Attorney Profiles

Christopher M. Reeser
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Shareholder
phone	(717) 651-3509
fax	(717) 651-9630
email	cmreeser@mdwcg.com

Since joining Marshall Dennehey in 1997, Chris has gained substantial trial experience in a number of areas of practice including motor vehicle, premises liability, and pharmacy liability. He has also handled a number of underinsured motorist arbitrations and has extensive experience with mediation and arbitration. Chris has also counseled and represented clients in matters related to insurance coverage and professional liability. He has represented several large and small automobile insurance carriers and their insureds, numerous hotels, conference centers, and hotel chains as well as grocery store chains, retail stores, pharmacies, and industrial facilities.

During his career, Chris has had significant experience handling several hundred motor vehicle matters involving third-party liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims, and insurance coverage issues along with several hundred premises liability cases.

Chris is a graduate of Albright College in Reading and the Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg. Chris started practice in Williamsport, working with a small litigation firm. He joined the Williamsport office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin in 1997 as an associate and he was elected a shareholder in 2002. In 2004, Chris returned to his hometown of Harrisburg to work in our Harrisburg office.

Significant Representative Matters:

Successfully defended a claim against a pharmacy in which the plaintiff, a physician, was dispensed an antipsychotic medication instead of his usual beta blocker. As a result, the plaintiff claimed post traumatic stress disorder and a permanent loss of income as a result of suffering stroke-like conditions requiring him to be life flighted to a hospital. The jury concluded that the plaintiff did not sustain post traumatic stress disorder and suffered no permanent physical injury and awarded only a nominal amount of money.

Successfully defended a fraternal organization which was sued as a result of an alleged assault by a security guard against an animal rights protestor outside of a circus. The jury concluded that the assault did not occur and the case resulted in a defense verdict.

Successfully argued before the Middle District of Pennsylvania that an insured employee who operates different vehicles within his company's fleet of vehicles on a regular basis cannot recover underinsured motorists benefits under his own personal automobile policy regularly used for non-owned vehicle exclusion.

Year Joined Organization:: 1997

Areas of Practice:: Motor Vehicle - Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Coverage Litigation; Retail Liability; Premises Liability; Product Liability; Insurance Coverage; SIU Investigation/Litigation

Bar Admissions:: Pennsylvania, 1994; U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1995; U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2007

Education:: Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1994
J.D.; Albright College, 1991
B.A.

Published Works:: Two Scoops: Superior Court Allows UM/UIM Claimants to Double Dip Workers' Compensation Benefits, Defense Digest, Fol. 11, No. 3, September, 2005; Superior Court Holds New Trial is Warranted Whenever Jury Seeks Own Expert Opinion, Defense Digest, Vol. 9, No. 3, September, 2003

Representative Cases:: Marks v. The Reserve at Hershey Meadows, LEXIS 47325 (U.S. Dist. 2007); Calhoun v. Prudential General Ins. Co., LEXIS 44302 (U.S. Dist. 2005); Allstate v. Leiter, 306 F.Supp. 2d 488 (M.D. Pa. 2004)

Classes/Seminars Taught:: Tort Claims Act, Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors; Releases and Settlements - Tactics, Tips and Techniques, 2007 PAMIC Summit; Handling the Auto Injury Claim: Settle the Case Without Going to Court, National Business Institute, August 2008

Professional Associations and Memberships:: Dauphin County Bar Association; Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies; Pennsylvania Bar Association; Pennsylvania Defense Institute

Past Employment Positions:: Greevy & Yonkin, Williamsport, PA, 1994 - 1997