Appointments

Niki Ingram (Philadelphia, PA) has been named the first-ever Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. The position was created following the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustices over the summer of 2020. “Racism is prevalent in all civil legal matters, from housing to unemployment to immigration, and the work of civil legal aid agencies is critical in the fight for racial justice,” said Jessica R. Hilburn-Holmes, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. “The Bar Foundation is committed to this fight and to doing the work in order to promote a better, more equitable Philadelphia community. The addition of a DE&I Officer is a first step toward that goal – and we couldn’t find a more competent nor passionate person to lead this charge than Niki Ingram.” Niki joined the Philadelphia Bar Foundation for a three-year Board term in 2019.

Recognition

Marshall Dennehey Announces 2021 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. Eight attorneys from the Mount Laurel and Roseland, New Jersey, offices have been selected to the 2021 edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine. A Thomson Reuters business, New Jersey Super Lawyers is a rating service of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected as Super Lawyers and no more than 2.5 percent are selected for Super Lawyer Rising Stars. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. A description of the selection methodology can be found at http://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

The firm’s New Jersey Super Lawyers include:

• Leonard Leicht, Civil Litigation Defense and Transportation/Maritime. Leonard concentrates his practice in defending significant commercial motor vehicle, personal injury, employment, civil rights and professional liability matters. Recognized by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, he has handled precedent-setting appellate matters before the Supreme Court and Appellate Division of New Jersey, and regularly represents clients in administrative, disciplinary and labor hearings.
• John L. Slimm, Professional Liability Defense. Jack has devoted the majority of his 40-year career to the representation of attorneys, accountants, architects and engineers, directors and officers, and investment and insurance professionals in litigation.
• Lary I. Zucker, Personal Injury Defense and Entertainment & Sports Defense. Lary co-chairs the firm's Amusements, Sports & Recreation Practice Group and has 48 years of litigation experience.

The firm’s New Jersey Super Lawyer Rising Stars include:

• Ariel Brownstein, Insurance Coverage. Ariel focuses his practice on insurance fraud and SIU litigation, with an emphasis on medical provider fraud and large loss fraud.
• Christopher DiCicco, Transportation/Maritime Litigation. Chris focuses his practice on admiralty and maritime litigation, including maritime personal injury cases and marine construction cases. He also handles trucking and aviation cargo defense matters. He is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York, and he actively handles litigation in both states.
• Ryan Gannon, Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice Defense. Ryan focuses on medical malpractice and nursing home malpractice litigation.
• Heather LaBombardi, Medical Malpractice Defense. Heather defends health care practitioners and facilities in medical malpractice and health care liability matters.
• Sara Mazzolla, Personal Injury, General, Defense. Sara defends matters involving premises liability, amusements, sports and recreation, construction, automobile and condominium/community association law. She also defends professional liability claims involving sports coaches and real estate professionals.

Published Articles

William Banton (Philadelphia, PA) and Paul Laughlin (Allentown, PA) authored the article “Child Protective Services Law: Implications for Behavioral Health Organizations,” which appeared in the March/April issue of The Pennsylvania Lawyer. Click here to read the article.

Ryan Burns (Fort Lauderdale, FL) authored the article “Understanding Florida’s Sweeping New Immunity Law for COVID-19 Claims,” which was published on April 15, 2021, in Insurance Journal’s Southeast edition. You may read the article at this link.

Peggy Smith Bush (Orlando, FL) contributed the article, “How to Get Your Business Relationships – and Yourself – Back on Track After a Year of Isolation,” to the Orlando Business Journal. Peggy is an active member of The Florida Bar’s Mental Health and Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee and is pursuing a master of professional studies psychology of leadership degree from Penn State University.

Christopher Conrad (Harrisburg, PA) wrote an article titled “Bullies In the Schoolyard and Beyond: Avoiding and Defending Federal Bullying Claims Against Schools and School Leaders” for the Pennsylvania Liability Defense Quarterly. Click here to read.

Bridget Mead (Philadelphia, PA) and faculty from Drexel University Thomas R Kline School of Law and Catholic University authored an article published in the Singapore Academy of Law, Special Issue on Law and Technology. Titled, “Defensibility: Changing the Way Organisations Approach Cybersecurity and Data Privacy,” the article discusses the Equifax data breach and analyzes shortcomings in traditional approaches to cybersecurity and data privacy by first examining current laws, rules and regulations across the globe. You may access the article at this link: https://journalsonline.academypublishing.org.sg/Journals/Singapore-Academy-of-Law-Journal-Special-Issue/Current-Issue/ctl/eFirstSALPDFJournalView/mid/503/ArticleId/1599/Citation/JournalsOnlinePDF.

Michelle Michael (Roseland, NJ) authored the article, “NJ Supreme Court Confirms Scope and Application of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act,” appearing in the New Jersey Law Journal.

Steven Petramale (Pittsburgh, PA) authored an article appearing in The Legal Intelligencer’s Medical Malpractice Supplement. The article, “Courts’ Interpretations of Statutes Demonstrate Shifting Landscape for Defense Bar,” discusses the recent interpretations of the Peer Review Protection Act, MCARE Act, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, and the Health Care Quality Improvement Act, as well as methods that attorneys can employ to maintain privilege over certain documentation. Read the article here.

Alesia Sulock (Philadelphia, PA) authored “Reinstating the Two-Year Statute of Limitations for Legal Malpractice Claims,” in which she discusses the “gist of the action doctrine” in Pennsylvania and its impact on legal malpractice claims. Published in The Legal Intelligencer, you can read the article here.

Jeremy Zacharias’ (Mount Laurel, NJ) article, “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global IPO Marketplace,” was published by PLUSBlog on March 15, 2021. To read, click here.

Speaking Engagements

Robert Aldrich (Scranton, PA) presented at the Pennsylvania Association for Health Care Risk Management Spring Conference. This webinar was offered in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. Rob’s presentation focused on the 21st Century Cures Act.

Heather Carbone (Jacksonville, FL) presented “Average Weekly Wage and Indemnity Benefits (Other than PTD)” at the 2021 Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Forum. Conference attendees included adjusters, case managers, vocational experts, supervisors, managers, attorneys and executives from the Florida workers’ compensation claims community.

Jim Cole (Philadelphia, PA), Jon Cross (Philadelphia, PA), AC Nash (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Matt Schorr (Roseland, NJ), Dave Shannon (Philadelphia, PA), Sunny Sparano (Roseland, NJ) and Vlada Tasich (Philadelphia, PA) recently participated in ILG WEEK. “Insurance Claims Snapshots from Around the Globe” was a week-long series of practice area-specific webinars in areas such as concussion litigation, autonomous vehicles, ransomware attacks, changes in the construction industry, COVID-19 and business interruption claims, and negligent security. All of our presenters guided participants through case studies and interactive sessions, addressing key issues of importance to claims professionals and insurance industry personnel.

Ashley Eldridge (Philadelphia, PA) was a speaker at the Dispute Resolution Institute’s Person Injury Potpourri, presenting “COVID-19 and Workers' Compensation.” Ashley also spoke at Philly I-Day. In “Professional Development Trends, Emerging Topics in Learning and Leadership Development,” Ashley joined senior learning leaders representing a wide swath of the industry, including a major personal lines carrier and an international property casualty carrier, to learn about professional development trends, including emerging topics in training, learning and development, as well as leadership development.

Brooks Foland (Harrisburg, PA) presented at the Pennsylvania Defense Institute’s Lunch Time Webinar, “With Vehicle Technologies in the Fast Lane, How Can We Keep Up?” Brooks co-chairs the PDI’s Motor Vehicle Committee. The webinar addressed the new technologies in motor vehicles and their use in gathering relevant evidence for litigated cases.

John Hare (Philadelphia, PA) spoke at the Civil Litigation Update 2021 presented by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute on March 4, 2021.

Niki Ingram (Philadelphia, PA) was a panelist at a recent webinar hosted by the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel. “How Women Judges and Lawyers Succeed During Challenging Times” featured an esteemed panel of women in the legal profession offering advice and sharing real life experiences on how to move forward while overcoming obstacles, juggling work life with personal life and maintaining civility.

Ben Nicolosi (Scranton, PA) recently made a virtual presentation for the Luzerne County Bar on “An Overview of Pennsylvania Premises Liability Law.”

Kacey Wiedt (Harrisburg, PA) presented at the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania’s (CCAP) “Controlling Workers' Compensation Costs Workshop” on March 18. The rapid-fire spread of the coronavirus over the course of the past year has employers concerned about the health and safety of their employees. As the pandemic continues, many are also wondering if there is workers’ compensation coverage for employees who contract the virus. In this session hosted by the CCAP, Kacey discussed the importance of working together during the pre-litigation phase to properly manage COVID-19 claims and mitigate risk.

Media Commentary

Raphael Duran (Philadelphia, PA) was a guest speaking on WPHT Talk Radio. Raph and his fellow panelists—JB Dilsheimer of Stampone O’Brien Dilsheimer Law and Geoff Dlin of Krasno Krasno Onwudinjo—discussed different litigation styles (such as when to be a bulldog and when to be cooperative), and how it impacts workers’ compensation cases. Various claims were discussed involving subrogation, catastrophic and minor claims. The effectiveness of various litigation styles, in the speakers’ respective specialties, was also debated.

Matt Keris (Scranton, PA) was interviewed by NBC News and ED Legal Letter. In a March 4, 2021, report titled, “Kentucky Mom Alleges Hospital Workers Missed Her Cancer -- Then Covered Up Their Mistake,” by NBC NEWS, Matt commented on how audit trail litigation is driving up the cost of medical malpractice lawsuits. The full article can be read here. Matt was also quoted in ED Legal Letter in the March 2021 article, “Misdiagnosis Top Allegation in Aortic Dissection Malpractice Claims.” The full article can be found here.

_{Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 3, June 2021 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. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. © 2021 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.}