Steven is the Chair of the firm’s Trust and Estate Practice Group and has 30 years of in-depth experience representing individual and corporate executors, trustees, guardians, conservators, beneficiaries, and heirs in all aspects of litigation practice in the Surrogate’s Courts and Probate Courts throughout New York and Connecticut.
His court work includes contested Wills and Trusts, disputes over ownership of a decedent’s property and closely-held corporate and business interests, contested accountings, discovery proceedings, fiduciary investment disputes, claim proceedings, contests to remove executors and trustees, enforcement of spousal rights, and contested guardianship/conservatorships.
Prior to joining this firm in 2015, he served for 21 years as the lead Trusts and Estates litigator at the offices of Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan on Park Avenue, N.Y., White Plains, N.Y., and Greenwich, CT. Steven clerked at the Chief Counsel’s Office/Department of Justice, Washington D.C. and in the Law Dept. of the N.Y. County Surrogate’s Court.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
Steven’s cases have been selectively cited in treatises on Surrogate’s Court practice. For example, Matter of Carpenter, 2015 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 31 (Sur. Ct. New York County 2015), expanded the jurisdiction of the Court to include proceedings to recover possession of real estate in landlord/tenant disputes, as discussed in 34 Bender’s Forms for the Civil Practice, Form SCPA §1904:1; 1 Warren’s Heaton on Surrogate’s Courts @1.02, 2.06; and 15 Warren’s Heaton on Surrogate’s Courts 042015-1. In Re Reichberg, 283 A.D.2d 650, 725 NYS2d 853 (2d Dep’t 2001), is an Appellate case that concerns the right of a trustee to obtain legal fees against a trust beneficiary that failed to appear for a court-scheduled deposition. Steven defended the trustee against a damage claim of $25 million, and settled the case for $600,000. Reichberg is cited under the case annotations of the N.Y. Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR §3126) and N.Y. Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA §201).
Case examples:
• Matter of Baldassare – defended a trustee in contested business transactions by denying an objectant summary judgment on 45 filed objections to the trustee’s accounting (Westchester County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Brown – on behalf of a beneficiary compelled a trustee’s accounting and forced the liquidation and distribution of one of the largest auto dealerships on Long Island (Nassau County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Luger – negotiated and settled a Will contest on terms favorable to the estate (New York County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Panebianco – negotiated and settled a Will contest on terms favorable to the charitable beneficiaries (Westchester County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Schussler – on behalf of an executor, defeated an application to obtain limited letters in an international U.S./German estate (New York County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Zucker – negotiated and settled a Will contest on terms favorable to the executor (Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court).
• In Re Crosby – successfully defended the executors and trustees of the founder of Resorts International in contests concerning $250 million (NY County Surrogate’s Court and FL Probate Court).
• Matter of Bell – successfully defended the executors and trustees in a property dispute over ownership and disposition of 400 acres of real property in Westchester County (Westchester County Surrogate’s Court and CT Probate Court, New Canaan).
• Matter of Clark – represented decedent’s family as beneficiaries in damage claims filed against an executor for breach of his fiduciary duty, negligence and loss to commercial property (CT Probate Court, Darien).
• Matter of Sanchez – successfully represented a noted artist’s family in a Will contest concerning property and artwork involving claims of fraud and undue influence (NY County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Matura – represented decedent’s family in a proceeding to remove an executor and trustee on claims concerning ownership of multiple closely-held business interests (Nassau County Surrogate’s Court).
• Matter of Haight – successfully defended a corporate trustee against claims in a contested trust accounting (CT Probate Court, Greenwich).
• Matter of K. – vacated a Probate Court’s Order of Conservatorship allowing the conserved person to leave CT and return to her rightful home in Michigan (CT Probate Court, Norwalk).
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Judge for the National Collegiate American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), Championship Series (2024)
• Board of Directors and Counsel, Stratton Real Property Association (2010-2020)
• Child Advocate, Lawyers for Children America Foundation, trials in the CT Superior Court terminating parental rights to allow adoption of abused minors (2006-2011)
• Board of Directors & President, Babe Ruth Baseball (2009-2011)
• Board of Directors, American Red Cross Westchester County (2000-2003)
• Town of Greenwich Government (RTM), Claims Litigation Committee and Budget Overview Committee (1996-2003)
MEMBERSHIPS
• New York State Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association, Trusts & Estates Section
• Connecticut State Bar Association
