Stanley M. Chesley

Stanley M. Chesley (born March 26, 1936) is an Ohio trial lawyer and the husband of federal judge Susan J. Dlott.

Chesley, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, was graduated from University of Cincinnati and University of Cincinnati Law School. He first came to fame as a plaintiffs' lawyer in litigation arising from the 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, which killed 165 people. Rather than merely sue the nightclub, Chesley sued the entire aluminum electrical wire industry, blaming them for the fire. The aggressive and unprecedented tactic of seeking enterprise liability for an entire industry worked, and he won $49 million in verdicts and settlements; individual defendants settled for about a million dollars in the face of Chesley waving gruesome photos of fire victims rather than risk going to trial and losing much more, though those who did defend themselves often won.

Chesley won billions of dollars for his clients in other mass torts, representing clients suing Pan Am over the Lockerbie terrorist attack and clients suing Dow Corning in controversial breast implant litigation. Chesley was one of the "inner circle" of the plaintiffs' bar that negotiated the controversial $246 billion tobacco settlement on behalf of state governments.

He was ProBono Counsel in the Jewish material claims against German, Austrian, and Swiss financial institutions.

Chesley is a Life Board Member of the NAACP and was for five years Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Cincinnati.

Additionally, President George W. Bush appointed Chesley to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.

Controversy

Stan Chesley is named in a lawsuit related to the settlement of fen-phen litigation in Kentucky. Former clients have sued Chesley and three other plaintiffs' attorneys for allegedly breaching their duties by diverting most of a $200 million settlement fund to themselves with only one third to the plaintiffs. Judge Joseph F. Bamberger approved the settlement, but resigned when it was revealed that he was paid $5000 a month as a director of a charitable entity funded by the settlement and directed by the attorneys. Chesley, who collected a $20.5 million fee for negotiating the settlement, maintains that he was not co-counsel for the plaintiffs and was not aware that the attorneys were deceiving their clients and that he therefore owes no duty to the 440 plaintiffs On February 22, 2011, Kentucky trial commissioner William L. Graham issued an order recommending Chesley be disbarred for his actions.