Plaintiff, a 68 year old woman, fell after encountering an unmarked single riser step at the end of a walk in an apartment complex.  She alleged the step should have been marked and/or a railing should have been present.  Her damages included a fractured tibia and fibula requiring surgical repair, a lumbar discectomy and a knee replacement.  Partner Kevin Monastra represented the apartment complex owner.  The jury returned a defense verdict in favor of the apartment complex owner.

The claims manager praised Kevin’s trial skill:

“I want to thank you again for your exceptional work on this matter. You presented a clear and comprehensive case to the jury. This allowed the jury to connect with you and made the defense easy to understand. You chose great experts who were credible and effective.”

Plaintiff, a 55 year old woman,  tripped and fell over a drain grate in front of a convenience store in Philadelphia County.  She alleged that the height differential between the drain grate and surrounding walkway violated ASTM and ADA standards.

Her damages included a fractured patella and two subsequent surgeries to repair the fracture.  She also alleged the need for a future knee replacement.  Firm partner Kevin Monastra represented the store owner.  After a 4 day trial, the jury returned a defense verdict in favor of store owner finding him not negligent.

The carrier’s claims specialist had this to say about Kevin’s expertise:

“Kevin – I want to express my gratitude.  Philadelphia is a unique venue. Your hard work, understanding of the venue and professionalism are why we obtained a defense verdict. You presented a complex matter in a clear and straightforward manner. Your diligence is truly appreciated.”

Pittsburgh Partner Emily Mahler and Associate Kaine Spitak represent a corporate executive in a defamation matter. The client said this about the attorneys’ preparation and performance in a recent hearing on a hotly contested legal issue:

“I knew I picked the right law firm. The Judge said that he is inclined to decide the issue on the briefs, and ours is better. I’m very happy I hired you guys.”

The client also praised the attorneys’ “ability to jump into a new topic, an unexplored area of law, and craft a compelling argument.”

Our Philadelphia based partners, Steve Eichler & Sean Phelan, secured a court approved stipulation to dismiss our leasing company client from a serious matter involving a tractor trailer loss where our client owned the warehouse/loading dock where the plaintiff was allegedly injured.

The Director of Finance commented: “Excellent news! It’s been a pleasure working with you on the matter … Once again, thank you for your time and commitment toward clearing [our company] from this wrongful lawsuit.”

Upon learning there was no appeal by the plaintiff to the Court’s Order granting a Motion to Dismiss prepared and argued by our colleague, Ryan Dickinson, Esq., on behalf of our non-profit client accused of wrongfully terminating a member of their staff, the claim professional commented:

“As always, I am impressed with your firm’s work and attention to detail. Thank you for your efforts. I look forward to working with you in the future!”

The son of the insured took a company car assigned to his father without permission and was ultimately involved in an accident resulting in the death of the other operator and imprisonment for the son. Dan presented a Motion for Summary Judgment arguing the son would not be considered an “insured” under the policy. Upon learning of Dan’s victory and favorable ruling from the court, the senior claims officer for the carrier Dan represented commented:

“Thanks.  We got this information a few days ago and have passed it around to our management team, with special mention for Dan.  We believe even strong facts require effective advocacy and credited Dan with providing it.”

Raphaella defended a local insurance agency confronted with a claim alleging they failed to provide an appropriate level of coverage for their client who suffered a fire loss. The Philadelphia jury did not have the opportunity to consider the case as the presiding Judge granted Non-Suit after Raphaella moved for a directed verdict, dismissing the case in its entirety.

Comments from the claims team for the insurance agent client’s carrier: “Excellent! Terrific outcome – congratulations.” “Again, congratulations—you did a masterful job!” “Awesome job, Raphaella and team!  Fantastic news.” “Great job to you and your Team. Our insured was fortunate to have great representation.”

Comments from Raphaella’s client to partner, Steve Eichler: “Hi Steve, Raphaella was a force to be reckoned with. She was very professional, kind, well educated in the insurance realm, very smart, and she missed nothing. I was very pleased with her and would hire her myself in a heartbeat. After all our work together, I was pleased that in a matter of a few weeks, she was able to step into your place with confidence and the ability to pick right up and move forward to achieving a victory for myself and my company. She actually made me a believer of the justice system. Please forward my complete satisfaction in Raphaella’s work and let it be known what a valuable asset I believe her to be to your team and company. I am truly pleased with the company we have helping protect … agents against E&O claims. Thank you for everything.”

After being advised the Motion for Summary Judgement Jeanine prepared in a slip and fall matter was successful (eliminating the need for sharing costs for experts, IME’s and additional discovery with co-defendants) the Executive Adjuster responded:

You go Jeanine!!  Nice work yet again!!!

Partner Charlie Saul recently received the following plaudits from an in-house General Counsel of a major international corporation after a favorable resolution to a federal employment case that Charlie was handling for the defendant corporation:

“Charlie, it has been great working with you, and I hope our paths will cross in the future.  I wanted to comment on what a great, soothing and reassuring voice you have.  As General Counsel, my clients like me to push the envelope.  I thought we made a great team.  Thank you.”

Upon learning our Partner, Colleen Ready, Esq., successfully resolved a legal professional liability defense matter for a third less than authorized, the claim professional commented: “WOW…. I’m highly impressed. That’s outstanding.”