Stephen C. Carleton was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, October 23, 1958. Mr. Carleton is an accomplished trial attorney with extensive litigation experience in jury trials and judge trials across the State of Louisiana in his thirty-three-year career as a litigator.

Mr. Carleton practices primarily in the areas of products liability, labor and employment law, construction, and business self-insured and insurance defense claims, including defending legacy oilfield, environmental/"toxic tort”, maritime and other offshore personal injury claims as well as a variety of other claims against Chevron Corporation, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and numerous businesses insured by the Hartford Insurance Company and other major carriers.

He has successfully defended manufacturers and sellers in numerous products liability cases. His labor and employment experience includes the successful defense of both public clients, the State of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (“DOTD”) and private business owners involved in claims of discrimination and harassment as well as retaliatory discharge and civil service just cause litigation.

Mr. Carleton is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state and federal courts, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and before the United States Supreme Court. He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, the highest rating awarded, in recognition of his highly regarded legal skills and professional ethics.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Mr. Carleton’s trial litigation experience in Louisiana includes lead trial attorney for clients in over thirty (30) jury trials in the following Louisiana Courts: the United States Federal District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana held in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Alexandria Louisiana respectively. Multiple jury trials in the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans and in the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish. Multiple Jury trials in the Eighteenth Judicial State District Court held in Port Allen, in Plaquemine and in New Roads Louisiana; and in jury trials held in the 9th State Judicial State District Court for Rapides Parish in Alexandria Louisiana, and in the 25th State Judicial District Court in Belle Chasse Louisiana.

• Mr. Carleton served as the lead trial and appellate counsel for Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in its successful defense, as the successor in interest of Gulf Oil Corporation, of the legacy oilfield contamination case tried to a jury verdict after three and a half weeks of trial in Opelousas Louisiana in the 27th State Judicial District Court. The case is known as Hazelwood Farm, Inc v. Liberty Oil & Gas Corp., 02-266 (La. App. 3 Cir 04/02/03); 844 So. 2dd 380; 2003 La. App. LEXIS 797; 158 Oil & Gas Rep. 35; Writs Denied, 03-1585, 03-1624, (La. S. Ct., 10/31/03); 857 So. 2d 476, 2003 LA. LEXIS 3187.

• Mr. Carleton has also served as trial counsel for litigants across the State of Louisiana in trials decided by the Presiding Judges in the United States Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans, in the United States Federal District Court for the Western District of Louisiana in Lafayette, in multiple cases tried in the 16th State Judicial District Court for Iberia Parish, in New Iberia Louisiana, and in the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, as well as Judge trials conducted in the 26th Judicial District Court for Bossier Parish in Bossier City, Louisiana, the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson in Gretna, Louisiana and the 14th Judicial District Court for Calcasieu Parish in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

• Mr. Carleton’s knowledge and experience with Louisiana’s legal system across the State of Louisiana includes State District Court appearances for clients in the 4th Judicial District Court in Monroe, Louisiana, in the 15th Judicial District Court in Crowley, Louisiana, in the 17th Judicial District Court in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in the 20th Judicial District Court in Clinton, Louisiana, in the 21st Judicial District Court in Amite, Louisiana, in the 21st Judicial District Court in Greensburg, Louisiana, in the 21st Judicial District Court in Livingston, Louisiana, in the 22nd Judicial District Court for St. Tammany Parish in Covington, Louisiana, in the 22nd Judicial District Court for Washington Parish in Franklinton, Louisiana, in the 25th Judicial District Court in Pointe-A-La-Hache, Louisiana, in the 29th Judicial District Court in Hahnville, Louisiana, in the 31st Judicial District Court in Jennings, Louisiana and in the 33rd Judicial District Court in Oberlin, Louisiana.

• He has participated as legal counsel to parties in numerous Arbitrations and Mediations and has represented clients before the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission and in regulatory and employment matters conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety Health Administration (“OSHA”) and in hearings representing the State of Louisiana, Department of Transportation and Development (“LA DOTD”) before Administrative Law Judges in Louisiana Civil Service Trials conducted in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Alexandria, Louisiana.