Sweeney & Sheehan Partner J. Michael Kunsch moderated a panel discussion, “Just Saying No: The Successes, Perils and Pitfalls of Believing in Your Product and How it Can Affect Litigation,” at the 2019 USLAW Fall Client Conference in Washington, D.C. The presentation was part of the Complex Tort and Product Liability educational track.
Sweeney & Sheehan partner J. Michael Kunsch obtained a defense verdict in a product liability case following three days of trial before Judge Mariani in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Plaintiff claimed injury resulting from an alleged defect in a stepladder. The defense established that the ladder was not defective and did not cause the incident.
Sweeney & Sheehan partner Barbara O’Connell gave a presentation at the 2019 USLAW Spring Client Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The session, Insurance Coverage in the #MeToo Age, presented an overview of ongoing insurance coverage litigation involving sexual abuse and harassment claims, including litigation involving Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Jerry Sandusky and the athletic department Penn State. The session also addressed how these insurance disputes affect the defense and ultimate resolution of cases, best practices for corporations and carriers facing such claims, and the overall impact of these cases on the insurance industry.
Sweeney & Sheehan attorneys Elizabeth Weber, Brian Dib, Joe Hauschildt and Frank Gattuso presented panel discussion concerning different forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the South Jersey Claims Association on April 3, 2019. The class was presented to insurance industry professionals and attorneys with certified continuing education credits provided at the Hotel ML in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.
Sweeney & Sheehan Partner J. Michael Kunsch obtained summary judgment in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania following a successful Daubert challenge of plaintiffs’ liability expert in a product liability case. Plaintiffs asserted claims of strict liability, negligence and breach of warranty against the manufacturer and seller of a fiberglass stepladder. The husband-plaintiff fell off the ladder in the master bathroom of his home while painting a skylight. He had positioned the ladder on a tarp, and claimed the ladder feet slipped and caused his fall. The ladder contained a warning to “Set all four feet on a firm level surface. Do not place on unstable, loose or slippery surfaces.” Despite the presence of that warning, plaintiffs’ engineering expert opined that the ladder should have had a specific warning about the danger of the ladder slipping when placed on a tarp on a smooth tile surface. The Court found the expert’s opinion did not satisfy the Daubert reliability and fit requirements, noting that he made no inspections of the ladder or scene, performed no tests, cited no relevant industry standards, offered inconsistent opinions, and simply accepted plaintiff’s testimony about how the accident happened. After precluding the expert, the Court further found that no reasonable jury could conclude that the ladder was defective and entered summary judgment.
Sweeney & Sheehan Partners Robyn McGrath, J. Michael Kunsch and Warren Voter gave presentations at the 2018 USLAW Fall Client Conference in Montreal, Canada. Ms. McGrath participated in a panel discussion, Paid Leave Laws Impacting Employers Nationwide, in the Employment & Labor Law Group. Mr. Kunsch participated on a panel discussion, Don’t Be Left Holding the Bag: How to Insulate Yourself from Insolvent (Foreign) Suppliers and Manufacturers, and Mr. Voter participated on a panel discussion, Dealing with the Pitfalls of National/International Claims Exposures When the Bad Claim Hits Your Desk, in the Complex Tort and Product Liability Group.
Sweeney & Sheehan partner Neal Thakkar has been recognized as a top appellate attorney by SJ Magazine, a publication serving southern New Jersey. The top attorney list is drawn from nominations by other attorneys in the region and then independently vetted. Neal has handled more than twenty appeals in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey, the Superior and Commonwealth Courts of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Sweeney & Sheehan is pleased to announce that William L. Foley, Jr. has joined the Firm as a Partner. Bill has been practicing workers’ compensation defense for 33 years and was most recently a co-founder of a workers’ compensation defense firm in Media, PA. Prior to that Bill was a partner in a large defense firm He received his B.S. degree with honors from Boston University and his J.D. from Temple School of Law. He is co-editor of Bisel’s PA Workers’ Compensation Update, a monthly publication. He is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, and Delaware County Bar Associations and has been an active member of the Delaware County Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Committee. He is a frequent lecturer on employment-related topics and has published a number of articles on the subject. Bill was selected to Super Lawyers in 2005 – 2006, 2008 – 2009, 2011 – 2018.
Sweeney & Sheehan Shareholder J. Michael Kunsch gave a presentation on the effective use of exemplar tools at deposition and trial to the Hand & Power Tool Specialized Litigation Group during the 2018 DRI Product Liability Conference in San Diego, California.
Sweeney & Sheehan Partner J. Michael Kunsch was re-elected to the USLAW Board of Directors at the 2017 Fall Client Conference in Carlsbad, California. Mr. Kunsch previously served on the USLAW Board from 2010-2014. For more information about USLAW, visit www.uslaw.org.
During its annual Golf Classic on May 12, 2017, the South Jersey Claims Association honored Sweeney & Sheehan for its more than 20 years of commitment and support of the organization. The SJCA is a non-profit association dedicated to the promotion of insurance education, ethical claims practices, and fellowship among a wide range of insurance professionals. Sweeney & Sheehan attorneys have taught countless SJCA continuing education classes, attended SJCA meetings and functions, and served in essential roles within the SJCA. Partners Frank Gattuso and Neal Thakkar have each served as SJCA Presidents in the past, and currently serve on the SJCA Board of Directors as Director of Legal Affairs and Director of Information, respectively. Additionally, Associate Joseph M. Hauschildt, Jr., serves as the current President of the SJCA.