Michael Stag

Last Updated: October 7, 2025

Michael G. Stag, Esq. is King Law’s litigation partner on AFFF, PFAS, and ethylene oxide (EtO) cases. Mr. Stag is the managing partner of Stag Liuzza, a leading environmental law firm located in New Orleans, LA.

Mike is one of the few lawyers with a verdict of over a billion dollars in a single case. Mike achieved the feat in Grefer v. Exxon, et al. He is a leader in the field of Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material litigation. He is a former law clerk in Civil District Court in New Orleans. He was a lawyer in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Mr. Stag is a leader in the PFAS, AFFF, and EtO litigations. He is an executive committee member of MDL 2873 In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foam, United States District Court, District of South Carolina. Mr. Stag represents thousands of firefighters who suffer because of AFFF exposure and municipalities around the United States with PFAS in their water supply.

He has years of experience in environmental law. He understands how pollution harms people, often years after exposure. He knows how to hold polluters accountable for illnesses they cause.

Mr. Stag is also representing people who developed cancer after being exposed to the ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from plants across the United States. The EPA has recognized that people who are exposed to high levels of EtO have a higher chance of developing certain types of cancers. Mr. Stag is filing lawsuits against EtO plants on behalf of those impacted.

Recognitions

• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating with Martindale Hubbell; AV Preeminent® is a
  significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him
  or her at the highest level of professional excellence.
• Lawyers Weekly Top 10 Jury Verdicts of 2001: 2nd Highest, Grefer v. Alpha Technical.
  A six-week trial resulted in a $1,056,000,000 verdict against Exxon Mobil in favor of
  four property owners who leased property to an oil field services company, which
  performed services for Exxon Mobil. The plaintiffs proved that Exxon had knowingly
  sent radioactive contaminated pipe and equipment to the property for service and storage,
  which resulted in extensive contamination of the property. This is the highest jury award
  on record for an individual property owner.
• National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers 2017
• New Orleans Magazine Top Lawyers in the New Orleans Area
• Times-Picayune Louisiana Top Lawyers in Recognition for Excellence and Achievement
• New Orleans City Business Leadership in Law Class 2017

Significant Litigation

In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation: Mr. Stag’s litigation team represents 60+ governmental entities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky, including parishes, counties, municipalities, and sheriff’s offices against Opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Shannan Wheeler et al. v. Arkema France S.A., et al. (U.S.D.C. S.D. TX): Retained by 900+ residents affected by the chemical explosion and subsequent fire that occurred at the Arkema facility in Crosby, TX, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Class certification was granted by the District Court. Mr. Stag and his firm were
appointed class counsel and are currently prosecuting the case as a class action on behalf of over 20,000 members.

MDL In re: Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation: Represents 1000+ individuals, including former firefighters and military personnel who were injured as a result of exposure to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used in fire management. Mr. Stag was also appointed to the Plaintiff Executive Committee for this MDL. In addition to representing individuals, Mr. Stag is pursuing the representation of municipalities that discovered damage to their aquifers due to the use of AFFFs.

Licenses and Professional Memberships

• Louisiana State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• U.S. District Court, Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisiana
• Admitted to U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana
• American Trial Lawyers Association, Member of Section on Toxic, Environmental and Pharmaceutical Torts Litigation
• American Association of Justice
• Louisiana Association for Justice (Council Director 2006 – 2007, Executive Committee 2007 – 2008, Council of Directors 2008 – present, Section Chair, Business Torts 2011 –2012)