Steven J. Joffee

Steven was part of the team of attorneys who drafted the prevailing party’s brief in the precedent setting case, AOSI v. U.S. Aid, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from placing conditions on federal funding to private organizations that require the organization to adopt and publicly profess a viewpoint that mirrors the government’s view but is not held by the organization itself. 

He also prevailed in Evans Development v. Salt Lake City Corporation, in which the Utah Supreme Court held that a condemning authority had exceeded the limits of its authority to take property through the exercise of eminent domain power.

Other notable representative experience includes:

• Obtained a unanimous jury verdict in favor of a major oil and gas corporation in a breach of contract case against the Utah Department of Transportation and a private subcontractor. The client was awarded more than $1 million dollars after a week-long jury trial, as well as 100% of the client’s attorney fees and recoverable costs.  Steven also successfully defended the jury verdict on appeal before the Utah Court of Appeals.
• Successfully defended an insurance company against multi-million dollar claims alleging breach of contract and tortious interference, obtaining a settlement shortly after finishing opening statements in a jury trial.
• Achieved a unanimous jury verdict awarding a property developer nearly $2 million in just compensation in an eminent domain case involving property taken by the State of Utah.