O'Dell, Stephen P.

Mr. O’Connor has extensive experience in civil litigation practice with a particular concentration in the insurance, commercial litigation, government protests and product liability and personal injury tort areas.  Mr. O’Connor has tried jury cases and argued appeals on behalf of Fortune 100 companies.  His insurance and business litigation practice is nationwide and he personally handles dozens of personal injury defense actions in the New York state courts. 

Representative Engagements:

• Trial counsel for a major equipment breakdown insurer in a multi-million dollar business interruption and property damage litigation brought by manufacturer of industrial steel rolls
• Trial counsel for a major equipment breakdown insurer in a multi-million dollar business interruption and property damage litigation brought by printing company
• Trial counsel for a boiler and pressure vessel insurer in multi-death negligence and punitive damages action
• Trial counsel for an insurance company defending against multi-million dollar property damage and reconstruction claim of arising out of Midtown Manhattan hi-rise fire claim
• Lead trial counsel for a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer in defense against a breach of warranty claim
• Trial and appellate counsel for international package shipping company in multiple negligent hiring, supervision and retention tort actions
• Trial and appellate counsel for international package shipping company in multiple high impact automobile collision actions
• Lead trial counsel for municipality defending against claims brought under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)
• Lead trial and appellate counsel for a major elevator manufacturer in personal injury action; attaining dismissal of plaintiff’s negligence claims due to false pleading and corruption of trial process
• Lead trial and appellate counsel in scores of personal injury tort actions involving vertical transportation systems
• Lead counsel in successfully lifting a state agency’s sanction barring the company from making any competitive bids on government work projects
• Lead counsel for elevator manufacturer; successfully defending against a competitor’s bid protest of the award of a government contract for a major international airport
• Trial attorney for tobacco company in multiple state court personal smoker actions, including design defect claims

Representative Decisions:

       Taylor v. United Parcel Service, Inc., 72 A.D.3d 573, 899 N.Y.S.2d 223 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep’t 2010), leave to appeal denied, 15 N.Y.3d 705, 907 N.Y.S.2d 753 (2010) (affirming trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of UPS and dismissing negligent hiring, retention and supervision claims)

       Yildiz v. PJ Food Service, Inc., 82 A.D.3d 971, 918 N.Y.S.2d 572 (N.Y. App. Div. 2nd Dep’t 2011) (reversing trial court and granting summary judgment in favor of a national trucking concern and dismissing negligent hiring, retention and supervision claims)

       Welquis Lopez v. The Retail Property Trust and KONE Inc., Index No. 21366/07 (N.Y. Supreme Court, Nassau County (2012)) (granting summary judgment for property owner and escalator maintenance company and dismissing plaintiff’s personal injury complaint sounding in negligence with respect to an escalator accident)

       Rivera v. NRDC Equity Partners and KONE Inc., Index No. 304943/09 (N.Y. Supreme Court, Bronx County (2012)) (granting summary judgment for defendant elevator maintenance company and dismissing both the plaintiff’s complaint and the third-party property owner’s complaint for indemnity and contribution)

       Casimir v. KONE, Inc., 31 Misc.3d 132(A), 927 N.Y.S.2d 814, 2011 WL 1447745 (N.Y.Sup.App.Term 2d Dep’t (2011)) (affirming trial court’s dismissal of Plaintiff’s complaint as sanction for false deposition testimony and false pleading)

       Whemco-Ohio Foundry, Inc. v. The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, (U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio Case, No. 10-cv-01531 (2011)) (attaining defense verdict for equipment breakdown insurer in multi-million dollar insurance coverage/bad faith litigation brought by a heavy steel industry manufacturer)

       McIntyre v. The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co., Index No. 24658/04 (N.Y. Supreme Court, Bronx County (2011)) (granting summary judgment and dismissing claims of negligent inspection and maintenance of building heating boiler alleged to have resulted in personal injury)

Mr. O'Connor is admitted to practice before all New York State Courts, the Federal Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mr. O'Connor is a former infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps. He served on active duty in the Marine Corps from 1989-1996, 2002-2003.