Pietragallo Expands With Three New Associates

2024/10/21

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is pleased to announce the addition of three new associates to the firm’s Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Offices. The group of three new associates includes: Tatyanah M. Brehouse joins our Employment & Labor team in our Philadelphia office. Tatyanah was a clerk at a regional boutique law firm where she focused on employment and business matters. She was also an intern for the Honorable George W. Overton of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas, Orphans’ Court. While attending law school at Drexel University School of Law, she participated in multiple pro bono projects including Drexel’s Estate Planning Clinic, the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, and the Campaign for Working Families Tax Clinic. Cateri M. Christinis joins our Commercial Litigation team in our Pittsburgh office. Cat was a law clerk at a large Western Pennsylvania law firm with a focus on personal injury litigation. She was also a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge Brandon Neuman of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas as well as an intern at the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. While attending law school at Duquesne University School of Law, she was a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board, the Criminal Law Society, and the Sports and Entertainment Law Society.   About Pietragallo Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is a multi-disciplined business and commercial litigation firm headquartered in Pittsburgh with six offices throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and West Virginia from which we serve our clients in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read More

Pietragallo Elevates Three New Partners for 2024

2024/10/16

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is pleased to announce the promotion of three lawyers to partnership: Rebecca Johnson Barksdale in Pittsburgh, PA, and Alexander M. Owens and Mark T. Sottile in Philadelphia, PA. “We are pleased to recognize the professional excellence of our newest partners, Rebecca Johnson Barksdale, Alexander Owens, and Mark Sottile. These lawyers represent the best of the long-range future of our law firm,” said William Pietragallo, Managing Partner of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP. New partners: Rebecca Johnson Barksdale focuses her practice on Construction, Commercial Litigation, and Insurance Coverage. She holds numerous leadership and volunteer roles, including currently serving on the Western PA March of Dimes Young Professionals’ Board, the Pennsylvania Women Work Volunteer and Ambassador Council, and as a Young Lawyer Fellow for the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. She also mentors through the Harvard Law School Committee on the Sports and Entertainment Law Mentorship Program. Alexander M. Owens focuses his practice on the False Claims Act, Commercial Litigation, White Collar Litigation, and Class Action matters. He has tried multiple cases to verdict in state and federal courts. Beyond litigation, he counsels clients on regulatory issues arising under federal and state healthcare laws. Mark T. Sottile focuses his practice on Employment Litigation and Counseling and Commercial Litigation. He has tried multiple cases to verdict in Pennsylvania and New Jersey state and federal courts and obtained summary judgment victories in countless high-stakes employment and commercial litigation matters. He has litigated hundreds of employment and commercial law claims under a number of federal statutes. About Pietragallo Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is a multi-disciplined business and litigation law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with six offices throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and West Virginia from which we are able to serve our clients in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read More

Pietragallo Expands to New Jersey

2024/09/10

Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP is delighted to announce the opening of our newest office in Marlton, New Jersey. Pietragallo currently has ten attorneys barred in New Jersey to serve our clients throughout the Garden State, with additional attorneys in the process of becoming members of the State bar. Their practices cover several specialties including government enforcement and white collar litigation, qui tam and False Claims Act litigation, internal investigations, employment, health care, commercial litigation, professional liability, and Title IX and sexual misconduct. Our New Jersey office will be led by Scott A. Coffina, former Burlington County Prosecutor from 2017-2022, and former Senior Deputy Chief Counsel to Governor Chris Christie. Scott is the co-chair of our Government Enforcement, Compliance, & White Collar Litigation practice group. Scott also has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Philadelphia and served as Associate Counsel to the President under President George W. Bush. “We are very excited to expand into New Jersey with our new Marlton office,” said Pietragallo founding partner and Chairman, William Pietragallo, II. “Our firm already serves a number of clients in New Jersey,” he added. “Although our Philadelphia office is nearby, New Jersey is a different legal market and court system, and we are confident that we and our clients will benefit from our physical presence in the Garden State.” The Marlton office is located at 50 Lake Center Drive, Suite 110, Marlton, NJ 08053.  The office’s main number is 856-817-2600. Scott can be reached at 856-817-2601 or by email at SAC@Pietragallo.com.   About Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP Pietragallo is a multi-disciplined litigation and business law firm headquartered in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with six offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and now New Jersey. Read More

ERISA: A Journey from a Promise of Protection to a Retirement Crisis – 50th Anniversary Edition

2024/05/29

The closure of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation car manufacturing plant in 1963 was a major catalyst leading into the enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Savings Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), which became effective on September 4, 1974. This pension plan had promised generous benefits for the participants, but the plan was severely underfunded and was not able to cover the benefits for many of the employees vested in the plan. The failure of the Studebaker pension plan, along with a high profile conviction of infamous Teamsters boss James Hoffa on pension fraud, drew the attention to pension plan corruption and mismanagement and spurred talk of reform and regulation in Washington, DC. Ryles, Eric (December 3, 2018). “The History of the Employee Retirement Income Savings Act (ERISA)”. Judy Diamond Associates, Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2022. Just over a decade later, ERISA was codified in the United States Code.[1] Being in the year of its 50th anniversary date, it is appropriate to update this article that author Robert D’Anniballe previously authored.[2] This article, like the original article, is not intended to suggest that ERISA has been a complete failure. Like other laws, ERISA has limitations and lacks flexibility in achieving its intended goals. The decline of the number of American workers covered by defined benefit plans illustrates how this legislation that was intended to protect participants of defined benefit plans has instead reduced the continued availability and utilization of those plans in the industrial and manufacturing sector. Specifically, airline, steel, and trade & craft workers, among others, have faced significant challenges in the funding and perpetuation of benefits provided by these plans. Defined benefit plans have become associated with being expensive and inflexible. The funding requirements on an annual basis are not predictable due to volatility experienced in market returns and changes in employee censuses of the plan sponsor. Read More

Lourdes Sánchez Ridge appointed Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association Professional Ethics Committee

2023/11/27

Pietragallo is pleased to announce that Lourdes Sánchez Ridge has been appointed Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Professional Ethics Committee. Ms. Sánchez Ridge will serve a one-year term as Chair of the committee, which renders opinions on the proper interpretation of the Code of Judicial Conduct or Rules of Professional Conduct and their applicability to particular facts as requested by practitioners. She also serves on the Pennsylvania Bar Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, a similar committee within the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Professional ethics prove important to Ms. Sánchez Ridge, having stated in an interview that one of her proudest accomplishments in her previous role as Chief Legal Counsel/City Solicitor for the City of Pittsburgh was the creation of the City of Pittsburgh’s Ethics Hearing Board. This Board was formed to regulate compliance with the city’s code of ethics. Learn more about Ms. Sánchez Ridge and her commitment to the community here. 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

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

Phillip Earnest elected to Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County

2023/06/22

Pietragallo partner Phillip R. Earnest has been elected into membership of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. Mr. Earnest, chair of the firm’s Construction Practice Group, joins an esteemed group of Pietragallo lawyers who, in part, make up the 250 members of the Academy. The Academy of Trial Lawyers began in 1959 as an organization to promote the highest standards of integrity, civility, and competence in the legal profession. The Academy fosters development, improvement and accomplishment of the highest quality of advocacy before our Courts. Members of the Academy have long represented the most exceptional trial lawyers in Allegheny County. Each year, the Academy completes a rigorous membership process where new members are selected, this year Mr. Earnest is among twelve members who have been selected by the membership committee. Mr. Earnest primarily represents corporations in commercial, construction, and insurance contract drafting, negotiation, claims, and litigation. He has tried numerous jury trials and has successfully conducted commercial and construction arbitrations throughout the federal and state court systems of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Learn more about the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County here. Read More

Joseph J. Bosick Receives Distinguished Alumni Award From University of Pittsburgh School of Law

2023/05/23

Pietragallo partner Joseph J. Bosick was the recipient of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Distinguished Alumni Award for 2023. This honor recognizes Alumni who have given exceptional service to the Law School and to the legal community at large, recognizing their extraordinary commitment and accomplishments. As an accomplished trial attorney, Mr. Bosick has been rated an AV Preeminent® attorney by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest such rating available to any individual lawyer in both legal ability and ethical standards. He has also been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of Civil Litigation. He has received professional recognition in Lawyers of Distinction, America’s Most Honored Professionals, Who’s Who in American Law, International Who’s Who of Professionals and The Global Directory of Who’s Who. A 1973 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Mr. Bosick is the former president and current member of the Alumni Association. He is also on the Alumni Leadership Council of the University of Pittsburgh. Read More

Could One Plaintiff’s Phone Call Lead to ADA Litigation? The Supreme Court Will Decide

2023/05/22

Every business or nonprofit open to the public, regardless of size, must comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The ADA permits a plaintiff to sue a business for failing to provide full and equal access to goods, services, and facilities. The ADA’s aim is laudable; however, plaintiff attorneys have begun exploiting its breadth. Plaintiff attorneys are bringing claims against businesses of all sizes on behalf of plaintiffs who may never actually intend to use the defendant’s goods, services, or facilities. These lawsuits may include allegations that a website is inaccessible to the visually impaired or that hotel beds are too high for the mobility impaired. A single law firm may file dozens of nearly identical cases, using the same plaintiff, against similarly situated businesses in a short period of time. This type of ADA litigation has become an epidemic in certain parts of the country, including in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Every business is threatened by it. The proliferation of these cases has raised basic but consequential questions of “standing,” the capacity of a particular party to bring suit. Courts, counsel, and businesses alike are asking – are a plaintiff’s “informational injuries” enough to expose businesses to suit under the ADA? May plaintiffs sue because they learn of a potential ADA violation – such as by visiting a website or calling a hotel’s front desk – or must they personally suffer a concrete injury arising from the noncompliance? The U.S. Supreme Court is stepping in to answer. During the 2023-2024 term, the Court will hear the case of Acheson Hotels v. Laufer. The plaintiff, Deborah Laufer, sued Acheson Hotels LLC for failing to sufficiently provide information on its website about accessible hotel rooms, despite no indication that Ms. Laufer intended to patronize the hotel. Ms. Read More