Overview

Stephen D. Lapatin is a litigator who represents clients in Rhode Island and Massachusetts state and federal courts.  His practice includes matters involving complex commercial and business litigation, intellectual property litigation, white collar criminal defense and government investigations, employment disputes, real property disputes and land use matters, and tort actions.  Stephen provides advice and counsel to clients at all stages of litigation using a strategic and personalized approach.

Stephen also spearheads the firm’s government relations group. He represents businesses and organizations in a variety of industries—primarily banking, health care, pharmaceutical, and retail and wholesale trade—and advocates on their behalf before the Rhode Island General Assembly, Office of the Governor, and various state agencies, to achieve their legislative goals and interests.

Before joining AP&S in 2020, Stephen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Maureen McKenna Goldberg of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, and a former student-athlete and graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Experience

  • Represented an organization of hundreds of landlords and property owners in a case involving a constitutional challenge to a short-term rental ordinance enacted by the Town of Narragansett, and successfully obtained an injunction in the R.I. Superior Court following extensive briefing and argument, preventing the implementation and enforcement of the short-term rental ordinance. Narragansett 2100, Inc. v. Town of Narragansett et al., WC-2024-0372 (R.I. Super. Ct. Oct. 2, 2024).
  • Represented a Rhode Island small business in a trademark infringement action in the Rhode Island Superior Court; successfully obtained a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction following briefing, oral argument, and presentation of evidence and witness testimony, preventing and enjoining any further infringement of the client’s intellectual property rights.
  • Represented the Governor of the State of Rhode Island as co-counsel in a case involving constitutional challenges arising under the First Amendment, achieving dismissal of all claims following a bench trial in the R.I. Superior Court. Doe v. McKee, PC-2022-06877 (R.I. Super. Ct. Jan. 4, 2023).
  • Represented, as co-counsel, a world-renowned medical and healthcare institution in a trademark infringement action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and successfully enjoined further infringement and obtained removal of existing infringing materials and information on various websites and social media platforms through internet service providers.
  • Represented multiple commonly owned child care providers subject to a government investigation and audit by the R.I. Attorney General’s Office and various state agencies, and successfully navigated the process to avoid any civil penalties or criminal charges.
  • Briefed and argued a motion to dismiss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, achieving dismissal of claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, quantum meruit, and violation of the Rhode Island Minimum Wage Act.
  • Successfully briefed and defeated a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction and subsequent motion for reconsideration in a shareholder dispute in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Amy Blau v. Going Global LLC et al., C.A. No. 1:22-cv-00171-MSM-LDA (D.R.I. Mar. 22, 2024).
  • Served as co-counsel in a regulatory takings case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and successfully defeated a motion to dismiss after extensive briefing and oral argument. Tilcon, Inc. et al. v. Town of Acushnet et al., C.A. No. 1:22-cv-12046 (D. Mass. June 16, 2023).
  • Served as trial counsel on behalf of an auto service and tire company in a case involving tort and products liability claims, achieving a favorable judgment on all claims following a bench trial in the Massachusetts Small Claims Court.
  • Initiated post-judgment proceedings in the Superior Court of Massachusetts in a breach of contract case brought by a commercial fishing company against a commercial fishing broker, and successfully identified and attached the defendant’s assets through post-judgment discovery, securing payment of the judgment.
  • Assisted in obtaining summary judgment on behalf of Twin River Casino in an employment action brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Sankey v. UTGR, Inc., C.A. No. 19-634-JJM-PAS (D.R.I. Oct. 6, 2021).
  • Assisted in securing a favorable ruling in the Rhode Island Superior Court on a discovery motion involving a matter of first impression. NIR Retail, LLC v. BR Asset Management, LLC, C.A. No. PC-2017-5819 (R.I. Super Ct. Oct. 22, 2021).
  • Assisted in advising waterfront property owners about the constitutionality of proposed legislation involving coastal property rights in Rhode Island and its impact on the relationship between public and private waterfront property use.

Credentials

  • Roger Williams University School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 2019)
  • University of Rhode Island (B.A., 2015)

  • Rhode Island
  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island
  • U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

  • Named a Rhode Island Rising Star by Super Lawyers, 2023 and 2024.
  • Recipient of the William J. Coffey Excellence in Maritime Writing Award – 2019
  • Awarded “Best Brief” in the 26th Annual Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition
  • Public Service Award, Roger Williams University School of Law
Super Lawyers

  • Author, “Rhode Island’s Prescription Drug Database: Warrantless Access by Law Enforcement Pass Constitutional Muster,” 23 Roger Williams U. L. Rev. 526 (2018).

  • Member, Rhode Island Bar Association
  • Member, Massachusetts Bar Association