King of Prussia
The King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, office of Marshall Dennehey is one of the firm's largest branch offices and one of the largest law offices in Montgomery County. In deciding to establish this office, the firm recognized the importance of a local presence, as opposed to simply being a Philadelphia firm which does work in the surrounding counties and states.
The King of Prussia office services Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton and Schuylkill counties. Our more senior litigators in this office have a wealth of experience in handling significant cases spanning the full spectrum of property, casualty, professional liability and workers' compensation litigation. Our attorneys seek to provide the highest quality, yet cost-effective, defense litigation. We are extremely sensitive towards the clients' ultimate goals, whether it be early resolution through settlement or taking matters through to verdict.
Thought Leadership
Case Law Alerts
Pennsylvania Superior Court Reaffirms Liberal Pleading Standard in Medical Malpractice Actions
July 21, 2026
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has reinforced a broader fact-pleading approach that may make it more difficult for healthcare defendants to obtain dismissal at the preliminary objection stage. In DaSilva v. Abington Memorial Hospital, the court held that the plaintiffs’ second amended complaint satisfied Pennsylvania’s fact‑pleading requirements despite the absence of individually named negligent actors. In DaSilva, the plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint alleging that Abington Memorial Hospital was directly and vicariously negligent after the patient, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, was left unattended by hospital staff, exited the emergency department, and was struck by a vehicle, suffering serious injuries. The trial court sustained the hospital’s preliminary objections and dismissed the complaint with prejudice, stating plaintiffs “failed to plead any material factual allegations in support of their claims of negligence [and] set forth vague allegations of negligence and unidentified agency.” Id. at *5. The plaintiffs appealed. On appeal, the Superior Court reversed, holding that the complaint sufficiently pled negligence and vicarious liability claims under Pa.R.C.P. 1019(a). The court concluded that allegations describing the patient’s condition, the hospital’s awareness of that condition, and the alleged failure to monitor or prevent elopement were adequate to satisfy Pennsylvania’s pleading requirements. Significantly, the court rejected the hospital’s argument that the complaint failed because it did not identify the specific employees responsible for the alleged negligence. Instead, the court found that generalized references to “emergency room staff” were sufficient to place the hospital on notice of the claims because “the names of those who performed services for the plaintiff are known to the defendant or can be ascertained during discovery.” Id. at *12 (citing Est. of Denmark ex rel. Hurst v. Williams, 117 A.3d 300, 307 (Pa. Super. 2015)). The effect of DaSilva is that plaintiffs may proceed past the pleading stage with relatively generalized allegations, particularly in cases involving institutional defendants where relevant details are uniquely within the defendant’s control. As a result, healthcare defendants should anticipate that challenges to claim sufficiency may be resolved in the later stages of litigation, including discovery and summary judgment.
Defense Digest
On the Pulse… Mount Laurel Office: A Cornerstone of Defense Litigation in South Jersey for Over 40 Years
June 30, 2026
Marshall Dennehey established its first office in southern New Jersey in 1984. Since that time, the “South Jersey” office, now located in Mount Laurel, has grown to be the second largest Marshall Dennehey office outside of Philadelphia. With 56 attorneys and approximately 75 support staff, this office fully services our clients across the spectrum of defense litigation in South Jersey. As one of the largest law offices primarily dedicated to South Jersey, we are able to provide our clients an unparalleled depth of experience and knowledge, reinforced by long-standing relationships with the local bar and bench. The success of this office is based upon many factors, not the least of which is the depth of talent and experience we offer our clients. Our office is composed of many long-time residents of New Jersey, and we have the benefit of being staffed by individuals who have dedicated their careers to Marshall Dennehey, having worked for the firm for over 20, and in some cases, over 30 years. Our office administrator, Sheila Stanley, has been with the firm for 40 years and is an invaluable leader. Coupled with the broad-based resources and experience of the firm, we are able to provide our clients with the highest level of defense litigation support in areas including professional liability, health care liability, casualty, and workers’ compensation. The Mount Laurel Casualty Group makes up the largest group of attorneys in our office. Supervised by Barbara Davis, this group includes accomplished, long-time shareholders and trial attorneys who handle cases across the casualty spectrum. They are supported by a skilled group of associates who routinely sit second chair and otherwise support trial counsel at every level. Jeffrey Rapattoni, Assistant Director of the firm’s Casualty Department, serves as Chair of both the SIU/Fraud Litigation Group and the PIP Litigation Group. Our attorneys offer our clients aggressive and specialized knowledge evidenced by their record of success. Our professional liability group, the second largest in the firm behind Philadelphia, handles a broad range of matters, from architectural, engineering, and construction defect litigation, to real estate liability, public entity and civil rights litigation, and employment law. Our PL group is supervised by Matthew Behr, and is anchored by seasoned litigators and talented associates. The Mount Laurel Worker’s Compensation Group is led by Bob Fitzgerald, who has been with the firm for 25 years. He leads a successful team of attorneys who are well known within the worker’s compensation bench and bar in South Jersey, and their longevity and high regard within the community affords our clients the highest level of service. Our Health Care Group is led by Lynne Nahmani, who has been with the firm since law school -- over 35 years. The Health Care Group defends and routinely tries cases including medical malpractice, hospital/acute care malpractice, long term care litigation, nursing malpractice, dental malpractice, allied health professionals' malpractice, and professional board matters, among others. Collaboration has always been a cornerstone of the culture of Marshall Dennehey, and this is nowhere more evident than in the Mount Laurel office. While our attorneys generally practice within their groups, the benefit of having a broad base of litigators allows us to work as a cross-functional team when needed. This provides our clients with the benefits of diverse expertise and collaboration and provides our attorneys with mutual resources at their fingertips. In addition, it allows for our attorneys to continue to learn from each other and work together to continue to lead the market in South Jersey.
