Gerald A. Connor

Gerald A. Connor

Partner
Office:Scranton, PA
Phone:(570) 342-4231
Cell:(570) 561-4171
Email:gconnor@margolisedelstein.com
vCard:Download

Gerald A. Connor represents clients confronted with all types of casualty litigation, ranging from automobile and general liability claims, to products liability, construction litigation, and workers’ compensation claims. Jerry also has extensive experience in commercial litigation, intellectual property issues, municipal claims, employment law, credit reporting matters and equal credit opportunity matters.

Jerry’s practice also includes defending and advising insurance carriers in uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, bad faith matters, first-party benefits, and coverage matters. He has a first-hand understanding of bad faith law and prevention, having worked as in-house corporate counsel with a national multi-line insurance carrier for a number of years prior to joining Margolis Edelstein. In this role, Jerry gained an intimate knowledge of all aspects of the insurance industry, including good-faith claims handling and investigation, claims policy development and training, and bad-faith avoidance. Jerry has had the unique experience of being deposed on a number of occasions throughout the United States in bad-faith and coverage matters. This first-hand knowledge and insight is invaluable in his defense and counseling of insurance carriers.

Jerry has handled dozens of trials to verdict in the State and Federal courts, and is also active at the appellate level. Throughout his career, he has successfully resolved hundreds of casualty matters through arbitration and mediation. He also lectures to clients and organizations on a variety of topics, including bad faith, automobile litigation, legal ethics, and the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law.

Education:

  • Widener University School of Law (J.D.)
  • University of Pennsylvania (B.A.)

Honors:

  • AV Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated

Bar Admissions:

  • Pennsylvania

Court Admissions:

  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania

Professional Affiliations:

  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, member
  • Lackawanna County Bar Association, member
  • Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas, arbitrator

Speaking Engagements and Presentations:

  • "Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Litigation from A to Z"
  • "Dirty Litigation Tactics: How to Deal with the 'Rambo' Litigator"
  • “Complex Workers' Compensation Issues,” National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Litigating Low-Impact Automobile Accidents,” National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Litigating the Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claim,” National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Damages in Personal Injury”, National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Law - Made Simple”, National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Advanced Workers’ Compensation”, National Business Institute Seminar
  • “Negotiation Strategies for Litigators”, National Business Institute Seminar
  • Life Care Plans in Traumatic Brain Injury Cases: Presenting or Challenging Future Damages Calculations; Clear Law Institute
  • Personal Injury Evidence: Social Media, Smartphones, Experts, and Medical Records; National Business Institute
  • Worker’s Compensation: Critical Essentials from Both Sides of the Aisle; National Business Institute
  • Life Care Plans in Traumatic Brain Injury Cases: Defense Strategies; Strafford Publications Inc.

News and Verdicts:

Representative Matters:

  • Jerry obtained summary judgment on Plaintiff's punitive damages claims in Xander v. Kiss in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The Court agreed with our position against such punitive damages claims, pointing out that punitive damages are an extreme remedy available in only the most exceptional circumstances. The Court found that operating a vehicle while talking on a cell phone did not rise to the level of evil motive or reckless indifference and dismissed the punitive damages claims.
  • Jerry obtained summary judgment on Plaintiff's claims in a premises liability suit in Brooks v. Empire Realty in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The Court agreed with our position that Plaintiff had sued the incorrect entity which owned the commercial shopping mall, and all of Plaintiff's claims against our client were dismissed.
  • Jerry obtained a defense verdict after a three-day jury trial in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the matter of Page v. Main Street America. This was one of the first Underinsured Motorist trials in Pennsylvania, and the first such trial in that county. Numerous novel legal issues had to be addressed, and were resolved favorably for our client. The jury found Defendant's negligence was not a factual cause of Plaintiff's injuries, and never had to decide whether Plaintiff breached the Limited Tort threshold, etc.
  • Jerry obtained summary judgment for his client in Comprehensive Microfilm and Scanning v. Main Street America, an intellectual property coverage dispute in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The Plaintiffs were sued for copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement, trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, and common law unfair competition, and filed a Declaratory Judgment Action in federal court seeking coverage from Jerry's client. After significant discovery and litigation, the Court agreed that Jerry's client was not obligated to defend or indemnify the Plaintiff, as their insurance policy did not provide coverage for such intellectual property exposures.
  • Jerry obtained summary judgment on a Defendant’s Joinder Complaint seeking indemnity and defense in the matter of Kryznewski v. Coon Industries in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The Plaintiff was injured in a work-related accident, and the tortfeasor joined Jerry’s client (the Plaintiff’s employer), on a theory of contractual indemnification and defense. However, the Court agreed with our position that Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Law provided our client with absolute immunity for any exposure arising from the Plaintiff’s lawsuit, and granted summary judgment in our favor, thereby dismissing our client from this litigation and the upcoming trial.
  • Jerry obtained a defense verdict after a two-day jury trial in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in the matter of Spencer v. Stroud Plumbing. The Plaintiff was injured in a work-related accident on an active construction site on which our client was a subcontractor. The Plaintiff allegedly fell into a hole which our client dug for his plumbing work, and Plaintiff claimed that this hole was left in an unsafe condition after our client’s construction work was completed. The jury found our client was not negligent for the happening of this accident, and rendered a defense verdict after a short period of deliberation.
  • Jerry obtained a defense verdict from a Magisterial District Judge in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the case of Thiemann v. National General Insurance Company. The Plaintiff alleged that his recreational vehicle suffered significant property damage as a result of a collision and a falling tree limb. Jerry’s client provided automobile insurance which covered the Plaintiff’s recreational vehicle, but denied coverage for the Plaintiff’s alleged property damage as it was “wear and tear” damage, and the result of poor maintenance and therefore not the result of a covered loss event. The Judge agreed, and made no award to the Plaintiff.