- Lifetime Member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Selected as Super Lawyers "Rising Star", 2018-2021
- Best Labor & Employment Attorneys
- by the American Institute of Legal Counsel in Labor and Employment Law
- "Lead Counsel" rated by Thomson Reuters
Steven Fingerhut is a Partner at Phillips & Associates. He takes an aggressive approach to the representation of his clients and is proud to give a voice to those who may otherwise have none. Mr. Fingerhut has obtained over $10 Million in settlements for his clients in the past five years.
Most recently, in January 2024, Steven Fingerhut received a Plaintiff’s verdict and an award of $260,000 for his client after successfully trying hostile work environment, retaliation, and defamation claims, in the Eastern District of New York. Smart v. USA Labor for Hire, Inc., et al., Case No.: 1:20-cv-5594 (TAM). The jury found that Ms. Smart was subjected to unlawful discrimination on the basis of her sex and race, and that she was terminated in retaliation for her objections to unlawful harassment.
In March 2022, Steven Fingerhut successfully tried a sexual harassment case to verdict in Queens County Supreme Court. He obtained a unanimous jury verdict for his client who was employed by the Defendants for less than 2 weeks. The Defendants were found guilty of sexual harassment, assault, battery, and an unlawful constructive discharge of the Plaintiff. The case was Grant v. Pexie Enterprises, Inc. and Carl A. Lashley, Index No.: 704041/2015. Defendants were represented by the Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington. On March 30, 2022, the jury reached a verdict and awarded $112,000 in damages to the Plaintiff. The jury further found that Plaintiff was not guilty of any of the counterclaims that were filed against her.
Notable results by Steven Fingerhut also include a $900,000 settlement on behalf of an office manager who suffered severe sexual harassment, a $2,000,000 settlement on behalf of construction workers who were subjected to pervasive race discrimination, and an $800,000 settlement on behalf of a C-Suite executive who was terminated from his job due to his age.
Previously, Steven Fingerhut, with co-counsel, also obtained a judgment at trial in the amount of $77,054.64 for their client who was discriminated against by her supervisor and wrongfully terminated from her employment due to her pregnancy. They successfully presented sufficient evidence and testimony for the jury to return a unanimous verdict in Plaintiff's favor. Weng v. Fancy Lee Sushi Bar & Grill, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183657 (E.D.N.Y., Nov. 18, 2017).
Mr. Fingerhut also litigated and prevailed in one of New York’s first Paid Family Leave cases filed in the state. In Regard to Stacey E. Johnson, PFL Case No. 000009 (May 2021). His client, Stacey Johnson, was found to have been wrongfully terminated from her employment at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. Specifically, Vassar Brothers Medical Center terminated Ms. Johnson while she was on approved and protected leave, caring for her infant son, who was undergoing emergency surgery. The judge ordered that Ms. Johnson was entitled to monetary compensation for having suffered damages from Vassar Brothers.
Steven is committed to providing vigorous representation to individuals who have suffered from employment discrimination in New York City and State, and New Jersey, and need an attorney to protect their rights. He is a zealous advocate of those who have suffered sexual harassment or discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, disability, and other protected traits. He is an active member of the National Employment Lawyers Association. In 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 he was selected by SuperLawyers as a "Rising Star" in New York. SuperLawyers recognizes no more than 2.5% of attorneys as Rising Stars in each state. Mr. Fingerhut has also been recognized by various other legal organizations such as the American Institute of Legal Counsel and the Lead Counsel Review Board. Lastly, he is a lifetime member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates forum, which is comprised of lawyers who have either settled or received a verdict of at least $2 Million.
Mr. Fingerhut routinely represents people who suffer harassment which constitutes a hostile work environment in the workplace. Harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is unwelcome conduct that is based on one or more of the enumerated protected characteristics. To be actionable, harassment must be severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would find hostile or in which enduring harassment becomes a condition of employment. Title VII applies to businesses with 15 or more workers. No employer may take employment action against an employee or prospective employee based on a protected characteristic. In other words, decisions about hiring, termination, promotion, compensation, or other terms of employment may not be based on race, color, national origin, or other protected traits.
Steven advocates for individuals who have suffered harassment at large, Fortune 500 companies, as well as smaller companies with fewer than 10 employees. Harassment could include epithets, slurs, physical assaults, intimidation, mockery, offensive pictures, or other interference with a worker's ability to perform their job. An employer is automatically liable if a supervisor takes an employment action that is adverse to an employee based on a protected characteristic. Mr. Fingerhut also represents people who are unlawfully retaliated against after engaging in a protected activity. It is unlawful for an employer to retaliate against its employees for opposing any employment practice that discriminates based on a protected characteristic or for filing a discrimination charge.
Steven Fingerhut graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in mathematics and a minor in art history in 2010. He graduated from Albany Law School in May 2013. Early in his legal career, Mr. Fingerhut clerked for the Honorable Lawrence E. Kahn in Federal District Court for the Northern District of New York where he gained valuable insight into the federal judiciary. He then worked in private practice at a small firm in the area of employment law with a focus on FINRA matters. Mr. Fingerhut has been fighting for employee rights with Phillips & Associates since 2015.
Admitted to Practice
- State of New York
- State of New Jersey
- Southern District of New York
- Eastern District of New York
- Northern District of New York
- Western District of New York
- District of New Jersey
- Second Circuit Court of Appeals
