Trial lawyers in the Greater Philadelphia Area handling all types of personal injury cases including Auto Accidents, Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Death and Fall down cases
We work on a contingency fee basis. If we do not recover money for you, you will owe no fee to our attorneys.
You may not be aware of the considerable commitment that good trial lawyers make when they take on your case. When we take you on as a client we invest our firm's money to prepare the strongest case possible for you and your family. We want to win your case for you and we want to make sure you get everything you deserve for the losses you have suffered. We hire the most qualified expert witnesses to support your case. We also hire top notch graphic artists who prepare computer generated displays for court. We use videographers to tape testimony in depositions. We also recruit the resources of our 14 full time personal injury staff to research and prepare your case. Our lawyers work together as a team to provide you with the full support you will need to win a substantial settlement or victory in court. We are very proud of our track record and some of our most notable victories are listed below. Our lawyers have served over 5000 clients in civil litigation. This experience over the years has helped us create a network of seasoned professionals that we hire to build strong cases for our clients. We want you to become our client so that we can bring all of our resources together for your case.
When you call us or fill out our contact form on the side of this page we will set up a time so we can discuss your case with you in depth. Our lawyers are aware that your injuries or losses can be painful to talk about. We meet with our clients in private comfortable rooms in our offices or in your home so you can feel at ease discussing your case. Once we fully understand all the facts of your case and we sign you on as a client of the firm, we strategically prepare your case for court.
We use the most advanced technology to prepare and present evidence and expert testimony. Often times our victories come from settlement offers we receive just before a case is scheduled to go to trial. We try to build a rock solid case before trial so that the "other side" is afraid they will lose in court. When our opponents fear a loss in court they often offer a fair settlement to our clients just before the trial begins. This is why it is so important that you choose your lawyer carefully. You want to make sure that your lawyers have the skill, experience and commitment to make your case rock solid. You want to know that you stand the greatest chance of winning a fair settlement or a court victory. You also want to know that your lawyer has the experience to know how to negotiate a settlement offer properly. The negotiation process in our firm is based upon our firm's deep knowledge of the trial process, our constant research of the law and our assessment of pending legislation.
If you receive a settlement offer, you want to have tremendous trust and confidence in your lawyer. You want to feel that your lawyer has been doing everything possible every step of the way to win your case.
Months of hard work, hours and hours of depositions and hundreds of pages of briefs and court filings often boil down to a single critical moment when you receive a settlement offer. At that moment you must trust your lawyer to give you advice that is based on dozens of factors surrounding the case. This is the moment when your lawyers advise you about a critical choice; should you accept a fair settlement offer, or should you take your case to court? We help you make that choice by giving you an assessment of all the factors that can affect your case in court. These factors include: where the trial is being held, what laws and caps on settlements may affect the final jury award, how jurors will likely respond to your case, and how competent and well prepared the opposing attorneys are. If you do decide to take your case to court with our legal team you will take comfort knowing that you have excellent lawyers in your corner. We have taken many complex and difficult cases to court in counties all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and emerged with a victory.
Call us now so that we can collect all the information we need to start building a good case for you. Some people wait for months or years before filing a suit and this can weaken an otherwise strong case. If you are reading this after office hours or on a weekend please fill out the form on the side of the page. You don't have to write a long description of your case, just a brief sentence or two will do fine. We will get back to you as soon as we come back into the office.
Verdicts & Settlements
We want to share with you some of the recent successes which have resulted in fair and substantial monetary settlements for our clients. Obviously, not every case we undertake involves injuries as serious as those reported here. With the same degree of skill, care, concern and professionalism, we also represent people who suffer less significant injuries. In each of the cases discussed below, lawyers for the insurance companies vigorously contested our claims and spent large amounts of time and money trying to deny our clients fair compensation. We are extremely proud that we were able to overcome enormous challenges in these cases so that our clients could be "made whole".
$20 Million Result - Improper Delivery of Baby Resulting in Brain Damage
Our client, a minor child was deprived of oxygen during delivery which resulted in serious brain damage. We argued that the fetal monitoring strips showed that the baby was in distress and should have been delivered emergently via caesarean section. Despite the non-reassuring strips which monitor both the heart rate of the mother and child in utero, the child was not delivered emergently. At age 5, she is unable to walk, talk or to feed herself and will have to undergo a lifetime of care and physical therapy. The case settled at a pre-trial conference immediately prior to trial. The settlement will pay out close to $20 million dollars over the course of the minor child's life.
- This case was handled by John M. Dodig.$4 Million Result - Failure to Diagnose Infection
Our client gave birth to her child on July 19, 1998. Ten days later she called her doctor and informed the practice that her daughter was not eating, sleeping, acting appropriately, etc. Our client took her daughter to the hospital the next day at which time the minor child was exhibiting signs of herpes simplex virus. Despite being sick the child was improperly discharged and did not receive appropriate care for another 24 hour period. We were able to successfully argue that the one day delay in correctly diagnosing and treating the child increased the risk of harm to her causing her to suffer brain damage. As a result of the delay in diagnosis, the child has been left with permanent life altering disabilities.
- This case was handled by John M. Dodig.$4 Million Result in Motor Vehicle Crash
Our client, a husband and father, suffered catastrophic injuries when his car was rear-ended by a truck whose brakes had failed. We were able to document a long history of brake problems and inadequate repairs on the truck. Our self-employed client suffered injuries to his neck and arm on the job three years before this accident and developed a condition known as Reflex Sympathetic Distophy (RSD). As a result of the collision with the truck, he then developed RSD in his legs and became totally disabled. This case was settled one day prior to trial.
Prior to trial a videotaped settlement brochure was prepared which graphically captured the impact the accident had on our client's life as well as his family. Family, friends and witnesses were interviewed on the tape which illustrated to the senior representatives of the defendant's insurance company a preview of the evidence which would have been submitted at trial. We believe that the settlement brochure and the artful way it was utilized contributed significantly to the large settlement.
$3.4 Million Result - Defective Product causes RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)
Our client, a 23 year old worker at a fast food restaurant in Berlin, New Jersey was seriously injured while working as a cook when the door from a portable freezer fell and landed on his left foot. Our position was that the freezer door attachment system was unreasonably dangerous and designed to fail. This case was exceptionally difficult in that our client developed RSD or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which is a rare neurological condition which causes extreme disabling pain. The defendants in the case denied that the door was defective and disputed our client's injuries. This case settled immediately before trial in Glouchester County, New Jersey. It is one of the largest settlements in the history of that county. To assist us during several mediations, we utilized a settlement brochure which was prepared on CD Rom which highlighted testimony from the doctors who treated our client, engineering experts who performed destructive testing to the product and a computer re-creation of the accident and video footage of our client's daily struggles. This settlement brochure was instrumental in pointing out the strengths of our case to the defendants and more importantly, to the insurance adjusters present at the mediations.
- This case was handled by John M. DodigHigh Speed Police Chase
In a landmark decision, John Dodig successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania that municipalities should be held responsible if police are negligent during high speed police chases. Jones v. City of Philadelphia. 700 A.2d 417 (Pa. 1997). Mr. Dodig has successfully handled several high speed police chases which have resulted in serious injuries to our clients and death to a number of our clients. Mr. Dodig is often consulted by other attorneys because of his expertise in this area of the law and he is regularly asked to represent clients on a referral basis from other attorneys. Mr. Dodig has also lectured to trial attorneys on topic of police pursuits and governmental and municipal liability. He also been contacted by members of the print media, including the Philadelphia Daily News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, the Legal Intelligencer and the Pennsylvania Law Weekly for expert opinion and analysis in this area.
Confidential Settlement- Negligent operation of a lawnmower
Our client, a minor child was struck with a lawn mower causing severe injuries to the child's leg. Mr. Dodig was able to secure a settlement of behalf of the child under very difficult circumstances including proving that the driver of the lawnmower was working in the course and scope of her employment with the defendant corporation even though she had not received permission to drive the lawnmower.
- Case was handled by John M. Dodig.$1.32 Million Result - Failure to Diagnose Cervical Cancer
Our client, a 37 year old female, had been to her gynecologist for routine pap smear visits on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, despite the presence of worsening abnormal findings upon the pap smears, she was not notified of the development of the abnormal cells on her cervix for over two years during which time she developed cervical cancer requiring a total hysterectomy.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer.$1.2 Million Result Fall from Stairwell
Our client, a 39 year old male, suffered a burst L1 spinal fracture when he fell approximately 20 feet while scraping paint from the exterior of a building in Brooklyn, New York. Under New York Labor Law, the defendants were required to provide scaffolding to protect workers working at elevated heights. This case settled during the third day of trial in Kings County, New York.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer.$900,000. Result - Failure to Properly Diagnose Breast Cancer
Our client, a 70 year old woman received annual mammograms for many, many years. Following her 1999 mammogram her doctor advised her that the result was suspicious for cancer. After the appropriate tests confirmed she had cancer she underwent a radical mastectomy of her left breast with tram reconstruction. Unfortunately, she developed a serious infection and had numerous additional surgeries. For a period of five (5) years her mammgrams were reviewed by the same doctor who clearly failed to properly identify abnormalities which were present on the mammgrams. During the videotaped discovery deposition of the defendant doctor, during which Mr. Moyer utilized two radiographic view boxes and copies of the original films to interrogate the doctor, the doctor testified "oh, shit" in response to Mr. Moyer's examinations. This case settled during the first day of jury selection.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer and John M. Dodig.$800,000 Result - Failure to Diagnose Cervical Cancer
Our client, a 32 year old female, had been to her gynecologist for routine pap smear visits on a yearly basis. After a low grade abnormal finding was detected the physician improperly performed cryosurgery in an attempt to remove the abnormal cells. Unfortunately, our client was not notified that the cryosurgery failed to remove the abnormal cells. A follow up pap smear showed that the surgery was a failure but despite this, our client was not notified for over 9 months. During the delay the abnormal cells developed into cervical cancer requiring a total hysterectomy.
- This case was recently featured in the Philadelphia Daily News. - This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer.$612,500 Result - Client Injured by Patient Lifting Device
Our client, a 53 year old female, was employed as a nursing assistant at a nursing home. She was injured while attempting to move a patient with a mechanized lift when the battery which powered the lift fell onto her foot. As a result of the accident, our client developed RSD (chronic regional pain syndrome). This case came to Mr. Moyer just three (3) weeks before the statute of limitations (time to sue) was to expire and the client was told by another lawyer that she had no case. Mr. Moyer retained a Professor of Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of RSD. The case settled after four (4) days of trial.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer.$600,000 Result - Unnecessary Surgery
Mr. Moyer handled this case which involved a podiatric surgery performed on our client's foot. This case was difficult because all parties agreed that the surgeon did not commit negligence in the performance of the surgery. Rather, Mr. Moyer concentrated on the fact that our client's underlying medical condition did not warrant the surgery performed by the defendant and therefore, the performance of the surgery was not medically reasonable and the defendant doctor was responsible for all damages which flowed from the surgery which was RSD (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome). The case settled one week prior to jury selection.
$500,000. Result - Failure to Diagnose Abdominal Aneurysm
Our client, a 68 year old female, appeared at the emergency room with complaints of severe abdominal pains. After a delay of multiple hours, x-rays were taken and she was diagnosed with constipation and given a laxative. A few minutes later an aneurysm which was within her abdomen burst and she died on the operating table. We argued that had she received the proper work up and physical examination the aneurysm would have been spotted and she could have had it removed surgically before it burst, thus saving her life.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer.$250,000. Result - Auto Accident
Our client, a 52 year old female, was involved in a serious accident in 1998. In 1994, four years prior to the accident, our client underwent a spinal fusion with Harrington rod placement for scoliosis. Subsequent to that surgery she was placed in a back brace for ten (10) months and underwent physical therapy and was doing well at the time of the accident. After the accident she suffered an aggravation of her prior back condition and underwent radio frequency nerve ablations in an attempt to relieve her pain. The defendant argued that her complaints were related to her prior back problems and not related to the car accident. This case settled 1 day before trial.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer$200,000. Result - Bus Runs over Minor
Our client, a 12 year old girl, was struck by a bus driver who was not paying attention to our client who was lawfully crossing the street. She suffered a serious fracture of the pelvis and underwent open reduction, internal fixation of the fracture. Thankfully, she made an excellent recovery and she is now pain free. The case settled at the final pre-trial conference immediately prior to jury selection.
- This case was handled by Christopher T. Moyer$300,000 Recovery from Insurance Policy Alleged to Only Be $15,000
Kevin Weinstein was recently able to convince a Superior court judge in Camden County, New Jersey that Ryder Trucks was responsible for the full amount of plaintiffs' damages despite the fact that it's rental agreement with the driver of the vehicle limited Ryder's responsibility to $15,000 per person in damages. Mr. Weinstein discovered that unlike New Jersey law, where a vehicle owner is not necessarily responsible for the actions of a person who operates a vehicle with the owner's permission, a New York statute expressly provides that an owner is always responsible for the actions of a driver of his vehicle. Since the Ryder truck which caused Plaintiff's injuries was rented in New York to a New York resident, who then traveled into New Jersey, Mr. Weinstein convinced the trial judge that New York law should apply and that Ryder, as owner of the vehicle, could not claim its liability was only limited to the $15,000 in coverage it listed on the rental contract. Faced with a jury trial where the jury would have been instructed that New York law was applicable on this issue, Ryder quickly settled plaintiff's claim for full value.
Pennsylvania National Guard Prevented from Disclaiming Responsibility for Actions of Intoxicated Guardsmen
Numerous members of a family returning to Boston from a trip to Disney World, sustained debilitating injuries when their station wagon was struck head-on by a Pennsylvania National Guardsman who had lost control of his vehicle, crossed a grassy median and caused a head-on collision. Both the driver and passenger of the National Guard vehicle were intoxicated at the time of the crash. Despite the fact that one of the National Guardsman had permission to use the vehicle on the day prior to the collision there was no supervision to ensure that the National Guard vehicle was properly returned to the Guard Headquarters. The National Guard refused to defend the two guardsmen and filed a motion for summary judgment seeking an Order from the Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court that they were not responsible for the guardsmen's actions.