Representative Matters

Civil Rights
• • As a judge, presided over various civil cases that involved issues of municipal liability and civil rights
  • Represented municipal entity in civil rights actions alleging violations of federal and Nevada constitutional rights, including claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983
  • Defended prisoner rights and conditions of confinement cases, including claims of deliberate indifference to medical needs and ineffective assistance of counsel.
  • Litigated employment-related civil rights claims involving public employers, including First Amendment and procedural due process issues; briefed and argued issues before state and federal trial and appellate courts
  • Defended disability access and public accommodation claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state statutes
  • Litigated qualified immunity defenses and municipal liability claims involving counties, municipalities, and elected and appointed public officials; briefed and argued issues before state and federal trial and appellate courts
  • Defended civil matters involving alleged unlawful search and seizure, excessive force, due process and equal protection violations
Class Action & Mass Tort
• • As an attorney, represented parties in casino and hotel fire cases
  • Represented a party in commercial general liability class actions involving a 1031 tax exchange and misappropriation claims
  • As an attorney, represented governmental agency in purported class action arising out of the foster care system
Environmental Law
• • As an attorney, tried to verdict claims involving discrimination, wrongful termination, and related statutory and common law issues
  • As a judge, presided over appeals of workers’ compensation claims and addressed issues related to workers’ compensation coverage when raised in personal injury and insurance litigation matters
  • As an attorney, handled pre-litigation employment matters addressing workplace compliance, risk assessment and human resources practices
  • As an attorney, handled discrimination claims resolved at the dispositive motion stage, including matters involving age and race discrimination, with appellate review at the federal circuit level
Estate Probate Trusts
• The following probate, estate and trust matters were handled by Judge Sturman on the bench:

  • Contested probate proceedings involving trusts and estates
  • Guardianship matters and served on the Permanent Guardianship Commission
  • Contested guardianship matters involving financial accountings, appointment of guardians, determinations of competency and restoration to competency
  • Matters in which a party elected to exercise statutory right to confidentiality, including sealing and redacting documents in accordance with Supreme Court rules
  • Will, trust and intestate succession matters involving:
    • Contested wills and trusts, including disputes over:
      • Intestate succession, including determination of parentage
      • Will contests involving validity of testamentary instruments, including allegations of forgery and other issues with execution of the instrument
      • Ademption and extinction of specific bequests
      • Whether a decedent died intestate or testate, including revocation/lost wills and trusts
      • Classification of property, including determining community property interests
      • Interpretation of internation wills
      • Disputes over effect of foreign divorce and subsequent remarriage
    • Disputes involving powers of attorney, including statutory compliance issues (e.g., competency certifications)
    • Review of estate planning amendments prior to death of the settlor/testator
  • Capacity, undue influence and elder abuse matters involving:
    • Claims alleging common law and statutory allegations concerning:
      • Lack of testamentary or contractual capacity
      • Undue influence
      • Elder abuse
      • Challenges to transfer instruments benefiting the person receiving the transfer
  • Trustee conduct, fiduciary duty and administration matters involving:
    • Interpretation of Nevada irrevocable trust creation, amendment and administration issues
    • Breach of fiduciary duty claims against trustees
    • Trust accounting disputes and court-ordered accountings
    • Surcharge and clawback actions to remedy improper trustee conduct
    • Disputes over trust administration protocols and management decisions
  • Family and intra-heir disputes involving:
    • Intra-family conflicts among:
      • Siblings
      • Estranged family members
      • Children versus surviving spouses or significant others
    • Disputes involving blended families, second marriages and nontraditional relationships
    • Matters involving self-represented parties alongside represented parties
  • High-value and complex estate matters involving:
    • Multimillion-dollar and billion-dollar estates
    • Estates involving:
      • Closely held businesses
      • Family limited partnerships
      • Investment accounts
      • Real property portfolios
    • Disputes requiring valuation and allocation among multiple heirs or beneficiaries
  • Charitable and foundation interest matters involving:
    • Estate and trust disputes involving:
      • Domestic and foreign charitable foundations
      • Allocation of assets among charitable and individual beneficiaries
    • Matters requiring coordination among heirs, fiduciaries and charitable entities
  • Intellectual property and unique assets disputes involving:
    • Intellectual property, including music publishing rights, internet, film and television intellectual property
    • High-profile personal property and legacy assets
  • Conservatorship and guardianship disputes involving:
    • Cases addressing fiduciary authority, capacity and protection of vulnerable individuals

  As a settlement judge, mediator and arbitrator handled:

  • Extensive service as settlement judge, mediator and arbitrator in probate and trust disputes
  • Resolution of:
    • Multiparty disputes
    • Cases involving represented and self-represented litigants
    • Highly contentious family conflicts
  • Successful facilitation of binding settlements, frequently resulting in dismissals with prejudice
Governmental & Public Agency
• • As a judge, presided over cases involving governmental entities
    • Catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death and tort claims against public entities
    • Construction, public works and infrastructure disputes
    • Employment and labor disputes involving public entities
    • Civil rights and constitutional claims against governmental entities
    • High-profile, multijurisdictional enforcement and regulatory actions
  • As an attorney, handled civil rights, personal injury, wrongful death and professional negligence matters involving governmental entities and public agencies
  • As a judge, presided over code enforcement, permitting and land use issues such as inverse condemnation and eminent domain matters, including valuation disputes
  • As an attorney, served as a lawyer representative for the United States District Court for the District of Nevada
  • As an attorney, handled appellate matters involving civil rights and municipal liability issues arising from disputes involving public entities and employers
  • As an attorney, handled matters involving public agencies and political subdivisions concerning civil rights, employment, tort and contract issues, including matters involving large municipal and regional authorities
Personal Injury
• • As an attorney, handled complex, multiparty litigation arising from large-scale catastrophic events, including mass-casualty fire incidents
  • As an attorney, handled tort matters involving individuals, businesses and governmental entities, including personal injury and wrongful death claims
  • As a judge, presided over cases involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death, including:
    • Severe personal injury and fatality cases involving motor vehicles, construction, industrial, aviation, maritime and recreational accidents
    • Wrongful death claims ranging from single fatalities to mass-casualty events, requiring multiparty coordination among plaintiffs, defendants and insurers
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over motor vehicle and transportation matters, including:
    • Automobile, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, including UM/UIM claims and commercial carrier liability
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over product liability and toxic exposure matters, including:
    • Defective product design, manufacture or warning claims across industries (medical devices, vehicles, consumer products)
    • Asbestos exposure, lead paint, defective dietary supplements and medical device mass torts (hip replacement settlements)
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over premises and industrial liability matters, including:
    • Premises liability and public property safety cases
    • Claims against public entities for dangerous conditions, improper signage or unsafe construction zones
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over medical negligence and health care liability matters, including:
    • Medical malpractice involving misdiagnosis, negligent treatment and procedural errors
    • Nursing home negligence and elder abuse cases
    • Infectious disease and health-related injury claims, including disease transmission and toxic supplement injuries
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over sexual assault, abuse and emotional harm matters, including:
    • Sexual harassment, abuse and assault cases involving adults, minors and institutional defendants
    • Highly sensitive mediations involving trauma, psychological injury and reputational harm
Professional Liability
• • As an attorney, handled professional liability matters involving allied medical professionals, brokers, agents, accounting professionals and design professionals
  • As an attorney, tried professional liability matters to verdict, including disputes arising from allegedly defective commercial transactions and professional services
  • As an attorney, handled legal malpractice matters
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over professional negligence and malpractice across multiple disciplines:
    • Medical, dental, chiropractic and pharmaceutical negligence
    • Legal malpractice (negligent advice, missed deadlines, conflicts of interest)
    • Accounting and financial malpractice (audit errors, valuation disputes)
    • Architectural and engineering malpractice (defective design and construction plans)
    • Insurance broker negligence (failure to procure or advise on proper coverage)
    • Directors and officers (D&O) liability and real estate errors and omissions (E&O) disputes
    • Claims involving lack of consent, breach of professional duty and failure to meet standards of care
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over medical and health care liability, including:
    • Complex medical malpractice, including surgical negligence, failure to diagnose and improper medical or dental procedures
    • Hospital, nursing and elder care liability, including wrongful death, abuse and institutional neglect
    • Pharmacy and medication errors, including dispensing incorrect prescriptions
  • As an attorney and judge, handled and presided over public entity and institutional liability, including:
    • Claims involving dangerous public conditions, including roadway and infrastructure defects