Steve Sumner

Practice Areas

Competitor Misconduct

Complex Business Litigation

Employment Law

False Claims Act Whistleblower

Global Investigations

Information Technology

Internal Corporate Investigations

Pre-litigation advice and dispute resolution

Qui Tam Litigation

Whistleblower Lawsuits

Whistleblower Retaliation

White-Collar Criminal Defense

Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Injury

About Steve

Steve Sumner is a nationally-recognized trial lawyer, having tried both civil and criminal cases that drew nationwide attention. For over 20 years, he has represented Fortune 500 companies and individuals in high profile disputes throughout the country.

Steve focuses his practice on large scale competitor misconduct cases, which include fraud matters, competitor fraud disputes, whistleblower cases, trade secret protection, antitrust lawsuits, and major internal corporate investigations. In recent years, Steve has protected international outsourcing companies in pre-litigation negotiations, trials, and arbitrations. With his vast experience, Steve also adeptly represents corporate clients and individuals in cases where the client has both criminal and civil exposure.

Steve was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas.

Upon graduation from high school, Steve signed a professional baseball contract to be a pitcher with the Houston Astros. For the next four years, Steve pitched for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Senators. During his off seasons, he would attend college at North Texas State University (now The University of North Texas). His baseball career was shortened due to a shoulder injury, which allowed him to return to college on a full-time basis and then to law school.

Steve graduated from North Texas State University with a BBA in business administration and finance. Steve then attended South Texas College of Law and worked as a law clerk for the law firm of Talbert Giessel & Stone during his law school years. Steve graduated from South Texas College of Law with a juris doctorate degree.

After graduation from law school, Steve returned to Dallas where he joined the law firm of Burelson, Pate & Gibson. Initially, and as it is today, Steve focused his practice on civil litigation. During the early years of Steve’s career, he was fortunate to have worked under the tutelage of Phil Burleson and Racehorse Haynes.

Steve is a founding principal of Sumner Schick, which was established in 1986.

Experience

  • Successfully defended Cullen Davis in all 3 criminal capital murder and solicitation of capital murder trials.
  • Member of the Cullen Davis criminal defense team.
    • Mentored by Richard “Racehorse” Haynes from Houston, Steve directed the investigation and acted as one of the four trial lawyers who successfully defended Mr. Davis in three high profile trials, including capital murder charges and solicitation of capital murder charges, which resulted in an acquittal of Mr. Davis on all charges.
    • Five books chronicle Steve’s work on the cases, including Texas v. Davis by Mike Cochran and Blood Will Tell by Gary Cartwright, as well as a made for television movie and an hour feature on the A&E Criminal Justice series.
    • Fort Worth, Tarrant County District Attorney Tim Curry: “The man who won the case for them was Steve Sumner…They put Priscilla [Davis] on trial and Steve was the one coming with all the dirt. Whatever they paid him, it wasn’t enough.” (as quoted in Texas v. Davis, p. 529).
  • Lead trial counsel for the World Boxing Council in a libel/slander civil lawsuit filed against Howard Cosell and the New York Post in Federal Court in New York City.
  • As lead counsel, successfully defended Mr. Davis in the wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by Priscilla Davis in a very high profile month long trial in Fort Worth.
    • The case was featured in the epilogue of Texas v. Davis by Mike Cochran.
  • Successfully defended Ricky Kyle in Los Angeles against charges of murdering his father, after two trials and fifteen months in the courtroom.
    • Ulterior Motives, a book written by Suzanne Finstead, featured the cases.
    • The television news shows A Current Affair and Hardcopy featured the case.
    • The television show The Dominick Dunne Hour featured the case.
    • The case was featured on the television show Investigation ID in the “Behind Mansion Walls” series, episode entitled “Beverly Hills Kids”.
  • Represented Barbara Piotrowski in a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Houston in a very high profile, month long civil trial, in federal court in Houston, Texas.
    • The jury awarded a verdict of $38 million to Ms. Piotrowski.
    • The Piotrowski case is chronicled in the book Sleeping with the Devil by Suzanne Finstad.
  • Represented Amanda Dealey in a wrongful death civil jury trial against her brother over the murder of their father.
    • The trial was featured live daily, for over a month, on national television on Court TV. The jury awarded Steve’s client $26 million and found that Ms. Dealey’s brother had murdered their father.
    • The case was featured on the television programs Inside Edition and 20/20.
    • The jury awarded was affirmed on appeal by the Texas Court of Civil Appeals and was the largest verdict affirmed in Texas that year.
  • Represented companies in all varieties of competitor misconduct cases to protect each company’s interests against competitors.
  • Represented international companies in software implementation cases, both prosecuting and defending under complex commercial contracts.
  • Represented Fortune 500 company officers in an investigation of alleged backdating of stock options.
  • Represented Computer Sciences Corporation in a Qui Tam case in New York state, defending the client against claims involving Medicaid fraud.
  • Represented a Fortune 300 company in unfair competition and trade secret lawsuits.
  • Represented an international Fortune 300 company in copyright infringement and unfair competition federal lawsuit.
  • Represented outsourcing company in a lawsuit against the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association.
  • Represented companies in non-competition and non-solicitation disputes involving high level corporate officers.
  • Represented a company in employment disputes with high level former employee in Los Angeles, California.
  • Lead counsel in the defense of one of countries largest defense contractors in Tampa Florida for six years – successfully obtained dismissal of case.
  • Lead counsel in the defense of Fortune 500 Companies in Florida and Iowa – all cases were dismissed.
  • Lead counsel in the defense of a Fortune 300 Company in Albany, New York from allegations of fraud in the administration of processing of Medicare/ Medicaid claims for the State of New York for four years – Persuaded the Government to choose to not intervene and Relator chose to not go forward with the case.
  • Lead counsel in prosecuting cases for whistleblowers in the past and currently wherein millions of dollars have been recovered and awarded to his clients.
  • Represented individuals and corporations in high profile white collar criminal cases.
  • Tried an abusive tax shelter case in federal court in the Northern District of Texas against the federal government’s Abusive Tax Shelter Task Force, resulting in acquittal for his client. To this day, it is the only case the task force has lost.

Credentials

Education

  • South Texas College of Law (JD, 1975)
  • University of North Texas (BBA, 1971)
    • Finance and Financial Management

Bar Admissions

  • Texas

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern, Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Northern, Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Southern, Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Western, Texas
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Associations

  • Dallas Bar Association, Criminal Justice Committee
  • American Bar Association
  • University of North Texas Dallas College of Law, Founders Board Member
  • Dallas Bar Association, Former Chairman
  • Highland Park Methodist Church, Member
  • Highland Park Sports Club, Former President
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America Texas
  • Bar Foundation, Fellow, in recognition of outstanding professional ability and notable contributions to Administration of Justice
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member
  • Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Member
  • National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals, Lifetime Member