Brad concentrates his practice on the defense of complex products liability cases for small, medium and large (Fortune 500) manufacturing companies and their distributors. He has defended the manufacturers of tools, electrical components, scaffolding and lifts, tires, paint, automatic doors, machinery, backhoes and other heavy industrial equipment. He has also defended manufacturers of complex heat exchangers, chemical pumping systems and other industrial systems. Brad is national counsel to a company which designs and manufacturers thermal fluid heaters and boilers. His background in fire fighting has given him additional insight into the defense of cases on behalf of manufacturers of electrical components, electricians and others alleged to have started fires. Brad is a supervising attorney in the firm's Product Liability Practice Group. As such, he fields questions from attorneys throughout the firm regarding substantive legal issues relating to products liability. Brad also manages junior associates in the development of their practices. Brad is also a nationally certified fire fighter, who serves the Penn Wynne/Overbrook Hills Fire Company (Lower Merion Fire Department), with over 25 different certifications. Significant Representative Matters: · Defense of manufacturer of industrial power press which amputated fingers of 32-year-old female plaintiff. The plaintiff alleged defective design of a power press used for stamping metal components. The plaintiff was operating the press as she had been taught by her employer. She reached into the press to remove a stamping when the press made an unintended cycle, crushing her hand. At trial we were able to prove that faulty repairs made to the press by the employer are what caused the repeat cycle rather than the original design of the press. Defense verdict. · Defense of manufacturer of complex heat exchanger which was alleged to have caused an explosion at an explosives plant in the northern desert of Chile. The heat exchanger was manufactured in New Jersey, shipped through the Panama Canal to the Pacific and then south to the plant which was located in Mejiones, Chile. Extensive discovery both in the United States and in Chile revealed the cause of the failure was the chemical content of the water being used at the plant. The plant's water treatment facility failed to bring the chemical content in the feed water to within the limits called for in the system specifications. The case was dismissed prior to trial. · Represented the manufacturer of an AC motor in bathroom fan/light fixture alleged to have started a fire and destroyed a restaurant. The plaintiffs alleged the fixture was defectively designed. Through forensic examination of the remnants of the fan/light fixture and its internal components, as well as the burn patterns left in the area of the fire, we were able to prove the fixture did not cause the fire. Defense verdict. · Defense of electrician whose work was alleged to have started a fire. Client was called out to do electrical work in a building on an emergency basis. The electrician ran wires through a drop ceiling and was alleged to have nicked a part of the wire on the metal struts. The exposed wire allegedly ignited the surrounding combustibles, starting the fire. The fire was discovered five hours after the electrician left the premises. We were able to establish by a thorough examination of the wiring and the fire scene that the origin of the fire which was approximately 40 feet from where the client did his work. Defense verdict. · Defense of manufacturer whose delivery driver was responsible for an auto accident. The plaintiffs were a mother/daughter who were allegedly injured when a van operated by the delivery driver struck their vehicle broadside. Mediation occurred and our client offered what the mediator recommended. The plaintiffs rejected the offer, and the case was tried. Liability was conceded. Verdict was 17 percent of pretrial settlement offer. · Defense of manufacturer of automatic pedestrian door which allegedly knocked a woman down. Careful analysis of the accident and the plaintiff's design claims were rebutted by expert testimony. Defense verdict. · Represented tire manufacturer in case where a tire with 3,000 miles on it blew out. We were able to establish that the cause of the tire blow out was a puncture of the tire, which occurred when the plaintiff ran over a nail and not due to any defect with the tire. Defense verdict. · Dismissal prior to trial on behalf of the manufacturer of power strip which allegedly caused a house fire. Through careful examination of the remnants of the power strip and exemplar power strips, we were able to show that, while close, the internal components were dissimilar enough that the alleged manufacturer was not the actual manufacturer of the allegedly defective strip. Certifications: National PROBOARD Firefighter I Certification, 2007
National PROBOARD Firefighter II Certification, 2009 Pennsylvania State Firefighter I Certification, 2007
Pennsylvania State Firefighter II Certification, 2009 Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Fire Academy:
Introduction to the Fire Service, 2006
Fireground Support, 2006
Exterior Firefighting, 2007
Interior Firefighting, 2007 Pennsylvania State Fire Academy:
Fireground Support, 2006
Exterior Firefighting 2007
Interior Firefighting 2007
Incident Safety Officer, N.F.A. 2008
Structural Collapse Operations Level I, (SCOA) 2008 FEMA/National Fire Academy:
Certification: Firefighter Safety - Calling the Mayday Pennsylvania State Fire Marshall's Office:
Arson Investigation and Scene Preservation for First Responders 2009 American Red Cross:
Certified: CPR/AED, 2006, 2007; First Aid Certification
Certified: CPR/AED for Healthcare Providers 2009 FDNY (Fire Department of New York) Special Operations Symposium 2010
FDNY (Fire Department of New York ) Fires and Emergencies Symposium 2011 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission:
Water Rescue for the First Responder Awareness Level Certification 2009
Ice Rescue Awareness Level Certification 2010
Ice Rescue Operations Level Certification 2010
Ice Rescue Technician Level Certification 2010 Bucks County Community College:
Natural Gas, Propane, Carbon Monoxide Seminar, 2007
Attack and Backup Lines Seminar, 2007
Lockout/Tagout Seminar, 2007
Ladder Company Review Seminar, 2007
Search and Rescue Seminar, 2007
Highway Safety Seminar, 2008
Incident Safety Officer, N.F.A., 2008
HAZMAT Awareness, 2008
HAZMAT Operations, 2008
Fire Behavior Seminar, 2008
Structural Collapse Operations Level I, (SCOA) 2008
Rope/High Angle Rescue I, 2009
HAZMAT Operations Refresher, 2010
NFPA 1006 Core Requirements for Technical Rescue Technician, 2011 Montgomery County Fire Academy:
Basic Vehicle Rescue Awareness Level, 2007
Basic Vehicle Rescue Operations Level, 2007
Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician Level, 2007 U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA Emergency Management Institute:
IS-00100 (Incident Command System)
IS-00200 (ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents)
IS-00700 (National Incident Management Systems - NIMS)
IS-00800.A (National Response Plan - NRP)
IS 300 (Incident command) 2009 Albert Einstein Healthcare Network Center for Special Operations and Training:
ICS 300-Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents 2009 Year Joined Organization: 1988 Published Works: Articles in DRI Semi-Annual Newsletter, Defense Digest, Lift Equipment Magazine, Lift Leader Magazine Malfunction Theory Defense Refinements, Defense Digest, Spring, 1993 Claim Against Defective Pitcher, Strikes Out, Defense Digest, Fall, 1993 Pulling Away from the Wreckage, Defense Digest, Spring, 1994 Walton v. Avco: The Fun, and the Duty, Never Stops, Defense Digest, January, 1995 Calling All Aerial Lift Operators: It's Folly to Ignore Safety Features, Lift Equipment, Apr-May, 1995 Post Sale Duty to Warn Doctrine and Product Liability Law, Lift Equipment, Aug-Sept, 1995 Congress Works to Reform Product Liability Law, Lift Equipment, Aug-Sept, 1995 The Rental Defense: How To Help Protect Your Company During An Accident-Related Lawsuit, Lift Equipment, January, 1999 Top-Notch Testimony: Five Lessons For Hiring An Expert Witness Lift Equipment, Lift Equipment, June-July, 1999 Is Seeing Believing? Manipulation of Digital Images, Hand and Power Tools, Spring, 2000 Informing the End User: Sending Safety Improvement Notifications Helps Product Liability Suits, Lift Equipment, June-July, 2000 Pennsylvania Products Liability Handbook, 2001; 2003 Hey Arnoldy!! The Superior Court Says OSHA Preempts State Tort Law (Sometimes), Defense Digest, Vol. 13, No. 4, December, 2007 Trial By Fire, The Philadelphia Lawyer, Winter, 2008 Pixel This: A Photographer Switches to Digital, Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine, Summer, 2009 How To Start A Technical Rescue Program, edit/photographs, FireEngineering Magazine, September Issue, 2009 Out of the Frying Pan... Strictly Speaking, DRI Happenings, May 2011, Vol. 8, Issue 2 Classes/Seminars Taught: Investigation of Industrial Fires, NYC 2011 Law for Non-Lawyers, Temple University Fox School of Business, September 2011 DRI Products Liability Conference - Co-Chair Hand and Power Tool SLG 2011 DRI Products Liability Conference - Dealing with Foreign Manufactured Products 2011 2010 DRI Products Liability Conference, Avoiding the Obvious During Trial 2010 DRI Products Liability Conference, Hand and Power Tool Special Litigation Group Law 101 - Legal Basics for Non-Lawyers, Temple University Fox School of Business, 2009, 2010 The Rise and Fall of a Mental Health Monster, August 2008 From China and Beyond, Mealey's Product Recall Conference, Washington, DC, December 2007, Co-Chair Liability Concerns in the Real World, Temple University Fox School of Business, 2007 Legal Process, Temple University Fox School of Business, 2006, 2007 Selection and Retention of Experts, DRI Annual Products Liability Conference, 2004 The Exportation of American Cultural Norms and the Geopolitical Symbiology Thereof, Temple University, December 2004 Taking and Defending Depositions, Lorman Educational Services, 2003; 2004; 2005 Negligence in the Hospitality Industry, Temple University, 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005 Depositions: "Liability and Negligence Issues", Temple University Graduate School of Tourism and Hotel Management Instructor, Products Liability Taking Depositions in Pennsylvania, Lorman Educational Services, August, 2002 Honors and Awards: Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2008-2011) PVLA Certificate of Merit (1987, 1988) Outstanding Contribution Award, Insurance Society of Philadelphia (1999) Recipient of National Geographic/NEH Scholarship for archaeological work in Central America (1983) AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Volunteer of the Week, Main Line Times, July 31, 2008 Board of Directors, Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company National Liberty Museum Public Service Heroes Awards of Valor, PECO Volunteer Firefighter Award (2010) Professional Associations and Memberships: American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) elected 2011 American Chemical Society, 2011 Council on Litigation Management 2011 Defense Research Institute Pennsylvania Bar Association Philadelphia Bar Association Products Liability Committee PVLA Pro Bono Activities: Firefighter, Penn Wynne/Overbrook Hills Fire Company (Lower Merion Fire Department); Board of Directors 2009 Member, Southeastern Montgomery County Technical Rescue Taskforce |