Stanley Chesley, a class-action lawsuit pioneer who built his reputation taking on tobacco companies and manufacturers of faulty breast implants before his career ended in scandal, has died. He was 89.
Chesley grew up in Cincinnati, the son of Ukrainian immigrants. He put himself through law school and built his own practice before taking on major corporations.
He rose to prominence after representing victims of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, suing an electrical wiring company and the club’s owners over the blaze that killed 165 people.
During his legal career, Chesley was considered one of the nation’s top trial lawyers. Over five decades, he won high-profile cases against tobacco companies, the Catholic Church, and diet drug manufacturers. He was dubbed the “master of disasters” for his work representing disaster victims, including Cold War nuclear plant workers and the families of those killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
His career ended amid misconduct allegations tied to a settlement involving the diet drug fen-phen. He was disbarred in Kentucky in 2013. Chesley was never criminally charged and consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Chesley was deeply involved in Jewish institutions locally and nationally. He served on the boards of the JDC, Hebrew Union College, and Wise Temple, and was a past president of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. He also served as the national president of the Jewish National Fund-USA for 5 years.
He also supported several non-Jewish organizations, including the NAACP and the Cincinnati Human Rights Foundation. Chesley was a prominent Democratic fundraiser and hosted events for then-President Bill Clinton.
Chesley is survived by his wife, two children, and six grandchildren.
