Attorney Profiles

Thomas works out of the firm's Scranton, PA office where he concentrates his practice on defense of insurance bad faith claims, post-trial matters and appeals, and insurance coverage disputes. 

In 1993 Thomas graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Scranton.  He then went on to attend Villanova University School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1996.  Over the course of his legal career, Thomas has worked on several major criminal and civil cases, and gained extensive experience in insurance bad faith and coverage matters, as well as pre-trial, post-trial and appellate issues.

Significant Representative Matters:

• Achieved dismissal of Insurance Bad Faith/UTPCPL/Breach of Contract action seeking $1,000,000 in permanent total disability benefits and extra-contractual damages, where court agreed that the Plaintiff's Complaint did not allege facts sufficient to come within the Policy's terms of coverage, and was not ambiguous.

• Won summary judgment for insurer in an excess verdict bad faith case, where the underlying verdict came in at 14 times the last offer made by insurer, and subsequently achieved affirmance of summary judgment on appeal.

• Obtained favorable coverage decision, that resulted in the dismissal of Luzerne County UIM case, in which the Claimant sought UIM policy limits of $200,000.00, and had contended that her status as a "driver listed" on her former boyfriend's automobile policy, and payment of premiums for that status, entitled her to UIM coverage for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.

• Won motion for summary judgment that resulted in dismissal of coverage matter in which insured sought recovery for rain-damaged property, alternative living expenses and depreciation holdback, where wind during storm had blown tarp off of house during renovation project.

• Obtained reversal of $700,000 trial court award on appeal, where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined that dam owner was not responsible for flooding of downstream property owners and was not negligent as a matter of law.

• Attained dismissal of a UIM action on Preliminary Objections, where thre trial court held that the plaintiff was not entitled to UIM coverage under his employer's commercial automobile policy, on the basis that the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act precluded an action against the co-employee/tortfeasor directly.

• Sat as "second chair", and played prominent role in the investigation and litigation of two high-profile, state court criminal cases, which resulted in acquittal.

• Participated in preparation of apellate briefs, which resulted in Pennsylvania Supreme Court's remand of capital case for DNA testing.