Steven Sklaver has secured substantial litigation victories for both plaintiffs and defendants.
For plaintiffs, Sklaver was lead counsel for a certified class of insurance policy owners, helping them achieve what the SDNY described as “the best settlement pound for pound for the class that I’ve ever seen.” Sklaver was also lead trial and appellate counsel for investors against an insurance company that resulted in a complete victory and full pay-out of a $20 million life insurance policy.
Sklaver represents the former members of the legendary rock group The Turtles in Flo & Eddie, Inc. v. Sirius XM Radio, Inc. (C.D. Cal.) in a certified class action lawsuit against Sirius XM that settled less than 48 hours before the jury trial was scheduled to begin. aSirius XM agreed to pay at least $25.5 million and royalties under a 10-year license that is valued up to $62 million as compensation for publicly performing without a license Pre-1972 sound recordings.
Within six months after the Sirius XM class action settled, so did Sklaver’s copyright class action brought on behalf of artists owed mechanical royalties for compositions made available by Spotify, the leader in digital music streaming. Spotify agreed to a class action settlement valued at over $112 million, a settlement for which the district court granted final approval and remains subject to a pending appeal.
Between 2015 and today, Sklaver has led litigation that has secured approximately $900 million in cash relief (plus additional value in non-cash relief) for classes of plaintiffs who were overcharges for life insurance policies by their insurers. Settling insurers include John Hancock, AXA Equitable, North American, American General, Genworth, Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York, and Voya.
For defendants, Sklaver has handled numerous employment class actions across the country. He served as trial counsel for Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, trying a large employment class action in California. He also successfully defended and defeated class certification in numerous, substantial wage and hour matters for Alta-Dena Certified Dairy, LLC, dairy producers for Dean Foods, one of the leading food and beverage companies in the United States.
Sklaver graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Northwestern University School of Law, and clerked for Judge David Ebel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Sklaver also won the National Debate Tournament for Dartmouth College, and is just one of four individuals in debate history to win three national championships at the high school and collegiate level.
Sklaver currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Western Center on Law & Poverty. Sklaver was also previously selected as a Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Lawyer Representative.
Updated Sep 2023
