Steve Bell
Steve defended major aviation accidents globally, achieving significant legal victories in aircraft crash litigation.
Steve Bell has advised aircraft manufacturers on aircraft accident investigations and defended claims arising from some of the worst aviation accidents in history, including TWA Flight 800, Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie, Air India Flight 182, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the friendly-fire shoot down of two U.S. Army helicopters by U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots over Northern Iraq and Special Operations Aviation Regiment crashes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In his defense of crash cases across the United States and overseas, Steve has obtained the first affirmances by the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Third, Sixth and Ninth Circuits of summary judgment rulings on government contractor defense grounds in aircraft crash litigation. Additional experience highlights include these trial victories:
- Government of Bolivia, et al. v. The Boeing Company (S.D. Fla.)
Obtained a defense verdict following a month-long trial in a case involving a jet that crashed after takeoff, killing or seriously injuring over 150 persons and damaging a government-owned soccer stadium. - Church v. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. (E.D. Mo.)
After a trial to judge under admiralty law, the court ruled that our client's ejection seat did not cause the death of an U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.
As co-chair of the firm's Rotorcraft group, Steve has advised clients on hundreds of investigations involving helicopters and tiltrotors. In addition to representing rotorcraft manufacturers, he has represented pilots, operators, airports and owners of wires or cables struck by aircraft.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- UC Berkeley School of Law, (formerly Boalt Hall), J.D., Order of the Coif, Research Editor, California Law Review, 1973
- University of Washington, B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1970
Bar and Court Admissions
-
Washington
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Professional Recognition
Ranked by Chambers USA as "America's Leading Lawyer" in Transportation: Aviation: Litigation, 2010-2023
Ranked by Chambers USA as a "Senior Statespeople," 2021-2023
Listed in Who's Who Legal: Transport, 2014-present
Recognized in The Legal 500, Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense: Aerospace / Aviation, 2014-2015
Named a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500 for Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense: Aerospace / Aviation, 2015
Listed in The International Who's Who of Aviation Lawyers, 2012-present
Listed in Expert Guides, "World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers," 2010-present
Listed in Expert Guides, "World's Leading Aviation Lawyers," 2004-present
Listed as a "Leading Lawyers" in Legal 500, Product Liability, 2007-present
Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
(AV®, BV® and CV® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.)
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Vice-Chair, ABA Aviation and Space Law Committee, 2001-2004
News
Professional Experience
Experience
**Koutsoubos v. Boeing Vertol
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
**Tate v. Boeing Helicopters
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
**Getz v. The Boeing Company
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Obtained the first affirmances by the third, sixth and ninth circuits of summary judgment rulings, on the grounds of government contractor defense, in aircraft crash litigation.
**These three cases involved an Army Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47E crash in Afghanistan during a mission to capture a high-value al-Qaida target, an Army CH-47D crash during external load training at Ft. Campbell and a Navy HH-46A crash during training off the coast of Florida.
Flanigan v. Westwind Technologies, Inc.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Obtained summary judgment, on grounds of combatant activities, in litigation arising from an Army AH-64D that crashed in Afghanistan while responding to rocket attacks on Kandahar Air Field.
Mounsey v. Allied-Signal
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Obtained summary judgment on the basis of state secrets privilege in litigation arising from an U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots’ shoot down of U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters over Northern Iraq following the pilots’ mistaken identification of them as Russian or Iraqi helicopters.
Government of The United Kingdom v. The Boeing Company
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Obtained a ruling that a British government’s arbitration proceeding against an aircraft manufacturer could not be consolidated with the government’s arbitration proceeding against the engine manufacturer. The U.K. subsequently dismissed arbitration proceeding against our client.
Government of Bolivia, Et Al. v. The Boeing Company
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Triumphed with a defense verdict following a month-long trial. The case involved a jet that crashed after takeoff, killing or seriously injuring over 150 persons and damaging a government-owned soccer stadium.
Church v. Martin-Baker Aircraft Co.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
Prevailed in a case in which following a trial to judge under admiralty law, the court ruled that our client’s ejection seat did not cause the death of an U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.