an ideal temperament and a wealth of legal expertise in handling complex, often highly publicized cases. She served for nine years on the California Court of Appeal, Second District, most recently as Presiding Justice of Division Eight from 2001-2008, and as a Superior and Municipal Court judge prior to that. Justice Cooper has also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court for 12 years, handling a variety of assignments, ranging from court management, civil master calendar and civil trials to felony criminal and death penalty trials to juvenile dependency and delinquency. During her noteworthy career, Justice Cooper has also made tremendous contributions to the legal community through her dedicated involvement in educational and professional associations. She served as president of the California Judges Association from 1988-1989. She was the second African-American, as well as the second woman, to head the nearly 2,000-member voluntary professional association representing all judicial officers throughout the state from the California Supreme Court to the remaining Justice Courts. Justice Cooper also served as a faculty member for the Continuing Judicial Studies Program, the Judicial College and the New Judges Orientation, teaching courses in evidence, jury selection, fairness and elimination of bias. Representative Matters Arbitration Unconscionability Required disclosures for binding arbitration agreements Scope of arbitrator power Action to enforce arbitration award Attorney Fees Award of experts witness fees against municipality Award of attorney fees against board of homeowners association Attorney fees under Intervenor Compensation Provisions Determination of prevailing party Attorney Malpractice Companion malicious prosecution case Construction Construction Services Licensing Law Construction defect Commercial/Business Litigation Contract interpretation Course of performance Implied-in-fact contracts • Ownership of employee inventions Contract performance Exclusive distribution rights Misappropriation Intellectual Property CEQA Class Action Litigation Class certification Conflict of Laws Discovery Disputes Scope Privacy Trade secrets Attorney-client privilege Clergy-penitent privilege Sealing and protective orders Election Law Compliance with Election Code Ballot requirements Initiative requirements Revision vs. amendment of State Constitution  Single Issue” limitation Employment FEHA Wrongful termination/employment discrimination Attorney fee awards Expert fee awards B P 1700 Workers compensation Unreasonable delay Wage   Hour Family Law Professional goodwill as community asset  In Kind” property division Foreign Judgment Uniform Foreign Money Judgments Recognition Act Finality of foreign judgment Public policy Insurance Coverage  Duty to defend” Excess policy coverage Subrogation Liability Intellectual Property Unauthorized commercial appropriation of name, photo or likeness Right of publicity/right of privacy Copyright Act Uniform Trade Secrets Act Misappropriation of patents/trademarks Licensing Infringement Agreement to disclose abstract idea Good will Medical Malpractice Standard of care Statute of limitations Negligence Existence of duty Assumption of risk Probate Creditor claim vs. will challenge Product Liability Design defect/manufacturing defect Failure to warn Real Property Premises liability Dangerous condition Condominium association Interpretation of CC Rs Liability of homeowners association board Escrow Misappropriation of trust assets by escrow agent officers and employees Subdivision and Map Acts Landlord-tenant Statutes of Limitation Delayed discovery Water Law Allocation of storage space in Central Basin water resource Wrongful Death Responsibility of amusement park as  common carrier” ","_version_":1718033432334827520,"score":5.223527},{"id":"108000","url":"108000","custom_s_category":"neutral","custom_s_category_search":"neutral","custom_s_url":"/gold","custom_s_neutral_image_thumb":"/images/neutrals/gold-steven-250x300-web.jpg","custom_t_tag_neutral_fname":"Steven","custom_s_tag_neutral_fname":"Steven","custom_s_tag_neutral_fname_sort":"steven","custom_t_tag_neutral_lname":"Gold","custom_s_tag_neutral_lname":"Gold","custom_s_tag_neutral_lname_sort":"gold","custom_s_tag_neutral_mail":"sgold@jamsadr.com","custom_t_tag_neutral_nickname":"","custom_t_tag_neutral_maidenname":"","custom_s_tag_neutral_prefix":"Hon.","custom_s_tag_neutral_suffix":" (Ret.)","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_first_name":"George","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_last_name":"Cuervos","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_email":"gcuervos@jamsadr.com","custom_s_tag_neutral_manager_phone":"212-607-2789","custom_s_tag_neutral_fullname":"Steven M. Gold","custom_t_tag_neutral_fullname":"Steven M. Gold","custom_s_tag_neutral_initial":"G","custom_s_tag_neutral_isfederal":"yes","custom_ss_tag_neutral_home_office_location":["jams_new_york"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_home_office_location":"New York, New York","custom_ss_tag_neutral_location":["jams_new_york"],"custom_s_tag_neutral_location_link":"New York, New York;/newyork","custom_s_tag_neutral_phone":"212-751-2700","custom_s_tag_neutral_fax":"212-751-4099","custom_ss_tag_judicial":["federal_judge","all_judge","magistrate_judge"],"custom_ss_tag_judicial_state":["new_york"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list":["Arbitration","Business & Commercial","Civil Rights","Class Action & Mass Tort","Construction","Employment Law","Federal Law","Governmental/Public Agency","Health Care","Insurance","Intellectual Property","Life Sciences","Personal Injury/Torts","Pharmaceuticals/Mass Tort","Professional Liability","Special Master/Discovery Referee"],"custom_ss_neutral_specialty_list_test":["Arbitration:108002","Business & Commercial:108003","Civil Rights:108004","Class Action & Mass Tort:108005","Construction:108006","Employment Law:108007","Federal Law:108008","Governmental/Public Agency:108013","Health Care:108009","Insurance:108010","Intellectual Property:108016","Life Sciences:108014","Personal Injury/Torts:108011","Pharmaceuticals/Mass Tort:108015","Professional Liability:108012","Special Master/Discovery Referee:108017"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_specialties":["arbitration","business_commercial","civil_rights","class_action_and_mass_tort","construction","employment","federal","governmental_public_agency","health_care","insurance","intellectual_property","lifesciences","personal_injury_torts","pharmaceuticals_mass_torts","professional_liability","special_master_discovery_referee"],"custom_ss_tag_neutral_language":["english"],"custom_dt_last_published":"2021-11-24T22:25:51Z","content":"Hon. Steven M. Gold (Ret.) served for 28 years as a United States magistrate judge for the Eastern District of New York, including nine years as the court s chief magistrate judge. During his nearly three decades as a federal magistrate judge, Judge Gold presided over thousands of settlement conferences, pretrial proceedings, evidentiary hearings and jury and bench trials. Matters handled by Judge Gold include antitrust litigation; intellectual property disputes, including patent claims; copyright and trademark disputes; employment discrimination cases; civil rights actions; fraud claims; consumer class actions; products liability claims; and a wide variety of commercial disputes. Judge Gold has also had significant experience settling complex pharma, health care and life sciences matters. In an antitrust case brought by four large groups of retail pharmacies against several major pharmaceutical companies, he helped three groups of plaintiffs resolve their disputes and issued a summary judgment decision, affirmed by the Second Circuit, with respect to the fourth group. In other cases where he conducted a series of settlement conferences, he helped resolve a number of lawsuits brought by a manufacturer of diabetes test strips against several retailers accused of selling counterfeits, an action brought by residents of an adult home who claimed they were subjected to unnecessary medical procedures to generate revenue for the home and a case in which hospital patients alleged that a hospital failed to accommodate the needs of patients with hearing deficits.  Throughout his career, Judge Gold has used ADR techniques and strategies to help address issues involving the criminal justice system. Over the course of dozens of mediation sessions, he helped the City of New York and advocates for a class of students involved in the criminal justice system, including a sub-class of students with disabilities, agree to a consent decree governing, among other things, the provision of services to students in custodial settings and their transition to public schools once released. He also served as one of the two judges presiding over a special alternative-to-incarceration program, commonly referred to as a drug court, since its inception in 2012. Judge Gold has served as a member and the Eastern District co-chair of the Joint Committee on Local Rules for the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, as well as a member and co-chair of the Rules Committee of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association, which comments on proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence on behalf of magistrate judges throughout the country. He has also served for many years as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School, where he has taught courses on trial advocacy and evidence. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Gold was an assistant U.S. attorney and Criminal Division deputy chief for the Eastern District of New York. He also served as general counsel to the New York City Department of Investigation, where he oversaw the department s lawyers, directly supervised some of its most complex and sensitive investigations and served as the liaison to the city s two U.S. attorney s offices and five district attorneys. Representative Matters Antitrust Oversaw a multi-district litigation, where three large retail pharmacy chains and a large number of standalone pharmacies asserted that major manufacturers of pharmaceuticals violated the Sherman and Robinson-Patman acts, presided over settlement conferences that led to resolution of all of the claims of the pharmacy chains and the Sherman Act claims of the standalone pharmacies, and then issued a decision, affirmed on appeal, on summary judgment with respect to the Robinson-Patman claims of the standalone pharmacies Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings in multi-district litigation brought by purchasers of widely used antibiotic who claimed that agreements reached between patent-holding brand-name manufacturer and generic manufacturer of drug violated federal and state antitrust laws Civil Rights Working in tandem with a pro bono neutral, supervised settlement of claims by hearing-impaired patients and their family members alleging that defendant hospital failed to reasonably accommodate their disabilities Presided over several settlement conferences in a case brought by 11 adult home residents with cognitive deficits who claimed that home s owner, hospital and medical providers subjected them to medically unnecessary prostate surgeries to generate reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance companies; claims of all plaintiffs were settled with appointments of guardians and establishment of supplemental needs trusts After issuing extensive report addressing motion for preliminary injunction, presided over a series of settlement conferences, many with subject matter experts present, that resulted in a consent decree addressing how the New York City Department of Education (DOE) provides services to students, including students with disabilities, who are charged as juvenile offenders or juvenile delinquents, and how the DOE transitions those students to community schools when they have completed their involvement with the criminal justice system Presided over multiple mediation sessions over several years successfully resolving numerous issues arising pursuant to a consent decree governing New York City DOE s provision of services to students with disabilities Presided over series of settlement conferences in case where owner/operator of low-income housing development challenged amount of subsidies provided by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and HUD claimed mismanagement; settlement terms included transfer of ownership and management to a new not-for-profit entity Conducted four weeks of hearings and issued two reports recommending, respectively, injunctive relief and damages in case where it was determined that village violated False Claims Act and committed fraud when it misused funds allocated by HUD to help low-income families purchase homes. In case challenging a HUD program pursuant to which Federal Housing Administration mortgages in default could be sold to a private lender, presided over pretrial proceedings and issued extensive report on motions to dismiss Presided over settlement conferences that led to a change in HPD policies that, as claimed in the lawsuit, could result in survivors of domestic violence losing their right to remain in subsidized housing, particularly where the lease is held in the name of an evicted abusive partner Presided over settlement conference that led to resolution of Fair Housing Act discrimination claims brought by low-income tenants in below-market housing set aside by owner-operator of luxury development in return for tax incentives Commercial Presided over pretrial proceedings and settlement conferences that resolved claims by public pay phone operator that New York City violated the federal Telecommunications Act by failing to fairly and properly allocate permits to install pay telephones at sidewalk locations Oversaw pretrial proceedings in case where plaintiffs claimed they were fraudulently induced to invest in cryptocurrency business; wrote report, ultimately adopted, recommending award of damages Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and issued report, ultimately adopted, recommending award of damages where plaintiffs alleged defendants perpetrated fraudulent investment scheme After presiding over extensive pretrial proceedings, mediated a settlement in a case where purchasers of business alleged prior owners committed fraud Conducted settlement conferences that resolved claim for loss of property stolen from safety deposit box stored in bank s vault Employment Discrimination Presided over jury trial of employee alleging employment discrimination and malicious prosecution after employer disciplined gay female employee for conduct plaintiff claimed would not have resulted in discipline if committed by a heterosexual male Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims of discrimination and tortious interference brought by retailer after supplier of critical products terminated retailer s account Conducted settlement conference that led to entry of consent decree resolving claims of race-based discrimination brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against furniture leasing company Presided over settlement conference that resolved claims of gender discrimination brought by clinical sales specialist against pharmaceutical company Oversaw pretrial proceedings in disability discrimination case brought by medical resident against teaching hospital Conducted settlement conference that resolved passengers  claims of race-based discrimination by airline employees in connection with treatment during flight Wage and Hour Presided over class action lawsuit seeking recovery of unpaid prevailing wages for labor performed on various public works projects; case involved state law questions of first impression certified by Second Circuit to New York Court of Appeals Managed pretrial proceedings and reviewed class action settlement of claims by  pre-employment associates” for unpaid minimum and overtime wages Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and held settlement conferences that resolved overtime claims of delivery truck drivers and assistants who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors Presided over bench trial of ERISA claim of alter ego liability for contributions owed to union benefit funds pursuant to collective bargaining agreement Election Law Issued decision holding that provision of New York State Election Law imposing limits on eligibility to witness nominating petition signatures violated the First Amendment Fraud Presided over jury trial of RICO claims brought by owner of several properties against attorney, claiming that lawyer and others fraudulently induced him into financing arrangements that stripped him of his equity in the properties Conducted hearing and issued report recommending a calculation of nearly $6 million in damages in connection with fraudulent scheme to overstate the paid circulation of certain newspapers Insurance Conducted settlement conference that resolved both declaratory judgment action and underlying state court tort action arising from construction accident Intellectual Property Patent Presided over pretrial proceedings and monthlong jury trial brought by holder of patent for method of making shape-memory alloy who alleged infringement by manufacturer of eyeglass frames; issued extensive opinions deciding post-trial motions Oversaw pretrial proceedings and issued decision on summary judgment motion in case where plaintiff alleged Microsoft infringed patented method of encrypting information known as public key/private key cryptography Presided over pretrial proceedings, including claim construction hearing, and issued several rulings, including report recommending constructions of various claim terms, in case involving patent for a system of processing data connected to various types of prepaid and loyalty swipe cards Oversaw pretrial proceedings, recommended constructions of various claim terms and conducted settlement conference that ultimately resolved lawsuit alleging that patent claiming interlocking feature of child-proof cap was infringed Trademark/Trade Dress Conducted damages trial and issued decision in case where plaintiff alleged defendant sold counterfeit version of plaintiff s premium hoisin sauce Conducted settlement conferences that resolved large number of related cases alleging distribution of counterfeit diabetes test strips; managed pretrial proceedings and issued reports in the small number of cases that did not settle Presided over jury trial where plaintiff charged defendants with distributing counterfeit versions of trademarked fragrances Issued reports recommending disposition of preliminary injunction and summary judgment motions in case claiming that design of defendant s office chair infringed plaintiff s patent and trade dress Conducted settlement conference that resolved trademark and trade dress infringement claims with respect to labels and promotional materials for line of beverages Mortgage Foreclosure Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims brought by defaulting mortgagor against mortgagee for breach of contract and under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted multiple settlement conferences that resolved claims against multiple defendants alleging fraud, malpractice and various statutory violations in connection with home equity conversion mortgage. Securities Issued report on motion to dismiss securities fraud action where shareholder plaintiffs claimed defendant overstated likelihood of successful business expansion Issued report on motion to dismiss putative class action alleging material omissions in prospectus regarding level of risk involved in investing in particular derivative security Presided over class action settlement of common law claims challenging method of determining price of shares in real estate investment trust, issued decision preliminarily approving class action settlement and ruled on objections raised at fairness hearing Personal Injury/Torts Products Liability Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims by homeowner of elevated levels of formaldehyde after extensive renovations of brownstone building Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted settlement conference that resolved claim of burns caused by allegedly defective cell phone battery Conducted settlement conference in consumer class action claiming that wipes, although advertised as such, were in fact not flushable Oversaw pretrial proceedings and issued several orders in related cases brought by health insurers claiming that tobacco companies concealed the elevated risk of contracting pulmonary disease faced by smokers who are regularly exposed to asbestos In case challenging accuracy of claimed health benefits of dietary supplement, recommended rejection of one proposed class settlement and held fairness hearing and approved class settlement proposed by different plaintiffs Wrongful Death Conducted series of settlement conferences that resolved claims brought by estates of several individuals murdered by police officers who, while employed by the New York City Police Department, were hired by organized crime figure to commit or assist in  mob hits” Managed extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted settlement conference in case involving individual who died when struck by a moving train while on subway platform Conducted settlement conference that resolved claim for wrongful death arising from shooting by off-duty police officer after traffic incident ","custom_s_has_info_box":"yes","language":"en","content_en":"Hon. Steven M. Gold (Ret.) served for 28 years as a United States magistrate judge for the Eastern District of New York, including nine years as the court s chief magistrate judge. During his nearly three decades as a federal magistrate judge, Judge Gold presided over thousands of settlement conferences, pretrial proceedings, evidentiary hearings and jury and bench trials. Matters handled by Judge Gold include antitrust litigation; intellectual property disputes, including patent claims; copyright and trademark disputes; employment discrimination cases; civil rights actions; fraud claims; consumer class actions; products liability claims; and a wide variety of commercial disputes. Judge Gold has also had significant experience settling complex pharma, health care and life sciences matters. In an antitrust case brought by four large groups of retail pharmacies against several major pharmaceutical companies, he helped three groups of plaintiffs resolve their disputes and issued a summary judgment decision, affirmed by the Second Circuit, with respect to the fourth group. In other cases where he conducted a series of settlement conferences, he helped resolve a number of lawsuits brought by a manufacturer of diabetes test strips against several retailers accused of selling counterfeits, an action brought by residents of an adult home who claimed they were subjected to unnecessary medical procedures to generate revenue for the home and a case in which hospital patients alleged that a hospital failed to accommodate the needs of patients with hearing deficits.  Throughout his career, Judge Gold has used ADR techniques and strategies to help address issues involving the criminal justice system. Over the course of dozens of mediation sessions, he helped the City of New York and advocates for a class of students involved in the criminal justice system, including a sub-class of students with disabilities, agree to a consent decree governing, among other things, the provision of services to students in custodial settings and their transition to public schools once released. He also served as one of the two judges presiding over a special alternative-to-incarceration program, commonly referred to as a drug court, since its inception in 2012. Judge Gold has served as a member and the Eastern District co-chair of the Joint Committee on Local Rules for the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, as well as a member and co-chair of the Rules Committee of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association, which comments on proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Federal Rules of Evidence on behalf of magistrate judges throughout the country. He has also served for many years as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School, where he has taught courses on trial advocacy and evidence. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Gold was an assistant U.S. attorney and Criminal Division deputy chief for the Eastern District of New York. He also served as general counsel to the New York City Department of Investigation, where he oversaw the department s lawyers, directly supervised some of its most complex and sensitive investigations and served as the liaison to the city s two U.S. attorney s offices and five district attorneys. Representative Matters Antitrust Oversaw a multi-district litigation, where three large retail pharmacy chains and a large number of standalone pharmacies asserted that major manufacturers of pharmaceuticals violated the Sherman and Robinson-Patman acts, presided over settlement conferences that led to resolution of all of the claims of the pharmacy chains and the Sherman Act claims of the standalone pharmacies, and then issued a decision, affirmed on appeal, on summary judgment with respect to the Robinson-Patman claims of the standalone pharmacies Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings in multi-district litigation brought by purchasers of widely used antibiotic who claimed that agreements reached between patent-holding brand-name manufacturer and generic manufacturer of drug violated federal and state antitrust laws Civil Rights Working in tandem with a pro bono neutral, supervised settlement of claims by hearing-impaired patients and their family members alleging that defendant hospital failed to reasonably accommodate their disabilities Presided over several settlement conferences in a case brought by 11 adult home residents with cognitive deficits who claimed that home s owner, hospital and medical providers subjected them to medically unnecessary prostate surgeries to generate reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance companies; claims of all plaintiffs were settled with appointments of guardians and establishment of supplemental needs trusts After issuing extensive report addressing motion for preliminary injunction, presided over a series of settlement conferences, many with subject matter experts present, that resulted in a consent decree addressing how the New York City Department of Education (DOE) provides services to students, including students with disabilities, who are charged as juvenile offenders or juvenile delinquents, and how the DOE transitions those students to community schools when they have completed their involvement with the criminal justice system Presided over multiple mediation sessions over several years successfully resolving numerous issues arising pursuant to a consent decree governing New York City DOE s provision of services to students with disabilities Presided over series of settlement conferences in case where owner/operator of low-income housing development challenged amount of subsidies provided by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and HUD claimed mismanagement; settlement terms included transfer of ownership and management to a new not-for-profit entity Conducted four weeks of hearings and issued two reports recommending, respectively, injunctive relief and damages in case where it was determined that village violated False Claims Act and committed fraud when it misused funds allocated by HUD to help low-income families purchase homes. In case challenging a HUD program pursuant to which Federal Housing Administration mortgages in default could be sold to a private lender, presided over pretrial proceedings and issued extensive report on motions to dismiss Presided over settlement conferences that led to a change in HPD policies that, as claimed in the lawsuit, could result in survivors of domestic violence losing their right to remain in subsidized housing, particularly where the lease is held in the name of an evicted abusive partner Presided over settlement conference that led to resolution of Fair Housing Act discrimination claims brought by low-income tenants in below-market housing set aside by owner-operator of luxury development in return for tax incentives Commercial Presided over pretrial proceedings and settlement conferences that resolved claims by public pay phone operator that New York City violated the federal Telecommunications Act by failing to fairly and properly allocate permits to install pay telephones at sidewalk locations Oversaw pretrial proceedings in case where plaintiffs claimed they were fraudulently induced to invest in cryptocurrency business; wrote report, ultimately adopted, recommending award of damages Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and issued report, ultimately adopted, recommending award of damages where plaintiffs alleged defendants perpetrated fraudulent investment scheme After presiding over extensive pretrial proceedings, mediated a settlement in a case where purchasers of business alleged prior owners committed fraud Conducted settlement conferences that resolved claim for loss of property stolen from safety deposit box stored in bank s vault Employment Discrimination Presided over jury trial of employee alleging employment discrimination and malicious prosecution after employer disciplined gay female employee for conduct plaintiff claimed would not have resulted in discipline if committed by a heterosexual male Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims of discrimination and tortious interference brought by retailer after supplier of critical products terminated retailer s account Conducted settlement conference that led to entry of consent decree resolving claims of race-based discrimination brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against furniture leasing company Presided over settlement conference that resolved claims of gender discrimination brought by clinical sales specialist against pharmaceutical company Oversaw pretrial proceedings in disability discrimination case brought by medical resident against teaching hospital Conducted settlement conference that resolved passengers  claims of race-based discrimination by airline employees in connection with treatment during flight Wage and Hour Presided over class action lawsuit seeking recovery of unpaid prevailing wages for labor performed on various public works projects; case involved state law questions of first impression certified by Second Circuit to New York Court of Appeals Managed pretrial proceedings and reviewed class action settlement of claims by  pre-employment associates” for unpaid minimum and overtime wages Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and held settlement conferences that resolved overtime claims of delivery truck drivers and assistants who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors Presided over bench trial of ERISA claim of alter ego liability for contributions owed to union benefit funds pursuant to collective bargaining agreement Election Law Issued decision holding that provision of New York State Election Law imposing limits on eligibility to witness nominating petition signatures violated the First Amendment Fraud Presided over jury trial of RICO claims brought by owner of several properties against attorney, claiming that lawyer and others fraudulently induced him into financing arrangements that stripped him of his equity in the properties Conducted hearing and issued report recommending a calculation of nearly $6 million in damages in connection with fraudulent scheme to overstate the paid circulation of certain newspapers Insurance Conducted settlement conference that resolved both declaratory judgment action and underlying state court tort action arising from construction accident Intellectual Property Patent Presided over pretrial proceedings and monthlong jury trial brought by holder of patent for method of making shape-memory alloy who alleged infringement by manufacturer of eyeglass frames; issued extensive opinions deciding post-trial motions Oversaw pretrial proceedings and issued decision on summary judgment motion in case where plaintiff alleged Microsoft infringed patented method of encrypting information known as public key/private key cryptography Presided over pretrial proceedings, including claim construction hearing, and issued several rulings, including report recommending constructions of various claim terms, in case involving patent for a system of processing data connected to various types of prepaid and loyalty swipe cards Oversaw pretrial proceedings, recommended constructions of various claim terms and conducted settlement conference that ultimately resolved lawsuit alleging that patent claiming interlocking feature of child-proof cap was infringed Trademark/Trade Dress Conducted damages trial and issued decision in case where plaintiff alleged defendant sold counterfeit version of plaintiff s premium hoisin sauce Conducted settlement conferences that resolved large number of related cases alleging distribution of counterfeit diabetes test strips; managed pretrial proceedings and issued reports in the small number of cases that did not settle Presided over jury trial where plaintiff charged defendants with distributing counterfeit versions of trademarked fragrances Issued reports recommending disposition of preliminary injunction and summary judgment motions in case claiming that design of defendant s office chair infringed plaintiff s patent and trade dress Conducted settlement conference that resolved trademark and trade dress infringement claims with respect to labels and promotional materials for line of beverages Mortgage Foreclosure Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims brought by defaulting mortgagor against mortgagee for breach of contract and under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted multiple settlement conferences that resolved claims against multiple defendants alleging fraud, malpractice and various statutory violations in connection with home equity conversion mortgage. Securities Issued report on motion to dismiss securities fraud action where shareholder plaintiffs claimed defendant overstated likelihood of successful business expansion Issued report on motion to dismiss putative class action alleging material omissions in prospectus regarding level of risk involved in investing in particular derivative security Presided over class action settlement of common law claims challenging method of determining price of shares in real estate investment trust, issued decision preliminarily approving class action settlement and ruled on objections raised at fairness hearing Personal Injury/Torts Products Liability Conducted settlement conference that resolved claims by homeowner of elevated levels of formaldehyde after extensive renovations of brownstone building Presided over extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted settlement conference that resolved claim of burns caused by allegedly defective cell phone battery Conducted settlement conference in consumer class action claiming that wipes, although advertised as such, were in fact not flushable Oversaw pretrial proceedings and issued several orders in related cases brought by health insurers claiming that tobacco companies concealed the elevated risk of contracting pulmonary disease faced by smokers who are regularly exposed to asbestos In case challenging accuracy of claimed health benefits of dietary supplement, recommended rejection of one proposed class settlement and held fairness hearing and approved class settlement proposed by different plaintiffs Wrongful Death Conducted series of settlement conferences that resolved claims brought by estates of several individuals murdered by police officers who, while employed by the New York City Police Department, were hired by organized crime figure to commit or assist in  mob hits” Managed extensive pretrial proceedings and conducted settlement conference in case involving individual who died when struck by a moving train while on subway platform Conducted settlement conference that resolved claim for wrongful death arising from shooting by off-duty police officer after traffic incident ","_version_":1717350172759949312,"score":3.8783932}]}})