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Jeffrey G. Rapattoni

Assistant Director, Casualty Department

Chair, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Litigation Practice

Co-Chair, Fraud/Special Investigation Practice

Shareholder

Jeffrey is the Assistant Director of the Casualty Department and with the Director, is responsible for administrative oversight of more than 250 lawyers among 19 offices. Jeffrey is also a past member of the firm's Board of Directors, having served the maximum two term limit. 

Jeffrey joined Marshall Dennehey in 2008 and serves as the chair of the firm’s PIP Litigation Practice, co-chair of the firm's Fraud/Special Investigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice on insurance fraud, bad faith and SIU related matters working with carriers both in the US and internationally.

For over 20 years Jeffrey has litigated insurance fraud and fraud-related matters on a national level. He acts as coordinating counsel to several insurance companies and helps clients develop strategies for defending complex litigation related to medical provider fraud, PIP and other emerging insurance issues. In addition, Jeffrey frequently consults with insurance carriers across the country to help integrate internal analytical platforms, create risk management protocol and conduct fraud-related investigations.

He has extensive training and background in provider-based investigations, underwriting fraud, policy voidance, and staged accidents. Other practice areas include large loss property claims, coverage, general civil litigation, and appellate practice. He is an experienced mediator and coordinates investigations for companies in the healthcare, insurance, gaming, hospitality and other industries. As part of his practice, Jeffrey has worked with experts in the fields of cause and origin and bad faith as well as local and federal authorities.

Jeffrey serves as Counsel to the Board of Directors of the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU), the largest global organization devoted to fighting insurance fraud by connecting the insurance, investigatory and legal communities. He also is a member of the Advisory Board of the BigData@Rutgers certificate program, where he provides input on curriculum development to improve the program's offerings and value to the business community.

He frequently lectures on insurance fraud, bad faith and data analytics topics for a number of local and national insurance organizations. He also provides legal education seminars for clients and organizations across the country.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University in 1997, Jeffrey served as a legislative correspondent for United States Senator Arlen Specter in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., where he assisted in drafting legislation and conducting legal investigations. While attending Rutgers Law School, he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge John A. Almeida, J.S.C. Burlington County-Civil Division, where he drafted tentative dispositions of the court and assisted in court-ordered mediation sessions. 

    • Rutgers Law School (J.D., 2001)
    • Villanova University (B.A., 1997)
    • New Jersey, 2002
    • U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 2002
    • U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2004
    • Michigan, 2016
    • Pennsylvania, 2026
    • Counsel, International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU) (2025)
    • Ohio Chapter of International Association of Special Investigators (IASIU) Service Award (2020)
    • New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) President's Award (2018)
    • Advisory Board Member, BigData@Rutgers Certificate Program (2017)
    • National Insurance Crime Bureau, Certificate of Appreciation (2010)
    • New Jersey Special Investigators Association President's Award (2009)
    • Counsel, Ohio Chapter of International Association of Special Investigators (IASIU)
    • Burlington County Bar Association
    • Camden County Bar Association
    • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Board Member and Secretary, South Jersey Chapter
    • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Insurance Fraud Committee Member
    • International Association of Special Investigators (IASIU)
    • National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII)
    • New Jersey Insurance Defense Committee
    • New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA)
    • New Jersey State Bar Association
    • South Jersey Claims Association
    • Legal Affairs Committee of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, Member
    • The Lawyers Club of Philadelphia
    • "Crash & Con: Navigating Staged Accident Fraud," AM Best Insurance Law Podcast, May 22, 2025
    • Getting Caught With Your Hand in the Proverbial Cookie Jar, ClaimsXchange Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, October 12, 2023
    • Top Cases Impacting Fraud Fighting, Marshall Dennehey Client Webinar, June 28, 2023
    • The CAT's Out of the Bag: Insurance Fraud in Catastrophic Losses, CLM Annual Conference, Palm Desert, CA, March 24, 2022
    • PI’s in the Field – Pre, During & Post COVID & New Manned/Unmanned Surveillance, Illinois Chapter of IASIU, March 18, 2022
    • Charting the Course of Telehealth in the Post-COVID Landscape, ASHRM Webinar Series, April 27, 2021
    • Rising Risk and Economic Hardship: Insights on Fighting Fraud in Uncertain Times, CLM Webinar, November 5, 2020
    • Fraud Leadership Series: P&C Claims During Covid 19, FRISS Webinar, November 3, 2020
    • The Civil and Criminal State of the SIU in 2020, The Ohio Chapter of IASIU, October 27, 2020
    • All Hands Meeting- The Criminal State of the SIU in 2020, OIFP | NICB Webinar, October 7, 2020
    • National Perspective, Local Impact; New Case Law Impacting the SIU IASIU Webinar, September 14, 2020
    • SIU Litigation Trends Panel Discussion, IFM Webinar, May 12, 2020
    • CLM COVID-19 Webinar Series: "Stop the Spread...Don't Let COVID-19 Infect You With Insurance Fraud," April 23, 2020
    • Medical Investigator's Guide to the Modern SIU Claim, Speaker, New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) Annual Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2019
    • How the Market is Falling Short on CAT Claims, CLM Southeast Conference, Orlando FL, October 2019
    • How to Use Data in Your Advantage – Speaker, FRAUDTalks Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 24, 2019
    • Secrets to Maintaining a Successful Major Case Unit , IASIU, Phoenix, AZ, September 2019
    • Clamping Down On Fraud – Panelist, Casualty Actuarial Society Spring Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, May, 2019
    • SIU’s Management of Brand Protection – Concerns and Consequences, IFM, Coronado, CA, March 2019
    • Major Case From A-Z, IASIU 2018 Seminar & Expo on Insurance Fraud, Baltimore, MD, September, 2018
    • Major Case From A-Z, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud 360 Seminar, Lafayette Hill, PA, June, 2018
    • The Evolving Partnership of Data Analytics and Claims, A.M. Best Webinar, May 3, 2018 (registration is required but no cost to view webinar)
    • How Smart Data is Remaking Insurance Claims, A.M. Best Webinar, February 22, 2018 (registration is required but no cost to view webinar)
    • Strategic SIU Management and Risk Avoidance – Moderator, 2017 Insurance Fraud Management Conference, Phoenix, AZ, March, 2017
    • Insurance Fraud - Staged Accidents: The New Frontier - panel, 2017 CLM Southeast Conference, Atlanta, GA, November, 2017
    • Trends and the Future State of SIU – Moderator, 27th Annual NJSIA Anti-Fraud Insurance Training Seminar, Atlantic City, NJ, October, 2017
    • Major Case From A-Z, IASIU 2017 Seminar & Expo on Insurance Fraud, New Orleans, LA, September, 2017
    • Ethics Roundtable, HB Litigation Northeast Corporate Counsel Forum, Atlantic City, NJ April, 2017
    • SIU Management Panel, New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) Annual Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2016
    • Deposing the Adjuster; Social Media and Big Data, IASIU Annual Seminar and Expo on Insurance Fraud, Red Rock, Nevada, September 2016
    • Managing the Risk in SIU Investigations, Panel Moderator, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud 360 Seminar, Lafayette Hill, PA, June, 2016
    • Risk Management in SIU,  IFM/ISO- Insurance Fraud Management Conference, Savannah, Georgia, March 2016
    • NAMIC Webinar: Contemporary Solutions to Provider and Claimant Medical Fraud, October 27, 2015
    • NAMIC Webinar: Provider Fraud Investigations in Personal Injury Protection Claims, October 13, 2015
    • NAMIC Webinar: Medical Provider Fraud in Uninsured Motorist/Bodily Injury Claims, October 6, 2015
    • Building a Better Medical Major Case, New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) Annual Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2015
    • SIU Data Analytics: A Sword and Shield for Florida Law, Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee (FIFEC) 23rd Annual Conference, June 11, 2015
    • Avoiding Risk in Managing the Anti-Fraud Function and Tracking the Value-Add of SIU, 2015 Insurance Fraud Management Conference, Coronado, California, March , 2015.
    • Dissecting The Staged Loss Claim, Speaker, New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) Annual Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2014
    • "The Burden of Medical Provider Fraud on the Insurance Industry," A.M. Best PODCAST, September 2014
    • SIU Management Panel - Contemporary SIU Issues, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud 360 Seminar, Lafayette Hill, PA, June 2014
    • Managing and Investigating Billing Misrepresentations Under the New PIP Statute, Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee (FIFEC) 22nd Annual Conference, June 12, 2014.
    • Effectively Managing Contemporary Insurance Fraud Issues, National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators’ 2013 Advanced Insurance Fraud Seminar, St. Louis, MO, November, 2013
    • Effectively Managing Major Case Investigations of Fraudulent Medical Providers, Speaker, New Jersey Special Investigators Association (NJSIA) Annual Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2013
    • Trending Contemporary Medical Fraud, IASIU's 28th Annual Seminar and Expo on Insurance Fraud, Atlanta, GA, September 2013
    • Contemporary Medical Fraud Issues, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud Perspectives Seminar, Cleveland, OH, November 2012
    • Effectively Managing Complex and Emerging Issues, NJSIA 22nd Annual Fraud Seminar, Atlantic City, NJ, October 2012
    • Discussions of Recent Florida Case Law Developments Regarding EUO Methodology and Limitations, FIFEC - Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee, Orlando, FL, June 2012
    • Effectively Managing Contemporary Provider Fraud Issues, Marshall Dennehey Fraud Seminar - Insurance Fraud Perspectives, Lafayette Hill, PA, June 2012
    • Proper Interaction and the Role of the Public Adjuster During an Arson Investigation, ICAC - National Arson Training Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, February, 2012
    • Managing Public Adjuster Issues, IFM - Insurance Fraud Management Conference, Phoenix, AZ, March, 2012
    • NJSIA – Anti-Fraud Training Seminar, Acupuncture Fraud and Abuse, October 2011
    • 2010 NJSIA Auto Theft Investigations; Hail Fraud Claims; Public Adjuster and Homeowner's Fraud, Presenter 
    • 2010 IASIU Property Loss Fraud, Presenter 
    • National Insurance Crime Bureau - 2010 - Hail Storm and Large LossProperty Claims
    • Multi-State Auto Theft Investigation Review, 2010 - Combating Insurance Fraud Seminar, Conshohocken, PA 
    • 2010 IFM General Convention, Point of Sale Fraud, Co-Presenter 
    • 2010 IAA & ACFE Fraud Convention, Insurance Fraud, Presenter 
    • 2009 NJSIA SIU Investigations of the Future, Presenter 
    • 2009 NSPII Medical Provider Fraud, Presenter 
    • 2009 IASIU Public Adjuster Fraud, Presenter
    • 2008 IASIU Medical Provider Fraud, Presenter 
    • 2008 NJSIA Preferred SIU Strategies, Presenter 
    • 2008 NSPII Point of Sale and Underwriting Fraud, Presenter 
    • 2007 NJSIA Innocent Third Party Seminar, Presenter 
    • 2006 NJSIA Policy Voidance Seminar, Presenter 
    • 2005 NJSIA Public Adjuster Fraud Seminar, Co-Presenter 
    • 2004 NJSIA Underwriting Fraud Seminar, Co-Presenter 
    • Defeated a bad faith action where plaintiffs sought treble and punitive damages based upon coverage denials.
    • Secured a voluntary dismissal regarding a $750,000 fraudulently submitted homeowner's claim.
    • Secured a voluntary dismissal with respect to a $375,000 homeowners/bad faith matter in which the insured submitted a fraudulent contents inventory.
    • Through the use of medical and forensic accounting experts, Jeffrey has also been successful in collecting on behalf of insurance carrier clients large sums of money improperly paid to fraudulent medical providers.

Thought Leadership

Events

Firm Highlights

Thought Leadership

Legal Update for Special Education Law: Recent Positive Outcomes From the Group

Hearing Officer Confirms District Acted Appropriately Under IDEA and Section 504 Atty. William J. McPartland (Scranton) obtained a finding in favor of our client, a school district, on all issues following a due process hearing. The parent had filed a due process complaint alleging that the school district had breached its child find duty under the IDEA and Section 504, that the school district had discriminated against the student on the basis of disability in violation of Section 504, and that the school district had denied a free and appropriate public education to the student both by developing inadequate IEPs and via an actionable procedural violation.  Specifically, the student had received a Section 504 evaluation in October 2023, after a number of behavioral infractions culminating in a fight in September 2023, was identified as having anxiety and a sleep disorder, and received appropriate Section 504 accommodations. The student had never previously demonstrated signs of a learning disability, and the parent denied the school district permission to evaluate the student for special education needs in November 2023, and January 2024. The parent granted the district permission to evaluate the student in October 2024, after a private psychologist diagnosed the student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, possible Oppositional Defiance Disorder, a learning disorder, and anxiety. The school district issued a special education evaluation report in December 2024, finding that the student had an emotional disturbance and other health impairment, and an IEP providing an itinerant level of emotional support, as well as instruction in academics and social skills, was issued in January 2025, and amended in February, March, and April 2025. The student withdrew from the school district in April 2025, to attend a cyber charter school. The hearing officer determined that the school district had not violated its child find duty to the student in violation of either the IDEA or Section 504 where the district developed a Section 504 plan for the student within a month and a half of the parent’s first request for a Section 504 evaluation and where the parent repeatedly denied consent to conduct an IDEA evaluation of the student. The hearing officer noted that the student’s sporadic record of behavioral infractions prior to September 2023, did not suggest that the student had a disability prior to the parent’s initial request for an evaluation. The hearing officer further determined that no evidence had been produced to suggest that the student was discriminated against on the basis of disability in violation of Section 504. Additionally, the hearing officer determined that the IEP offered to the student was substantively adequate and that, to the extent the social and emotional programming offered by the school district was not received by the student, this resulted from the parent’s refusal to accept the same. The hearing officer finally determined that the school district did not commit an actionable procedural violation by delaying development of an IEP for the student where the parent repeatedly denied consent to evaluate the student. Court Dismisses Three of Four Claims Against School District Attys. Christopher J. Conrad and Daniel P. McGannon (Harrisburg) achieved a significant early victory on behalf of a school district client in. The team successfully obtained dismissal of three of the four claims asserted in the plaintiff’s amended complaint. The former district superintendent brought multiple claims arising out of his alleged “forced resignation,” including age discrimination under the ADEA, a Section 1983 Equal Protection claim, a Pennsylvania Whistleblower claim, and breach of contract. On behalf of the district, the defense team moved to dismiss the complaint in part, arguing: The plaintiff failed to plead sufficient facts to support a prima facie case of age discrimination. The equal protection claim was barred because the ADEA provides the exclusive federal remedy for age-based employment claims. The breach of contract claim could not stand because the underlying employment agreement had expired prior to the alleged breach. The court agreed, dismissing the ADEA, equal protection, and breach of contract claims in their entirety. As a result, only a single claim under the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law remains pending. This outcome substantially narrows the scope of the litigation and positions the client for a more efficient defense moving forward.

Result

No-Cause Jury Verdict Secured in Wrongful Death Trial

We successfully obtained a no-cause jury verdict in a 13-day wrongful death trial. The decedent, a 59-year-old man, was admitted to the emergency room on February 15, 2019, with complaints of abdominal pain, decreased appetite, and constipation, despite the use of laxatives. The patient did not complain of any nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. He had a significant medical history including diabetes, hypertension, prior coronary artery stenting, morbid obesity (with past gastric bypass surgery), longstanding ventral hernia, and back pain. A CT scan revealed multiple hernias and a potential closed-loop bowel obstruction, leading to a surgery consultation. Our client, an emergency general surgeon, interpreted that the patient did not have a closed loop or any significant obstruction and recommended non-surgical management. The patient was approved to have clear liquids, and had a vomiting incident shortly after, but our client was not notified. The patient was returned to NPO status, and after improving overnight, he was returned to “clears” and additional medical and renal consults were ordered. Our client did not receive any communications from the residents/nurses of any changes in the patient’s condition. On February 18, 2019, two rapid responses were called due to increased heart rate and vomiting. It is believed that the vomiting resulted in aspiration, causing sepsis, ultimately leading to the patient’s death. During the trial, the plaintiff’s sole medical expert highlighted imaging on the wrong hernia, which called into question all of his opinions in the case. We made key objections related to the expert testimony, limiting what the allegations were, and preventing new allegations from being made. After approximately two and a half hours of deliberating, the jury returned a no-cause verdict. 

Thought Leadership

Featured Conversations... Key Takeaways from A.M. Best’s Webinar on the Misuse Defense in Product Liability Claims, Featuring Michael Salvati

Michael Salvati, shareholder in our Philadelphia office, was a panelist for the April A.M. Best webinar, “The Misuse Defense: Strategic Approaches to Defending Product Liability Claims for Insurers.” During the program, Michael and his fellow panelists offered practical, jurisdiction‑specific guidance on how misuse and failure‑to‑warn theories intersect in modern product liability litigation. Michael emphasized the unique challenges these claims present—particularly in states like Pennsylvania, where evidentiary rules diverge sharply from those applied in many other jurisdictions. Failure to Warn as the “Flip Side” of Misuse Salvati explained that failure‑to‑warn allegations often arise as a direct counter to a misuse defense. As he noted, “If our misuse defense is that the plaintiff didn't use a product properly or safely, then the failure to warn claim is that we didn't tell them how to use it properly.” He emphasized that these claims can stem from either the absence of warnings or criticisms of existing warnings, such as insufficient specificity or lack of clarity about risks. Pennsylvania’s Unique Evidentiary Landscape One of Salvati’s most notable points was the stark difference in how Pennsylvania treats evidence of compliance with industry standards. He highlighted that Pennsylvania is “one of the only states…where that evidence is not admissible” in strict liability cases. Manufacturers cannot rely on compliance with ANSI, UL, ISO, or even federal safety standards to defend the product against a strict liability claim—because the focus is solely on the product itself, not the manufacturer’s conduct. Salvati acknowledged the challenge this creates for defense counsel and clients who expect such compliance to carry weight. Understanding the Three Defect Theories Salvati also walked through the three primary defect theories recognized in many jurisdictions: - Design defect – a flaw in the product’s intended design - Manufacturing defect – a deviation affecting a specific unit - Failure to warn – inadequate instructions or warnings He noted that warnings claims are increasingly significant and sometimes stand alone when design or manufacturing theories are weak. As he put it, plaintiffs often default to warnings claims because “the default position seems to be, ‘If I got hurt, there must be something wrong.’” Warranties and State‑by‑State Variations Salvati addressed how breach‑of‑warranty claims fit into the broader framework, explaining that implied warranties—such as merchantability—often overlap with strict liability in Pennsylvania. He emphasized the importance of understanding local nuances, as warranty law and admissibility rules vary widely across states. Looking Ahead: The Growing Importance of Warnings In his closing remarks, Salvati stressed that warnings should never be treated as an afterthought in product liability defense. He observed that warnings‑only claims are becoming more common and urged manufacturers and insurers to continually evaluate the clarity and completeness of their instructions and warnings. His takeaway: “We should always be talking about what are the instructions that come with our products…to bolster a misuse defense.” Listen to the complete webinar here: https://www3.ambest.com/conferences/events/eventregister.aspx?event_id=WEB1074.