Stephen Novakidis

Full Profile

Stephen Novakidis is an experienced defense attorney who focuses his practice on complex product liability, toxic tort, mass tort, and personal injury litigation in state and federal court. Stephen is a first-chair trial attorney with more than two decades of experience in courtrooms across the country. Well-versed in high-stakes, sophisticated litigation, Stephen represents prominent national and international corporations in a range of industries, including premises owners, contractors, and manufacturers and distributors of industrial equipment, chemicals, consumer, and intermediary goods. Stephen has served as National Coordinating Counsel, Regional Counsel, Local Counsel, and National Trial Counsel for numerous Fortune 100 companies. He is recognized in the industry an experienced professional in talcum powder litigation, having chaired the nation’s largest talc litigation conference since its inception.

Companies seek Stephen’s counsel in devising innovative and creative defense tactics to meet their immediate legal needs while advancing their long-term business goals. He is skilled in implementing comprehensive defense strategy to assist clients with managing their risks arising in multi-jurisdiction, high-risk litigation. With more than two decades of experience, Stephen has successfully defended thousands of cases pending across the country. He routinely works with industry leaders across a variety of subject areas to identify and cultivate innovative and cutting-edge strategies to minimize his client’s financial exposures, pursuing innovative and science-backed defenses to obtain favorable results.

As national coordinating counsel for several clients, Stephen has overseen discovery matters across the United States and crafted comprehensive defense strategies, from pre-discovery phase through trial, for a nation-wide docket.

Before joining Clyde & Co, Stephen practiced at several national and international law firms specializing in complex product liability and toxic tort litigation.

Admissions

• New York
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• US District Courts for the Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York
• US District Court for the District of Connecticut

Education

• J.D., St. John’s University School of Law, 2001
• B.A., Long Island University – C.W. Post College, 1998

Memberships

• New York State Bar Association
• American Bar Association

Experience

• First-chair trial counsel in a jury trial involving a plaintiff who had died of Mesothelioma. Plaintiff's estate claimed that the Mesothelioma was caused by his exposure to asbestos-containing products associated with residential boiler work. Following an eight-week trial, obtained a unanimous defense verdict from the jury on all issues, despite another defendant receiving an adverse verdict. Was the first successful rejection of Plaintiff’s counsel’s attempt to include a recklessness charge as against a defendant in the New York City Asbestos Litigation.   
• First-chair trial counsel in numerous trials involving claims of alleged Mesothelioma and lung cancer across all courts in New York State. Trials conducted on behalf of manufacturers of cosmetic products and industrial equipment such as boilers, turbines, pumps, pizza ovens, jewelry, dental products, automotive products, insulation manufacturers/suppliers, and others. Successfully argued numerous summary judgment motions on issues involving medical causation, damages, liability, and others.  
• Successfully defended the estate of a former catholic priest involved in claims of sexual abuse by a former parishioner.

Presentations

• Chair, Perrin National Talc Litigation Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2025
• Chair, Perrin National Talc Litigation Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2024
• Chair, Perrin National Talc Litigation Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2023
• Panelist, Perrin Mass Tort Litigation Conference, New York, NY, June 2021
• Panelist, Perrin New York Asbestos Litigation Conference, New York, NY, December 2020
• Panelist, Perrin New York Asbestos Litigation Conference, New York, NY, December 2018
• Panelist, DRI Asbestos Symposium, Las Vegas, NV, November 2017
• Panelist, Perrin New York Asbestos Litigation Conference, New York, NY, December 2015