Skip to main content

Representative List of Trials

Explore a summary of our jury trials, non-jury trials, arbitrations & administrative hearings spanning nearly every major type of commercial litigation case

This is a representative list and summary of my jury trials, non-jury trials, arbitrations and administrative hearings spanning nearly every major type of commercial litigation case. This list of actual trials does not include the hundreds of representations that did not require a trial because of settlements or favorable pretrial rulings. The clients in these cases have included individuals of modest means, large and small corporations and AMLAW 100 law firms.

Securities, Corporate Control, Merger & Acquisition Cases

Peil v. Speiser (E.D. Pa. – defense of securities fraud class action case against corporation and its principal officers) (Co-counsel for defense with Jerome J. Shestack, Esquire) (Result: verdict for all of the clients after five-week jury trial).

Seidman v. Yardville National Bancorp (Superior Court of New Jersey, Passaic County Division – defense of national bank in non-jury trial involving proxy contest for control over the bank) (Result: after five days of trial, the trial judge entered findings of fact and conclusions of law rejecting all of plaintiff’s challenges to the election results and upholding the election of the directors aligned with the client’s management).

Honeywell International v. Inolex Chemical Company (arbitration before a panel consisting of Kenneth Feinberg, former White House Counsel and Court of Appeals Judge Abner Mikva, and William J. Murphy – defense of complex claims under agreements arising out of an acquisition of a chemical plant involving ten days of testimony) (Result: disclosure of result prohibited by terms of confidentiality agreement between the parties).

OneBeacon Insurance Company v. [Confidential] Insurance Company (complex arbitration case before a panel of three experienced insurance claims executives involving 28 full days of testimony) (Co-counsel for claimant with Francis P. Devine, III). (Result: disclosure of result prohibited by terms of confidentiality agreement).

[Confidential] v. Geftman, et al. (defense of alleged fraud claims arising out of the sale of a business and prosecution of client’s counterclaim) (Result: arbitrators rejected the opposing party’s fraud claim, found in favor of client seller for the full balance of the unpaid purchase price and awarded client attorney’s fees after four days of arbitration hearings).

Fraud & Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Claims

Chanoff v. Greenberg (E.D. Pa. – defense in jury trial of action for damages for alleged fraud and conversion in management of real estate projects) (Result: after two weeks of trial, jury verdict for plaintiff in the amount of 1% of plaintiff’s alleged damages, reduced to zero damages based on undisputed counterclaim).

Laurel Sand & Gravel, Inc. v. McDermitt, Inc. (U.S.D.C. for the District of Maryland – defense in jury trial of claim for failure to pay for goods sold and delivered and prosecution of counterclaims for alleged antitrust violations and aiding and abetting a corporate officer’s breach of fiduciary duty) (Result: jury verdict in favor of opposing party in the amount of the invoice for the goods sold and delivered).

Breach Of Contract

Insurer Consulting Services v. Delaware Valley Financial Services (Court of Common Pleas, Chester County, Pennsylvania – representation in jury trial of corporate plaintiff in action for damages for breach of an oral contract) (Result: settlement after close of all the evidence and before closing statements).

Stroehmann v. Stroehmann (Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania – representation in non-jury trial of wife in action challenging the enforceability of a prenuptial agreement) (Result: after a four-day evidentiary hearing, the trial judge entered findings of fact and conclusions of law invalidating the prenuptial agreement).

Jan Hilliker M.D. v. Scott Hartzell M.D. and Daniel Fassero M.D. and the Eye Center of Central Pennsylvania, LLP (Court of Common Pleas of Union County, Pennsylvania – representation of excluded partner in medical practice seeking appointment of a receiver and other equitable relief in partnership dissolution case) (Result: settlement after three-day evidentiary hearing).

ADT Corporation v. Codisa Software Corp. (complex arbitration of a claim arising out of a software development contract conducted before single arbitrator appointed by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution) (brought in as co-counsel for claimant three weeks before the hearing) (Result: disclosure of result prohibited by terms of confidentiality agreement).

Defamation And First Amendment

Anthony Lewis v. Beverly Williams and Westinghouse Broadcasting Company (Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – defense of action for defamation, assault and battery in jury trial) (Result: Mistrial because of first jury panel’s inability to agree on a verdict; verdict in favor of both clients in re-trial before second jury).

Kauffman, et al. v. Hachette Publishing, Inc. (E.D. Pa. – defense of defamation case in jury trial) (Result: settlement during jury deliberations).

State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons v. Kerbeck Cadillac Pontiac, Inc. (administrative trial before a Pennsylvania state agency involving an out-of-state dealer’s constitutional right to display vehicles at a popular vehicle display show in Pennsylvania) (Result: Board refused to acknowledge the client’s right to display the vehicles, which the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania affirmed despite the well-reasoned dissent of two judges on constitutional grounds after en banc argument to the entire Commonwealth Court).

Insurance Disputes

SAFECO Life Insurance Company v. J.G. Wentworth S.S.C. Limited Partnership (Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – defense of action for declaratory judgment concerning the enforceability of anti-assignment provisions in structured settlement agreements) (Result: findings of fact and conclusions of law in favor of the client after a six-day non-jury trial).

Claim of Steamship Mutual Underwriting Association (Bermuda) Limited in Statutory Liquidation of Reliance Insurance Company (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania) (representation of Liquidator of Reliance Insurance Company in five day non-jury trial to determine whether a unique form of contract entered into by and among three insurance companies was “insurance” or “reinsurance” for purpose of determining priority of claim in liquidation) (Result: Court-appointed Referee upheld Liquidator’s determination that the contract was “reinsurance”).

Lawyer Sanctions

Fishbein v. Corel Corporation (Court of Common Pleas, Snyder County, Pennsylvania – defense of lawyers who had been accused by trial judge of engaging in misconduct in the course of the litigation) (Result: after an evidentiary hearing, the trial judge imposed no sanctions on counsel and accepted counsel’s apology for an inadvertent error).

Product Liability

Biederman v. Neoplan USA Corporation (E.D. Pa. – defense of product liability claim against bus manufacturer) (Result: jury verdict in favor of client).

Lattimore v. Neoplan USA Corporation (E.D. Pa. – defense of product liability claim against bus manufacturer) (Result: jury verdict in favor of client).

Zappile v. Neoplan USA Corporation (E.D. Pa. – defense of product liability claim against bus manufacturer) (Result: jury verdict in favor of client).

Nelms v. Neoplan USA Corporation (E.D. Pa. – defense of product liability claim against bus manufacturer) (Result: jury verdict in favor of client).

Real Estate Litigation

Sears & Roebuck Co. v. Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp. (Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County, Pennsylvania – representation of defendant landlord/real estate developer in constructive eviction case filed by commercial tenant) (Result: jury verdict for plaintiff commercial tenant in the amount of $66,000 based on finding of constructive eviction; no recovery on landlord/real estate developer’s counterclaim for rent).

Forest Electric Corporation v. Drake Tower Limited Partnership (E.D. Pa. – representation of plaintiff in action for breach of a construction contract) (Result: findings of fact and conclusions of law after three days of non-jury trial awarding client 100% of the damages claimed, followed by settlement).

Tornetta v. Wyndham Hotels (arbitration before three distinguished arbitrators involving issues under an agreement to sell real estate) (Result: the panel found in favor of the opposing party).

In re: Smith Hall (administrative trial before the Board of License and Inspection Review of the City of Philadelphia, a City agency with jurisdiction over demolition of potentially historic buildings) (Result: the Board granted the permit for demolition of a building at the University of Pennsylvania).

Malicious Prosecution & Civil Rights Claims

Abrams v. Linda Pack and National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (E.D. Pa. – defense in jury trial of action for malicious prosecution and violations of the Civil Rights Act) (Result: jury verdict in favor of both clients and attorneys’ fees awarded to clients).

Warlocks Motorcycle Club v. City of Philadelphia (Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – defense of City of Philadelphia in non-jury trial of action to enjoin allegedly unconstitutional searches and seizures) (Result: settled after two days of trial).

Death Penalty And Pro Bono Litigation

Commonwealth v. Fletcher (Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – pro bono representation with a team of Wolf Block lawyers in extensive evidentiary hearings on post-conviction motions filed on behalf of a defendant previously convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death) (Result: after seven days of evidentiary hearings, the trial judge overturned the first degree murder conviction and ordered a new trial on all issues, including the question of the defendant’s guilt or innocence, but the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania subsequently reversed that order and reinstated the conviction and sentence of death. The District Attorney ultimately released the defendant from prison in exchange for a plea of guilty to third degree murder based on the new evidence discovered by our team).

Bernard Cliett v. Meyer Real Estate (Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – representation in non-jury trial of plaintiff in pro bono case seeking damages for breach of a realtor’s affirmative duty to disclose known defects in residential real estate) (Result: findings of fact and conclusions of law in favor of client and awarding the full amount claimed).

Interested in Learning More?

Contact Joe