Steve’s current practice focuses on helping clients with significant consumer and real estate transactions and related litigation. He has practiced law since 1992 and has lived in the South Sound communities of Dupont and Olympia since 1996. He clerked for the Honorable Judge Joseph Thibodeau of the Snohomish County Superior Court before joining the Washington State Attorney General’s Office in 1993. As an Assistant Attorney General Steve enjoyed a 23 year career representing a diverse group of state agencies and employees in many federal and state courts and administrative forums (see highlights below).
Steve grew up in Ellensburg, Washington and graduated cum laude with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from WSU in 1984. He worked as a petroleum engineer in California before returning home to attend law school at the University of Washington. He graduated from UW Law School with high honors in law in the top 10% of the class of 1992. Steve was a member of the Order of the Coif and the editorial staff of the Washington Law Review and he authored a published law review comment about tribal sovereign immunity.
Since 1996, Steve has been happily married to Paige Dietrich, a senior managing attorney
at the AGO. They have two lovely daughters, Olivia and Chloe, both of whom attended
Chloe Clark Elementary, Centennial Elementary, Washington Middle School and Olympia High School.
Sampling of Steve’s notable litigation (more links coming soon):
- Negotiated pre-filing settlement of foreign exchange pricing claims against custodial bank for $11.7 million.
- For a Reuters article on the ground breaking settlement click here. Steve is quoted in another article on public pension fund lawsuits leading the fight against unfair foreign exchange pricing.
- Click here for yet another article on problems in the fx trading industry.
- Led Medicaid Fraud investigation resulting in shut down of major opioid pill mill operation.
- For a Seattle Times series on the Seattle Pain Centers case click here.
- Negotiated pre-filing settlement of Medicaid fraud claims against school district.
- Local news article about the case.
- School district internal report.
- For a KOMO TV report on the settlement click here.
- Derivative fraud litigation against school district’s consultants.
- Filed state’s first intervention complaint under Medicaid Fraud Control Act.
- Conviction in felony Medicaid fraud trial. Click here for AGO press release.
- Summary judgment over a pro se Tim Eyman in fiscal impact statement case.
- For an amusing Olympian article opining that Eyman “pretty much lost his shorts” click here.
- Additional coverage in the Spokesman Review.
- Led defense of affirmative action program resulting in groundbreaking federal appellate decision.
- Click here for 9th Circuit opinion.
- Click here for Professor LaNoue’s 2017 law review article about the case.
- From 2001 – 2008 lead counsel for Department of Transportation in federal litigation that eventually led to a ground breaking decision regarding treaty tribes’ right to restore salmon habitat damage by culverts under state highways.
- Click here for recent Ninth Circuit decision.
- Led successful defense of affirmative action program.
- Click here for state Court of Appeals decision.
- State Supreme Court victory in eminent domain attorney’s fee case.
- Click here for Supreme Court decision.
- State Supreme Court victory in prejudgment interest on arbitration award case.
- Click here for Supreme Court decision.
- State Supreme Court victory in constitutional challenge to trails appropriation.
- Click here for Supreme Court decision.
- State Court of Appeals victories in highway-induced flooding cases.
- Click here for decision in Shoreline case. Click here for Kitsap case.
- State Court of Appeals victories in highway access management cases.
- Click here for Galvis decision. Click here for Brownlow decision.
- Pre-trial settlement of tribal federal claims arising from DOT’s intrusion into Lower Elwha burial grounds of Tse-whit-zen. Click here for an interesting wikipedia entry.
- Click here for an article on the legal settlement.
- State Court of Appeals victories in termination of parental rights cases.
Contact Steve: