As the Chair of the firm's Products Liability Practice Group, Keith coordinates and oversees product litigation throughout the firm's 18 offices. His experience is a valuable asset in coordinating this practice area. A trial attorney since 1979, Keith has defended hundreds of cases in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and elsewhere. His experience includes all aspects of motor vehicle design and manufacture, appliances and consumer electronics, residential and industrial fires, marine products, motors and power generating and distribution equipment, manufacturing equipment and many others. He previously was the national coordinating counsel for a manufacturer of computerized drive systems for industrial equipment. Keith also represents our clients in class action litigation across a broad spectrum of issues which include consumer, automotive and marine products, construction cases, electronic billing and telecommunications. Since 1995, Keith has served as the senior attorney responsible for all product litigation against Chrysler LLC in Pennsylvania, representing Chrysler in nearly every federal and state court. Keith has represented General Electric Company on numerous cases involving consumer and industrial products, including power generating and distribution equipment, drive systems, appliances, consumer electronics, and steel and paper mill equipment. Keith also has represented General Electric Company on medical device cases involving x-ray equipment, shields, monitoring devices, and ultrasonic cleaning equipment. Significant Representative Matters · Defense verdicts for motor vehicle manufacturers in cases involving serious injury and death including: Crashworthiness cases, including side-impact protection Alleged defects in seatbelt restraint systems Alleged defects in steering systems Alleged defects in braking systems Alleged defect in hood support system · Represented product manufacturer in class action involving a service bulletin issued for a component part, resulting in limited settlement far below that initially sought by the class. · Class action certification defeated where class plaintiff sought medical monitoring for alleged failure of ultrasonic cleaning equipment. · Roselli v. General Electric, 599 A.2d 685 (Pa. Super. 1991). Summary judgment obtained in burn case involving a fractured coffee pot where plaintiff failed to preserve the evidence for trial. This case created seminal law in Pennsylvania in the area of spoliation. · Summary judgment obtained in double amputation case involving modernization of steel mill equipment. Decision affirmed by U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit. · Defense verdict for manufacturer of television set allegedly causing residential fire. · Defense verdict for auto service department of major retailer for allegedly faulty brake service. · Secured dismissal of a manufacturing client of a fire suppression control system in an apartment complex fire involving multiple injuries and death. · Represented foreign manufacturer of baking equipment in amputation case. · Represented marine product manufacturer in alleged steering defect case involving brain injury. Year Joined Organization: 1993 Published Works: Crashworthiness - Simple in Theory, Complex in Application, DRI In-House Defense Quarterly, Winter, 2008 Products Liability Defenses, A State-by-State Compendium, DRI, Editor, Pennsylvania Chapter, 2007 Products Liability Defenses, A State-by-State Compendium, DRI, Editor, Pennsylvania Chapter, 2004 When Relevant Evidence No Longer Exists, January 23, 1995, Pennsylvania Law Weekly, 18 PLW 119 Future Battlegrounds in Spoliation, January 30, 1995, Pennsylvania Law Weekly, 18 PLW 153 Spoliation Ball Bounces Back Up for Defendants, April 6, 1999, The Legal Intelligencer Representative Cases: Roselli v. General Electric Company, 599 A.2d 685 (Pa. Super. 1991) Classes/Seminars Taught: Products Liability, AAMGA University Weekend, Phoenix, AZ, August 2007 Releases and Settlements, Insurance Society of Philadelphia, January 2001 Use of Spoliation Claims in Products Liability Cases, Philadelphia Bar Association, April 1997 Spoliation, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, November 1997 Spoliation of Evidence in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 1996 Spoliation of Evidence in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 1996 Honors and Awards: Pennsylvania Super Lawyer (2005-2011; Top 100 Philadelphia: 2011) AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Professional Associations and Memberships: Defense Research Institute Pennsylvania Bar Association Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel, Executive Committee, 2002 - 2008 Philadelphia Bar Association, Judge Pro Tempore, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County Product Liability Advisory Council, Sustaining Member Trial Attorneys of America |