Sarah Schaeffer-Roth

Partner

Sarah.Roth@lewisbrisbois.com

Sarah Schaeffer-Roth is a partner in the New York office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the Products Liability Practice.  With a focus on mass torts and product liability, Sarah’s practice involves defending Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries against complex tort suits as both national coordinating counsel and local counsel directing nationwide mass-tort litigation with extensive knowledge in asbestos and talc litigation. With over 15 years of experience, Sarah’s practice focuses not only on defending companies in litigation but also on counseling clients on ways to quickly resolve disputes. 

Sarah is a strong team leader, with proven success partnering with clients and other professionals to execute innovative litigation strategies.  She has jury trial experience and substantial experience with medical and other expert testimony and evaluation, as well as extensive experience taking depositions and all aspects of discovery, motion practice, and settling cases.  She has represented mass torts defendants from various industries including the industrial machinery sector, building materials industry, financial sector as well as luxury goods products.  Sarah also represented a major financial institution in the defense of claims from alleged injury due to performing clean-up work at the World Trade Center site.  Sarah works with clients in various complex commercial litigation matters at both the trial and appellate level, including having won a major successor liability case in the New York State Court of Appeals.

In addition, Sarah takes an active role in pro bono matters.  She has assisted victim’s of domestic violence in a multitude of proceedings including a custody trial.  Sarah has also assisted in a successful political asylum case.  An active member of her community, Sarah was a key driver of the Junior League of Central Westchester’s Board of Directors creating and leading the strategic implementation of the first Diaper Bank in the tri-state area in partnership with the Office of the Westchester County Executive as well as the New York State Department of Social Services. 

Primary Area(s) of Practice

  • Products Liability
  • Asbestos Litigation
  • Toxic Tort & Environmental Litigation

Additional Experience

Admissions

New York

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York

Associations

  • New York County Lawyers’ Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Education

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Juris Doctor, 2003

Binghamton University, State University of New York

Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 1999

Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV

Certificat de Civilization Française, 1999

Foreign Languages

French

Representative Matters

  • Seen, Individually and as Temporary Administrator of the Estate of Munir Seen, Deceased v. 84 Lumber, Co., et al., New York State Supreme Court Index No. 190225/2018 (successful preclusion of key former employee testimony prior to trial.)
  • Anthony Assenzio, as Administrator for the Estate of Leopold Assenzio v. ALCOA, New York State Supreme Court Index No. 190287/2010 (successful summary judgment motion dismissal in wrongful death suit where decedent alleged asbestos exposure to client’s product.  Court dismissed case despite various co-workers claiming similar exposure at decedent’s work sites.)
  • Peter Komiak v. A.O. Smith Water Products Co., et al., New York State Supreme Court Index No. 190320/2017 (secured client stipulated dismissal with unopposed motion for summary judgment based on Ivers progeny, see below.)
  • Salvatore Lucchese as Personal Representative for the Estate of Faro Lucchese and Josephine Lucchese, Individually v. A.O. Smith Water Products Co., et al., New York State Supreme Court Index No. 190323/2017 (secured client stipulated dismissal with unopposed motion for summary judgment based on Ivers progeny, see below.)
  • Timothy J. Ivers and Tara V. McLaughlin, New York State Supreme Court Index No. 190279/2016 (novel case successfully dismissing plaintiff’s claim on summary judgment where client had been in bankruptcy during the decedent’s deposition.  Court agreed Decedent’s product identification testimony was not admissible and that prior corporate representative testimony did not raise a triable issue of fact.)
  • In re World Trade Center Disaster Site Litigation, United States District Court, Southern District, 21 MC 102 (successful mass dismissal of claims against premises owner.)
  • American Standard, Inc. v. Oakfabco, Inc. New York Court of Appeals, 14 NY3d 99 (2010) (seminal case on successor liability issue of boiler company asset purchase agreement where Court held in favor of client that purchaser assumed asbestos liabilities pursuant to the parties’ agreement. Ms. Schaeffer-Roth litigated case from trial court summary judgment phase, through First Department appeal and eventually perfected the appeal with the Court of Appeals.)
  • Tancredi v. A.C.& S., Inc. (In re N.Y. City Asbestos Litig.), New York State First Department, 6 AD3d 352 (seminal case in the NYCAL establishing that co-Defendants’ could pursue Article 16 claims against bankrupt tortfeasors.  Court of Appeals dismissed Plaintiffs’ appeal on alternate grounds.)