Steven F. Benz

Steven F. Benz focuses his practice on antitrust, unfair competition, class action and complex commercial cases in federal and state courts throughout the country.  He has more than twenty-five years of litigation experience throughout the United States and has served as counsel of record in more than 130 litigated cases, trials, and appeals.

As a partner at the firm, Mr. Benz has prosecuted leading edge cases  involving in part the intersection of competition law and intellectual property rights, including monopolization, price fixing, and class actions under federal and state law; direct and indirect purchaser claims under state antitrust and unfair competition laws; breach of contract, fraudulent transfer and deceptive trade practices litigation.

Mr. Benz currently represents Veeva Systems Inc. in antitrust claims against Quintiles IMS Incorporated in Quintiles IMS Inc. v. Veeva Systems Inc. (No. 2:17-cv-00177) (D.N.J.).  Veeva is alleging that IMS has abused monopoly power as the dominant provider of data products for life sciences companies to exclude Veeva’s lines of business from their respective markets.

Mr. Benz also currently represents:

• the trustee for Ritz Camera & Image, LLC, CPM Electronics Inc., and E.S.E Electronics, Inc. and the certified direct purchaser class in Alfred T. Guliano, et al. v. SanDisk Corporation, Case No. CV 10-02787-SBA (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Armstrong), in a Walker Process (fraud on the Patent and Trademark Office) Sherman Act monopolization case;
• a corporate client and the direct purchaser class in MDL No. 2420, In Re: Lithium Ion Batteries Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 4:13-md-02420-YGR (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Rogers); and
• a corporate client and the certified direct purchaser class in MDL No. 1917, In Re: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 3:07-cv-05944-JST (N.D. Cal.) (Judge Tigar).

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Iowa
• Maryland
• Minnesota

Court Admissions

• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States District Court for the District of Columbia
• United States District Court for the District of Maryland
• United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
• Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Firm Description:

Kellogg Hansen specializes in complex trial and appellate litigation.  Our lawyers are highly qualified, credentialed, and experienced.  Our lawyers have extensive experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in trials and appeals throughout the United States.  We pride ourselves on the exceptional results we achieve for our clients.

Kellogg Hansen is a trial and appellate litigation firm based in Washington, D.C.  We specialize in litigating complex and high-stakes matters for our clients throughout the country and we regularly take cases to verdict at trial and argue before the United States Supreme Court and other appellate courts.  We represent both plaintiffs and defendants, giving us a balanced view from both sides of litigation.  Our clients include Fortune 100 companies, investment and financial services firms, entrepreneurial start-ups, States and instrumentalities of the U.S. and foreign governments, and individuals.

Our roster of talented attorneys includes former Assistant United States Attorneys, Assistants to the Solicitor General, an Assistant Attorney General, and attorneys who have held senior positions in the White House, Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State.  Almost all of our partners and associates have served as law clerks for federal judges on the United States Courts of Appeals, and nearly one-quarter have clerked for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

Although we regularly take on matters that do not fit neatly into a single category, we have expertise in complex commercial litigation, Supreme Court and appellate litigation, antitrust, class actions, Delaware corporate law and fiduciary duty matters, governmental investigations, white-collar criminal defense, securities fraud, intellectual property, products liability, and telecommunications.

Seasoned Trial Lawyers

Our firm frequently takes cases to trial on behalf of our clients in “bet-the-company” litigation.  Our trial lawyers relish the opportunity to go to trial and are experienced in trying cases to juries, judges, and arbitration panels.  Our lawyers have been lead counsel in more than 100 federal and state trials and private arbitrations.  The firm’s attorneys have written about and taught trial and appellate advocacy in programs at the Federal Judicial Center and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

The firm’s trial lawyers win for our clients.  Our lawyers, acting as lead trial counsel, have won a $1.2 billion jury verdict on behalf of a plaintiff class in an antitrust case in Kansas; a defense verdict in a bench trial in which the plaintiff sought more than $9 billion in damages in a fraudulent conveyance case in Texas; a $318.75 million jury verdict on behalf of a technology start-up in a fraud and unfair trade practices case in North Carolina; and a $1.1 billion jury verdict on behalf of a plaintiff company in an antitrust case in Kentucky.  The firm has been co-lead counsel representing the National Credit Union Administration in obtaining recoveries in excess of $4.3 billion for defective mortgage-backed securities against a wide range of Wall Street banks.

Renowned Supreme Court and Appellate Advocates

The firm’s appellate lawyers have achieved exceptional results for our clients.  Our lawyers have won significant cases in the Supreme Court of the United States in each of the past twelve Terms — including important antitrust decisions (Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Pacific Bell Telephone Co. v. linkLine Communications, Inc.), significant securities rulings (Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds and Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. v. Siracusano), and landmark preemption cases (Wyeth v. Levine and Altria Group, Inc. v. Good).  During the Supreme Court’s October 2010, 2011, and 2012 Terms, five different firm lawyers argued a total of seventeen merits cases.  Our attorneys have also argued in every federal court of appeals, as well as many state intermediate appellate and supreme courts.  The firm’s appellate practitioners are leading authorities on Supreme Court and appellate practice and procedure, having published multiple books and articles on Supreme Court and appellate advocacy.  Multiple national publications have recognized the firm for its appellate expertise, and The National Law Journal included the firm on its “Appellate Hot List” for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016.

Experienced Counsel to Corporations and Individuals in Government and Internal Investigations

Our lawyers have broad experience representing businesses and individuals in complex criminal, administrative, and civil enforcement proceedings.  We frequently represent clients in parallel state, federal, and civil proceedings in financial and commercial matters.  We conduct internal investigations on behalf of multinational clients seeking to manage and resolve liability under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, state and federal securities laws, and the antitrust laws, among other criminal and regulatory regimes.  We appear frequently before the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as before federal and state regulatory agencies, in connection with these matters.  The firm’s lawyers are among the nation’s leading authorities on securities and antitrust enforcement.

Trial-Ready Intellectual Property and Patent Practice

The firm also has a substantial and successful patent litigation practice.  We regularly try patent cases to juries and pride ourselves on our ability to make complex technology understandable to non-specialist judges and jurors.  We represent both patent holders and accused infringers in cases involving a broad spectrum of technologies, including, in recent years, digital video recorders, video compression technology, optical disc drives, medical ultrasound equipment, e-commerce services, telecommunications equipment and services, and a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and formulations.

Unparalleled Expertise in Telecommunications Law

Our firm regularly represents major telecommunications providers in judicial and administrative proceedings at the federal and state levels.  Our attorneys are leading authors and speakers on telecommunications law and policy and continue to do path-breaking work in shaping telecommunications law.

We invite you to learn more about us through this website or by contacting us directly.