Lawyers & Staff

Alinor Sterling

  • Attorney

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Areas of Practice

  • Appellate Practice
  • Medical Negligence
  • Product Liability
  • Personal Injury

At Koskoff, we all share a passion for using the law to improve the lives of our clients. The dedication that we bring to each case is what makes us unique.

Profile

Alinor believes the law is a powerful weapon in the fight against injustice, and she has devoted her career to that fight.

She represented nine families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in a landmark case against the Remington Arms Company - the manufacturer of the assault rifle used to carry out the attack. Alongside law partner Josh Koskoff, her work led to the families' settlement of the case for every dollar of available coverage, $73 million, and the right to publicly share Remington's internal documents. The case has been compared to the first tobacco cases, in which documents obtained were used to hold cigarette companies accountable for the public health crisis they had created.

Alinor also represents Sandy Hook families in a suit against internet supplements and survival gear salesman Alex Jones for his false claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was a "hoax" and that it was staged by actors. The trial of this case resulted in a judgment of roughly $1.5 billion in favor of the clients.

Alinor's appellate wins include Soto v. Bushmaster, the landmark case in which the Connecticut Supreme Court allowed Sandy Hook families' case to proceed against Remington; Lafferty v. Jones, in which the Connecticut Supreme Court affirmed severe sanctions against Jones for abusive litigation conduct; Munn v. The Hotchkiss School, affirming a $41.5 million damages verdict in favor of an injured student; and Gagliano v. Danbury Hospital, confirming a $9.6 million verdict against the hospital based on its resident's negligence.

Alinor is presently Vice President of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA). She also co-chairs CTLA's Rules and Amicus committees and has written numerous amicus briefs for CTLA and other organizations that promote civil justice. She is a board member of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven.

Background

Bar Admissions

  • Connecticut, 1996
  • U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1997
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1998
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2019

Education

  • University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, Los Angeles, California
    • Honors: Order of the Coif
  • Graduate Fellowship in Research, Moscow
  • Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton, New Jersey
    • B.A. - 1989

Results

Representative Cases

  • Soto, et al. v. Bushmaster, et al., 331 Conn. 53, 202 A.3d 262 (2019) Read More
  • Gagliano v. Advanced Specialty Care, P.C., 329 Conn. 745, 189 A.3d 587 (2018) Read More
  • Munn v. Hotchkiss School, 216 Conn. 540, 165 A.3d 1167 (2017) Read More
  • DiLieto v. County Obstetrics & Gynecology Group, P.C., 316 Conn. 790. 114 A.3d 1181 (2015) Read More
  • Dickerson v. Pincus, 154 Conn. App. 146, 105 A.3d 338 (2014) Read More
  • Rosa v. Lawrence & Memorial Hosp., 145 Conn. App. 275, 74 A.3d 534 (2013) Read More
  • Wisniewski v. Town of Darien, 135 Conn. App. 364, 42 A.3d 436 (2012) Read More

Leadership

Honors and Awards

  • Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2023
  • CTLA Riscassi-Koskoff Civil Justice Award
  • Super Lawyers
  • Best Lawyers

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Vice President
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Past Chair, Women's Caucus
  • Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Rules Committee, Co-Chair
  • American Association for Justice, Member, Amicus Curiae Committee
  • Connecticut Bar Association, Member, Appellate Advocacy Committee
  • New Haven County Bar Association
  • Connecticut Trail Lawyers Association, Amicus Committee, Co-Chair
  • Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Member

Pro Bono Activities

  • Town of Branford Board of Ethics, Board Member
  • International Festival of the Arts, Board Member
  • Pound Civil Justice Institute, Board Member
  • Town of Branford Representative Town Meeting, Former Member