On the Pulse...Other Notable Achievements

Jeff Rapattoni (Cherry Hill, NJ) was elected a board member of the National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII). The organization is devoted to the identification, investigation and prevention of insurance fraud. Jeff will serve a two-year term, ending in December 2016.

For the second consecutive year, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin was cited among the top law firms that Fortune 500 companies call upon for torts litigation, according to the results of Corporate Counsel’s annual survey, “Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies?” Firms were chosen based on data obtained through surveys sent to general counsel at Fortune 500 companies and through public record research in various legal databases. This year, Marshall Dennehey was cited as the #2 firm in the Torts Litigation category. According to the results, clients that provided feedback on Marshall Dennehey per the survey process included Coca-Cola, BestBuy, Lockheed Martin and Staples, among others.

Brad Remick (Philadelphia, PA) has authored the book, Pennsylvania Product Liability, published by The Legal Intelligencer.

Mark Clouser (Harrisburg, PA) published two articles on the topic of school leaders’ liability in November. “Title IX Actions Involving Teacher-Student Sexual Harassment” appeared in the November 18th issue of Pennsylvania Law Weekly. The article examined the recent case of Harden v. Albert Gallatin School District and how the Commonwealth Court overturned a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff and against the school district by concluding that the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas erred when it denied the school district’s post-trial motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. On November 25, 2014, his article, “A School District’s Liability for Teacher-Student Relationships,” which discusses handling related claims under Title IX, appeared in The Legal Intelligencer.

William Banton (Philadelphia, PA) was a faculty member of the Masters in Trial Program sponsored by The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Held at the National Constitution Center, the program demonstrated how successful trial lawyers conduct a trial. A mock trial demonstration was conducted before an active judge and live jury, complete with witnesses, experts and electronic courtroom visuals.

Jon Cross (Philadelphia, PA) presented “Emerging Claims—Youth Sports Concussion Litigation” at the Casualty Actuarial Society’s Centennial Conference held in New York City.

Steve Ryan (King of Prussia, PA) authored the article “Why I Have White Hair” for For the Record, a national health care trade publication. His article provided an update on health care documentation and recordkeeping.

Wil Dingler (Philadelphia, PA) was a featured speaker at the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s (PLUS) International Conference. Wilhelm was joined by various panelists to present a discussion of “What’s New for Accountants and Lawyers Professional Liability.”

Jacqueline Canter (Philadelphia, PA) was a featured speaker at the Defense Research Institute’s 2014 “Personal Injury Practicum” where she discussed the “Evidentiary and Ethical Implications from Utilizing Social Media.”

Jason Banonis (Allentown, PA) was a panelist and moderator at the Pennsylvania Defense Institute North Region Ethics CLE Program. Jason’s panel spoke on “Persuasion, Civility and How Jurors Make Decisions.”

Matt Keris (Scranton, PA) served as a panelist in a presentation entitled “Electronic Medical Records: Where We’ve Been and Where We are Going” at the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) 2014 Annual Conference.

Denis Dice (Philadelphia, PA) was a panelist and moderator at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s “2014 Securities Litigation and Regulatory Update.” Denis’ panel spoke on SEC and industry insights.

Laurianne Falcone (Philadelphia, PA) was a presenter for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute at its seminar “Premises Liability Litigation: Focus on the Slip, Trip and Fall Case.”

Tim Ventura (Philadelphia, PA) has been selected to serve as the 2015 Board Observer for the Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD) as part of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation’s Board Observer program. The program is a partnership between the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. Designed to provide young lawyers with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, learn about nonprofit governance and make connections in the nonprofit community, the program pairs attorneys with a Philadelphia nonprofit organization for a one-year period. The LCD provides free, quality legal services to low income people with physical disabilities and to the deaf and hard-of-hearing in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Christopher Conrad (Harrisburg, PA) participated in the Wills for Heroes Program in conjunction with the Cumberland County Bar Association and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. Wills for Heroes is a free service that provides wills, living wills, financial powers of attorney and health care directives for first responders and their spouses, partners and significant others. Wills for Heroes was founded by a South Carolina lawyer who was inspired to do something meaningful for first responders in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The program has been a statewide public service project of the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 2009.

Tony Natale (Philadelphia, PA) was one of the featured speakers at the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Fund’s 2014 Fall Workshop. Tony presented a synopsis of the interplay between professional employment organizations and workers’ compensation claims from a national perspective. Significant to his presentation were case examples of fraud, implementation and derivation of professional employment agreements, and a point/counterpoint discussion on ways to eradicate issues of fraud and misrepresentation in the “co-employer” process.

Dan Sherry (King of Prussia, PA) and Buck Buchanan (Philadelphia, PA) participated in a presentation at the Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference. The program was titled “Do the Right Thing! - Ethical Issues Arising in Litigation.” It addressed various scenarios that can arise at pretrial and at trial and analyzed their ethical implications.

Alicia Smith (Cherry Hill, NJ) was a guest lecturer at the University of Delaware’s College of Business. She spoke to Sports Management classes about tort liability and the law as it pertains to entertainment and sporting activities. The school has invited her to run a day-long workshop on risk assessment each semester.

Lynne Nahmani (Cherry Hill, NJ) was a featured speaker at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living annual conference. Her presentation, “Sex and the Facility: Understanding and Reducing Liabilities,” addressed the rise of sexual abuse claims at assisted living and long-term care facilities, the appropriate management of these claims, and risk management measured that can be implemented to reduce exposures.

Defense Digest, Vol. 21, No. 1, March 2015

Defense Digest is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. Copyright © 2015 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, all rights reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm.