Adam is a Member of Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Louisville office and has been with the firm since 2001. He serves as Chair of the Environmental Litigation practice and focuses primarily on complex cases involving clients in the energy and commercial sectors. He is also part of the Business Litigation, Banking Litigation, Health Care, and Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring practice groups, and Mr. Goebel also has substantial experience with personal injury and wrongful death claims.

Adam is AV® Preeminent ™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, listed in Best Lawyers in America, and is routinely recognized as a Kentucky Super Lawyer. Chambers USA, based on its independent research, awarded Adam its top ranking of Band 1 in Environmental Law and Litigation. Adam has also been listed in Louisville Magazine as one of the best environmental lawyers.

Within the realm of environmental litigation, Adam has been lead counsel in a variety of complex cases involving hazardous waste, air, and water. These cases include complex cost allocation, citizen suits, class actions, alleged regulatory violations, and contractual claims. In many of the cases, Adam has achieved outright dismissals, while in others he has achieved a successful verdict on the merits or a favorable settlement.

A highlight of Adam’s success was his role as lead counsel for a chemical manufacturing client in arbitration over cost allocation in which the client owned one of the most environmentally complex sites in the U.S. The prior owner of the site had owned and operated the facility for approximately 30 years until 1990, while Adam’s client has owned and operated the facility for the last 30 years. The parties had a significant dispute over responsibility for investigating and remediating the substantial environmental liabilities at the site, which were estimated to be in excess of $200 million. The parties arbitrated the dispute, and the final arbitration hearing consisted of 36 trial days over four months, 7,000 exhibits, more than 20 expert witnesses, 36 live witnesses, and 16 witnesses by deposition. After the hearing, the three-member arbitration panel issued a unanimous award assigning responsibility for 100% of the costs to the prior owner and 0% to Adam’s client. The arbitration award was confirmed by the federal district court. PolyOne Corporation v. Westlake Vinyls, Inc., Case No. 19-cv-121.

As a further testament to Adam’s strengths as a litigator, Adam was lead counsel in an appeal that vacated a multimillion-dollar verdict against his client. The published opinion, Insight Kentucky Partners II L.P. v. Preferred Automotive Services, Inc., was the first in Kentucky state courts to establish the standard for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty.

Adam is lead counsel in a major wrongful death lawsuit filed against a local drainage district. The lawsuit arises out of the tragic death of a teenage boy who drowned after being swept into a stormwater drainage pipe. The teenager’s estate and his mother claimed that the drainage district was responsible for the teenager’s death, and they sought damages in excess of $30 million. Adam obtained summary judgment in favor of the drainage district on all of the plaintiffs’ claims.

In other high-stakes cases, Adam has represented clients in substantial matters involving fraud, embezzlement, and other financial improprieties. Adam led a forensic investigation into alleged financial improprieties in excess of $100 million at a major foundation.  He also represented the largest creditor in bankruptcy involving an approximately $2 billion dollar Ponzi scheme, and Adam helped to lead not only the examination of the financial records in that matter but also claims against accountants and various guarantors.  Adam obtained summary judgment enforcing guarantee agreements in excess of $100 million dollars, and he achieved significant settlements in National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) arbitrations, insurance coverage disputes, and breach of contract claims.

Early in his career, Adam gained substantial experience in criminal law and handled felony jury trials on matters ranging from white-collar crimes to murder charges. Most of the trials resulted in acquittals on all charges or a conviction of lesser offenses.

For his numerous accomplishments, Adam has earned professional recognition on a local and national level. He has shared his expertise in the field of environmental law in several news and legal publications, including Business First, Bench and Bar magazine, and the Louisville Bar Association’s Bar Briefs.

Banking Litigation: Adam advises businesses and professionals faced with securities infractions, preference and fraudulent conveyance claims, and valuation disputes, among other issues.

Healthcare: Concentrating mainly on litigation, Adam represents hospitals, physicians and physicians groups, assisted-living facilities, and other service providers in antitrust matters, insurance coverage disputes, breach of contract claims, and a range of other concerns.

Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring: Adam provides representation to all types of constituencies in insolvency situations, from lender liability litigation to conflicts over securitized loans.