.

Marshall Dennehey Announces 2025 Shareholder Class And Special Counsel Promotions

December 13, 2024

Marshall Dennehey is pleased to announce that 10 attorneys have been elected shareholders of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2025. Additionally, two attorneys have been promoted from associate to special counsel. These new shareholders and special counsel represent the firm's four core departments – Casualty, Professional Liability, Health Care and Workers' Compensation – and come from eight of the firm's 19 offices. 

“Marshall Dennehey is proud to celebrate this accomplished group of newly elected shareholders,” said firm President & CEO, G. Mark Thompson. “Their talent, dedication, and hard work have been instrumental to the success of our clients and the firm. We are particularly proud that 40 percent of this class are either women or minority attorneys, reflecting our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We congratulate them on this milestone and eagerly anticipate their continued contributions to our growth and success.”

Promoted to Shareholder

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK (MELVILLE)
James M. Boyce, Casualty Department (former Special Counsel)
James focuses his practice on New York construction and Labor Law matters, construction defect litigation and general liability matters. His clients include design professionals, owners, contractors and subcontractors when facing construction defect and delay claims, personal injury claims, fee disputes and New York State Labor Law matters. A member of the American Council of Engineering Companies, he is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and Hofstra University School of Law. James is admitted to practice in New York. 

Matthew A. Gray, Casualty Department (former Associate)
Matthew primarily defends insurance carriers in disputes involving New York Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claims. A member of the firm’s Fraud/Special Investigation Practice Group, he is experienced in defending clients against intentional/staged losses and medical provider fraud. He has extensive motion practice experience and with alongside his fellow colleagues to obtain favorable decision for each of his clients, whether through litigation or arbitration. Matthew holds a B.A. and M.A. from St. John’s University and earned his J.D. from the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. He is admitted to practice in New York.


MOUNT LAUREL, NEW JERSEY
Mari I. Gangadean, Professional Liability Department (former Special Counsel)
Mari is a member of the firm’s Employment Law Practice Group where she defends employers in employment-related claims involving allegations of discrimination based upon age, gender, race, sexual orientation and disability, as well as retaliation and "whistle blowing" in both federal and state courts. She additionally is experienced in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation as well as defending automobile negligence and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims. Mari is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Temple University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Kiara Hartwell, Workers’ Compensation Department (former Associate)
Kiara devotes her practice to workers' compensation litigation on behalf of employers, insurance carriers and self-insureds. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Workers' Compensation Executive Committee, a group charged with studying and developing beneficial changes in the administration and procedures pertaining to workers' compensation. Kiara authors the New Jersey updates for Marshall Dennehey’s monthly workers’ compensation newsletter and frequently writes for external publication. Admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, she is a graduate of New York University and Rutgers University School of Law. 

Jonathan C. Magpantay, CPCU, Casualty Department (former Associate)
As a member of the firm’s Fraud and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Practice Group, Jonathan focuses on large loss and medical provider fraud, including the filing of affirmative litigation recovery and RICO actions across the country. A Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), he also handles insurance coverage disputes, bad faith litigation and general defense litigation. He has broad experience in New Jersey Personal Injury Protection (PIP) litigation and appears regularly before the courts and administrative bodies. Jonathan is a member of the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ) and the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA). A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Rutgers University School of Law, he is admitted to practice in New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and Michigan. 


Michael J. Sweeney, CPCU, Casualty Department (former Associate)
As a member of the firm’s Fraud and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Practice Group, Michael investigates and defends large loss and medical provider fraud matters. He has  litigated and filed affirmative litigation recovery and RICO actions in many states, recovering tens of millions of dollars in restitution and recovery on behalf of the insurance industry. A Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Michael has extensive experience handling insurance coverage disputes, SIU investigations, bad faith allegations, and general defense litigation. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Villanova University School of Law, and is admitted to practice in New Jersey. 

KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Gabor Ovari, Health Care Department (former Associate)
Gabor focuses his practice on the defense of hospitals, health care systems and medical providers in medical malpractice and health care liability matters. He has second-chaired multiple jury trials and is experienced in all aspects of litigation. Gabor is a member of the Pennsylvania and Montgomery County Bar Associations. He is a graduate of Temple University and Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Sean J. Reeves, Casualty Department (former Associate)
Sean litigates a wide range of general liability matters representing insureds, self-insureds, and corporations in cases involving motor vehicle negligence, catastrophic product liability matters, personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death and warranty defense. Sean also has experience representing clients in the food and beverage industry in matters involving food allergies, foreign objects, foodborne illness and contamination cases. Sean is a graduate of the University of West Florida; Saint Leo University (MBA); and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He is admitted to practice in Florida.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Taniesha K. Salmons, Casualty Department (former Associate)
Taniesha concentrates her practice on premises and product liability litigation. On the premises side, her clients include national and regional grocery retailers, condominium and homeowners’ associations, business owners and private property owners. On the product side, she defends manufacturers and distributors of tools, automatic doors, machinery and other heavy industrial equipment. Taniesha additionally assists in the defense of fire loss and complex product liability cases involving catastrophic losses. A certified arbitrator in Philadelphia, Taniesha is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Miami, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees.


PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Michael D. Winsko, Casualty Department (former Associate) 
Michael defends corporations, individuals, and local governments in complex civil litigation matters. In this capacity, he has successfully handled numerous high-exposure premises liability, liquor liability, product liability, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death actions throughout the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania. Michael additionally defends clients against design and construction defect claims, trucking/automobile accidents, fall down incidents and negligent security claims. A graduate of Duquesne University and Duquesne University School of Law, he is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. 

Associates Promoted to Special Counsel

ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Frank L. Madia, Casualty Department
Frank handles matters involving premises and retail liability, personal injury, product liability, negligent security and automobile liability. As former staff counsel with a national insurance company, he also has substantial experience in insurance coverage matters, business litigation, and real estate transactions. Frank is a 30-year veteran of the New York Air National Guard, where he served as a Staff Judge Advocate before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2017. He is a graduate of the University at Buffalo, the United States Air Force Judge Advocate Training School, and the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. Frank also served 18 years as a local municipal judge in the upstate New York township where he previously resided. He is admitted to practice in Florida and New York. 


HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Christopher W. Woodward, Professional Liability Department
Christopher focuses his practice on insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. An experienced litigator and former claims examiner, he has a deep understanding of insurance policy and coverage issues arising from commercial, personal, and specialty property and casualty policies, professional liability policies, health/life policies and workers’ compensation policies. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and Widener University School of Law. 

Firm Highlights

Result

Statutory Employer Immunity Upheld

In this construction accident case that resulted in a $5 million verdict, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania upheld the Statutory Employer Doctrine, which immunizes general contractors and other contractors on construction sites when certain elements are satisfied.

Thought Leadership

WCJ Improperly Refused to Conduct C&R Hearing and Erroneously Required Settlement of All Pending Petitions

In this case, the claimant sustained injuries in the course and scope of her employment as a registered nurse. The employer acknowledged the injury by a Notice of Compensation Payable (NCP).  Subsequently, a Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) expanded the description of injury. The employer then filed a Termination Petition, alleging the claimant was fully recovered from the injuries. Providers filed Utilization Review (UR) Petitions, challenging UR determinations finding their chiropractic treatment to be not reasonable and necessary. A settlement of the claim was eventually reached, and the employer filed a Petition to Seek Approval of a Compromise and Release (C&R) Agreement. The C&R outlined that the agreement fully resolved all future workers’ compensation claims except for the termination and UR Petitions. Briefs were filed and one day later, the WCJ issued an Interlocutory Order which stated if instructions were not followed regarding filing of a C&R, a settlement hearing date would not be given. The employer complied with the order, and filed the C&R. Subsequently, the WCJ notified the parties that the C&R must resolve all issues in the petitions, or would not be entertained. A settlement hearing was never held, and the WCJ then issued a decision, granting the Termination Petition and dismissing the UR Petitions. The WCJ also said that the Petition for Approval of a C&R was dismissed without prejudice, as the issues in the Termination and UR Petitions went to a decision. The claimant appealed to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board). The Board granted the claimant’s appeal, finding that the WCJ violated the requirement of Section 449 that an expedited hearing be held when a Petition for Approval of a C&R is filed.  The Board further held that it was legally incorrect for the WCJ to insist that the C&R resolve all issues raised by the pending Petitions. The Board remanded the case to a new WCJ, and Employer appealed to the Commonwealth Court. The court affirmed the Board and held that the WCJ erred, as a matter of law, by refusing to hold an expedited hearing within 30 days, once the Petition for Approval of a C&R was filed.  The court noted that the language of Section 449(b) is mandatory, and a settlement hearing is not discretionary or dependent on a party’s separate request for a stay, or whether the record has been closed. The court further rejected Employer’s argument that the case should not be remanded to a new WCJ for a new decision on the termination and and UR Petitions, as the Board passed no judgment on whether the C&R Agreement resolved the termination and UR Petitions, and left it for the WCJ to decide in connection with the Petition for Approval of a C&R.

Result

$1.09 Billion Products Liability Verdict Overturned

In this products liability crashworthiness case, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania reversed a Philadelphia jury verdict of $1.09 billion, the largest verdict ever overturned by a PA appellate court.  The court ordered a new trial based on deficient jury instructions, clarified important aspects of crashworthiness law, and confirmed that so-called standard jury instructions may be incompatible with Pennsylvania law. 

Thought Leadership

Commonwealth Court Reaffirms the Constitutionality of Act 111's IRE Provisions

In this case, the claimant sustained a work injury of January 6, 1994, which was acknowledged by Notice of Compensation Payable (NCP). After the claimant’s receipt of 104 weeks of temporary total disability benefits, the employer filed a Request for an Impairment Rating Examination (IRE). The IRE was performed in May 2023 and the IRE physician found that the claimant had a 5% whole person impairment, under the AMA Guides. The employer filed a Petition based on the IRE results, and the Petition was granted by the WCJ. During litigation, the claimant argued that the IRE provisions of Act 111 (Section 306(a.3) of the Act) were not applicable to her injury, since it predated June 24, 1996, the date Act 57 went into effect, and that the IRE provisions were unconstitutional. The Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ)) granted the Petition and the Board affirmed. On appeal to the Commonwealth Court, the claimant argued that Act 111 violated the nondelegation doctrine and that its retroactive application to the claimant’s injury was unconstitutional. The court rejected the arguments on the basis that they had already found the same arguments without merit in multiple, prior cases. The court also addressed an argument made by the claimant that Act 111 was procedurally defective under the Pennsylvania Constitution because it was only considered on two days in each House after having undergone amendments and reassignments. The court noted that the Pennsylvania Constitution requires every bill to be considered on three different days in each House. The claimant maintained that, according to the legislative history, the bill did not receive three separate days of consideration from each House when it was assigned a new bill number. The court pointed out, however, that the bill number, H.B. 1840 remained constant and was considered on three occasions by the House. Further, the court concluded that minor amendments to the bill were germane to its original subject, which was to modify the Act’s IRE process, in accordance with Protz II.

Event

CLM 2026 Focus Conference

Allison joins three insurance industry leaders to discuss how cyber coverage disputes, the growing impact of social inflation on bodily injury claim valuation, and the use of artificial intelligence are reshaping the bad faith landscape. The panel will examine emerging sources of extra-contractual exposure, including evolving cyber insurance coverage issues and the challenges of accurately valuing bodily injury claims. Practical approaches to claim evaluation using AI, along with defense strategies designed to help prevent or successfully defend against bad faith litigation, will also be addressed. 

Bret E. Dubbert Joins Marshall Dennehey’s Orlando Office as Special Counsel in the Casualty Department

News

Bret E. Dubbert Joins Marshall Dennehey’s Orlando Office as Special Counsel in the Casualty Department

graphic announcing our 6 2027 Super Lawyers & Rising Stars

News

Marshall Dennehey Announces 2027 New Jersey Super Lawyers And Rising Stars

Thought Leadership

Appellate Division Reversed Trial Judge's Orders Granting a Plaintiff's Section 40 Summary Judgement Motion

In Haskins v. Casey, et al., the plaintiff Dane Haskins worked for defendant Ekornes, Inc. (Ekornes) as a material handler. In June 2021, he filed a workers’ compensation claim petition for benefits due to a left shoulder injury in December 2020. He then resolved his workers’ compensation claim in November 2022 under an Order Approving Settlement. In January 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Ekornes and later amended to add additional claims and name other defendants, including the Ekornes president, chief financial officer, and director of human resources. In May 2025, a second amended complaint alleged that after he filed the workers compensation claim, Ekornes placed him on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), denied his request for a work accommodation, and ultimately terminated him from employment in December 2021. He pleaded several causes of action asserting violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) as well as fraudulent concealment and wrongful discharge. The plaintiff then moved for partial summary judgment, seeking an order enforcing Section 40 of the Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA) as well as summary judgment on his FMLA claims. The defendants opposed the motions and cross-moved for summary judgment on the FMLA claims. After arguments, the court entered an order in December 2025, denying the FMLA motion and cross motion and granting the plaintiff’s Section 40 motion. In the order, the court permitted the plaintiff to pursue compensatory damages at trial in connection with the bodily injury claim. The court also allowed the plaintiff to present evidence of any workers’ compensation benefits to support his claim. The court then denied the defendant's subsequent reconsideration motion in February 2026. The defendants that appealed the Section 40 aspect of the orders. In reviewing the appeal de novo, the Appellate Division rejected the plaintiff's argument that the work-related injury arose out of his discrimination claims under the LAD. The plaintiff argued that he should be able to pursue a personal injury claim as a part of his LAD claim, noting that the employer’s compensation carrier would be able to assert a lien against any recovery against his LAD claims. In distinguishing between the Richter vs. Oakland Board of Education, 246 N.J. 507 (2021) case, in which the Court found that any recovery would be subject to a Section 40 lien as the allegation was that the defendants failed to accommodate her pre-existing diabetic condition, which resulted in bodily injury. In this case, the Appellate Division indicated that there was no bodily injury caused by Ekornes’ failure to accommodate a pre-existing disability. Rather, the shoulder injury was a result of a workers compensation claim, for which he received appropriate benefits previously. The Appellate Division noted that if the plaintiff was successful in proving his LAD claims, he would be entitled to damages caused by the discriminatory discriminatory conduct such as lost wages and emotional distress damages and that there will be no Section 40 lien. In addition, the Appellate Division disagreed that the petitioner could present evidence about and seek damages for his shoulder injury at trial. Although the petitioner argued that a defendant who retaliated against an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim should not benefit from the exclusivity provision of the WCA, the Appellate Division noted that the Legislature did not include this type of scenario in the statue nor did any of the case law recognize this type of claim as a remedy. As such, the Appellate Division reversed the December 2025 order granting the the plaintiff’s Section 40 summary judgment motion as well as the February 2026 reconsideration motion order. The Appellate Division noted that they did not intend to limit the plaintiff in his pursuit of his other claims on under the LAD, FMLA, and workers’ compensation retaliation causes of action.

Result

$19 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict Overturned

In this medical malpractice case, the trial court vacated $10 million of a $19 million verdict in post-trial motions and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania vacated the remaining $9 million on appeal.

Marshall Dennehey Named a Standout in Litigation by BTI Consulting Group

News

Marshall Dennehey Named a Standout in Litigation by BTI Consulting Group