Marc Stephen Raspanti to speak at the 25th Annual Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference

2024/04/03

Pietragallo partner Marc Raspanti will be speaking on “Private Equity and Health Care – A Paradox or Just Good Business” at the 25th Annual Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference hosted by the American Bar Association on Friday, April 5th from 3:35-4:20 pm. The faculty of leading healthcare experts will share insider knowledge about todays most significant topics involving the healthcare industry. Taking place in New Orleans, this 4-day conference from April 3-6, will cover why private equity (PE) is investing in such a heavily regulated industry; transactional and due diligence challenges and concerns for PE investments in healthcare; potential pitfalls of PE investment and best practices for staying compliant; potential conflicts between PE investment goals and legal compliance; and current False Claims Act/qui tam litigation trends involving PE investments in the healthcare industry. To register, click here. Read More

22 Pietragallo Lawyers named in 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

2024/05/17

Pietragallo is pleased to announce that 22 lawyers have been named to the 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list. Super Lawyers is a service of Thomson Reuters legal division which compiles a list of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas. Each year, Super Lawyers select attorneys based on peer nominations and evaluations combined with their own independent research. Selections are made on an annual, state by state basis to develop an extensive list of remarkable attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and individuals seeking legal assistance. Only five percent of lawyers are selected to Super Lawyers and two and a half percent to Rising Stars. The following were recognized in the 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list: Gaetan J. Alfano (Top 100 in Philadelphia) Charles Avalli Joseph J. Bosick Kerri Lee Cappella (Top 100 in Pennsylvania, Top 50 Women in Pennsylvania and Top 50 in Pittsburgh) Mark Gordon Brennan Hart Kenneth J. Horoho, Jr. Christopher A. Iacono Michael A. Morse William Pietragallo, II Francis E. Pipak, Jr. Marc S. Raspanti (Top 100 in Philadelphia) Douglas K. Rosenblum Clem C. Trischler Paul Kenneth Vey Robert D. Weinberg The following were recognized in the 2024 Pennsylvania Rising Stars list: Ashley Kenny Alexander Owens Peter St. Tienne Wolff To read more, click here.   About Pietragallo Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is a multi-disciplined business and commercial litigation firm headquartered in Pittsburgh with five offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia from which we are able to serve our clients in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read More

Michael Morse to present at the 28th Annual Compliance Institute hosted by the Health Care Compliance Association

2024/04/10

Partner Michael Morse will be presenting “Internal Investigations in a Crisis” at the 28th Annual Compliance Institute hosted by the Health Care Compliance Association next week in Nashville, TN from April 14-17. Mr. Morse has an extensive background representing many healthcare institutions such as hospitals, health systems, medical schools, medical device manufacturers, etc. Mike, alongside co-presenter Gabriel Imperato, will address the unique challenges of conducting internal investigations in times of crisis, best practices for formulating and implementing an investigative plan, and how to manage internal and external pressures during an internal investigation. Some topics covered during this conference will include Compliance Law, Investigations, Physician Compliance and many more. To learn more, click here. Read More

Cigna’s Spin on High Court Ruling Ends with $172 Million Settlement

2024/02/02

On June 1, the Supreme Court resolved a long-standing circuit split over how to judge scienter under the False Claims Act’s “knowingly” element. 2 Writing for a unanimous Court in United States ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc., Justice Thomas held that “[t]he FCA’s scienter element refers to [a defendant’s] knowledge and subjective beliefs—not to what an objectively reasonable person may have known or believed.” SuperValu has already begun to reshape the FCA landscape for the Medicare Advantage sector, which absorbs a staggering $450 billion in annual government payments. Cigna Corp., for example, recently made headlines by settling a trio of FCA claims related to its Medicare Advantage plans for $172 million. As discussed below, the settlement marks a significant turning point in the government’s enforcement efforts against Medicare advantage insurers and providers. Background on SuperValu The whistleblowers in SuperValu had accused two retail pharmacies—SuperValu and Safeway—of “knowingly” reporting to Medicare and Medicaid the full retail price of prescription drugs as their “usual and customary” price, despite providing significant discounts to other payors. The FCA defines “knowingly” to mean acting (1) with actual knowledge of the information; (2) deliberate ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information; or (3) in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information. 3 The FCA does not require proof of specific intent to defraud. Although evidence showed that SuperValu and Safeway had interpreted “usual and customary” to mean discounted prices, the retailers argued that it was “objectively reasonable” to read “usual and customary” to mean full retail prices. The district court agreed and dismissed the FCA suits, holding that the retailers had not acted “knowingly.” The Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal, finding that the retailers had made “objectively reasonable” interpretations of ambiguous law. In other words, because the claims were objectively reasonable, the retailers’ own subjective beliefs about what constituted “usual and customary” were irrelevant to scienter. Read More

Pietragallo recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®

2023/11/02

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®, receiving fourteen Tier 1 Metro rankings in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. These fourteen rankings include: Commercial Litigation (PGH & PHL) Employment Law – Individuals (PHL) Health Care Law (PHL) Insurance Law (PGH) Litigation – Insurance (PGH) Litigation – Labor & Employment (PGH & PHL) Litigation – Real Estate (PGH) Litigation – Trusts & Estates (PGH) Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs (PGH) Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (PGH) Product Liability Litigation – Defendants (PGH) Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers (PGH) In addition to the Tier 1 Metro rankings, Pietragallo also received ten Tier 2 and Tier 3 Metro rankings: Tier 2 Metro firm in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and West Palm Beach in the respective practice areas of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Employment Law – Management, and Litigation – Intellectual Property. Tier 3 Metro firm in Pittsburgh and West Palm Beach in the respective practice areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar Pietragallo has also been named as a Tier 2 National firm in Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Labor & Employment and a Tier 3 National firm for our work in Health Care Law. Prior to merging with Pietragallo, Gentile Horoho & Avalli P.C. (GHA) was slated to be ranked as a Tier 1 Metro firm in Pittsburgh for their work in Family Law and a Tier 3 Metro firm in Pittsburgh for their work in Litigation – Trusts & Estates, and Trusts & Estates Law. All seven GHA attorneys, well-known for their experience in complex and high net-worth divorce and custody disputes as well as intricate estate/trust cases, have joined Pietragallo. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. Read More

Michael Morse to present at the American Bar Association’s 21st Annual Washington Health Law Summit

2023/12/11

Pietragallo partner Michael Morse will be presenting at the American Bar Association’s 21st Annual Washington Health Law Summit, on December 11-12, 2023 in Washington D.C.. Mr. Morse will be presenting “Health Care and Private Equity: Compliance, Control, and Mission Risks” alongside James Sheehan, Chief of the Charities Bureau, Office of the New York Attorney General. This session will address the scope, trends and potential benefits of private equity and healthcare, detailing the legal risks of private equity and joint venture models using literature and media analysis on some adverse patient impacts of private equity models and upstream individual liability claims. For more information and to register, click here. Read More

Doug Rosenblum raises funds for three charities through cycling events

2023/10/09

Partner Doug Rosenblum and his fellow cyclists helped to raise over $5.8 million dollars for three different causes. Doug has been completing cycling fundraisers each summer for years, this year he rode over 100 miles and raised funds for rides benefiting the American Cancer Society (Bike-a-Thon), Multiple Sclerosis Society (Bike MS: City to Shore Ride), and Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation (The Ben to The Shore) which supports the families of first responders who died in the line of duty. Read More

Marc Stephen Raspanti to present Mackrell International Webinar

2023/09/14

Pietragallo partner Marc Stephen Raspanti will present “American whistleblowing and how it differs from the rest of the world,” a webinar through Mackrell International on September 14, 2023 at 10:00am EST. Mackrell International is a legal network connecting attorneys across 60 countries with trusted counsel in different regions and jurisdictions. Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is the member firm serving both Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Mr. Raspanti will use his considerable domestic and international expertise to provide international member firms with a high-level overview of American whistleblowing, and how this affects anyone doing business in or with the United States. Dividing time between statutory whistleblowing and reward programs, Mr. Raspanti will share what makes American whistleblowing unlike anything else in in the world. Learn more about Mackrell here. Read More

20 Pietragallo Lawyers Named in 2024 The Best Lawyers in America® and Ones to Watch

2023/08/17

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is pleased to announce that 21 lawyers have been named as 2024 The Best Lawyers in America® and Ones to Watch. In addition, partner Marc Stephen Raspanti have received “Lawyer of the Year” award for his work in Health Care Law in Philadelphia. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Their process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. The following were chosen as The Best Lawyers in America: Gaetan Alfano Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation Employment Law – Individuals Employment Law – Management Litigation – Labor and Employment Charles Avalli Family Law Litigation – Trusts and Estates Trusts and Estates Joseph J. Bosick Construction Law Pamela Coyle Brecht Qui Tam Law Kerri Lee Cappella Family Law Mark Gordon Insurance Law Litigation-Insurance Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers Kenneth Horoho, Jr. Family Law James F. Marrion Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Richard J. Parks Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Corporate Law Litigation – Real Estate William Pietragallo, II Bet-the-Company Litigation Commercial Litigation Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Francis E. Pipak, Jr. Workers’ Compensation Law – Employer Marc Stephen Raspanti Criminal Defense: White-Collar Health Care Law – Lawyer of the Year Qui Tam Law Douglas K. Rosenblum Corporate Compliance Law Criminal Defense: White-Collar Clem C. Trischler Commercial Litigation Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Robert D. Weinberg Family Law Peter St. Tienne Wolff Commercial Litigation Litigation – Trusts and Estates Trusts and Estates   The following were chosen as Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch® in America: John W. Kettering Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Corporate Governance and Compliance Law Nonprofit / Charities Law Alexander M. Read More

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP and Gentile, Horoho & Avalli, P.C. to Merge

2023/08/01

Business and Commercial Litigation Firm Adds Family Law and Estate Administration/Orphans’ Court Practice AUGUST 1, 2023 – Two established Pittsburgh law firms have agreed to merge, bringing a highly-experienced family law and estate planning, administration, and litigation practice to a nationally-recognized business and litigation firm. Effective August 1, 2023, Gentile, Horoho & Avalli, P.C (GHA) will merge with Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP (Pietragallo). All seven GHA attorneys, well-known for their experience in complex and high net-worth divorce and custody disputes as well as intricate estate/trust cases will now join Pietragallo, a multi-disciplined business and commercial litigation firm, with offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Sharon, PA, Steubenville, OH, Weirton, WV, and Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The merger comes on the heels of Pietragallo’s expansion into Palm Beach Gardens in 2022. Pietragallo’s clients range from Fortune 200 and large privately-held companies to municipal entities and entrepreneurial businesses in a broad diversity of industries and business sectors. Gentile, Horoho & Avalli brings to Pietragallo more than 30 years of experience in providing exceptional legal counsel in the areas of family law and estates and trusts as well as complex orphans’ court litigation. “We are excited to engage with these outstanding practitioners in a new sphere of domestic-business litigation,” said Pietragallo chairman William Pietragallo II. “Our practices share a common commitment to achieving results.” “The lawyers at Pietragallo have distinguished themselves as leaders in our profession and in the communities they serve,” said Kenneth J. Horoho, Jr. “The blending of our two firms will provide our current clients with experienced business litigation attorneys who are known for problem-solving and results.” The family law/estate litigation attorneys joining Pietragallo include: Kenneth Horoho, Jr., Partner Charles Avalli, Partner Kerri Lee Cappella, Partner Carla Schiff Donnelly, Partner Lorraine W. Mervan, Special Counsel Robert D. Weinberg, Associate Adam J. Read More