Patrick manages the firm’s asbestos and toxic tort practice in western Pennsylvania. His practice includes serving as local counsel, trial counsel and national coordinating counsel for various insured and self-insured product manufacturers. Additionally, he represents both major corporate clients and small businesses in product liability, toxic tort and complex environmental and commercial litigation, including defending talc, asbestos, and negligence claims.
In addition to his work in toxic tort defense, Patrick is a member of the firm’s Casualty Department. In this capacity he defends all types of general and commercial liability cases, ranging from product liability cases to fall downs. He has worked defending bars and restaurants in both general liability and liquor liability matters for more than ten years.
Patrick also continues to represent automobile manufacturers, car dealerships, and automobile service facilities in claims made for breach of warranty, fraud, unfair trade practices and negligence.
Patrick has both jury and non-jury trial experience. He has tried hundreds of cases within the Commonwealth's Compulsory Arbitration system.
Honors & Awards
•The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants (2024-2026)
•Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star (2013-2021)
•Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition, Ally-Ready Training Program, 2021
Classes/Seminars Taught
•Serving Safely: Navigating Liquor Liability in Hospitality, Marshall Dennehey Client Webinar, September 16, 2025
•Liquor Liability: The Do’s and Don’ts, Marshall Dennehey Client Event, August 2025
•Serving Safely: Navigating Liquor Liability in Hospitality, Marshall Dennehey Client Webinar, May 28, 2025
•Serving Safely: Navigating Liquor Liability in Hospitality, Marshall Dennehey Client Webinar, February 25, 2025
•Liquor Liability Do’s and Don’ts: Implementing a Safe Alcohol Service Program for Resorts, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, November 14, 2024
•Liquor Liability: The Do’s and Don’ts, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, August 2024
•Pursuing and Defending Attorney Fee Claims, Allegheny County Bar Association, Pittsburgh, PA, August 30, 2022
•The New Marketing Tool-Creating a Podcast that People Want to Hear, Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI) 2021 Annual Conference, Bedford Springs, PA., July 16, 2021
•Defending Liquor Liability and Hospitality Claims, “On a Roll” Podcast with Nichole Perzel, produced by W.N. Tuscano Agency, March, 2021
•What's Trending in Liquor Law? Help Your Bars and Restaurants Mitigate Their Risk, Marshall Dennehey Client Presentation, February 9th, 2021
•Voir Dire and Jury Selection in 2020, Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section - Webinar, August 18, 2020
•Liquor Law and Insurance Needs: Risk Management for Bars and Restaurants, Client Hospitality & Liquor Lines Team Virtual Conference, June 18, 2020
•PENNSYLVANIA Liquor Law AND Insurance Needs: Risk Management for Bars and Restaurants, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, January 13, 2020
•Voir Dire and Jury Selection in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Defense Institute, December 4, 2019
•Civil Litigation Skills Training - Conducting Voir Dire in Allegheny County, Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, April 8, 2019
•Jury Selection Process in the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania, June 21, 2018
•Civil Litigation Skills Training - Conducting Voir Dire in Allegheny County, Allegheny County Bar Association Civil Litigation Section, April 5, 2018
•Discoverability and Proper Use of Claim Notes, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, October 2011
Published Works
•'Protecting Your Bar From Claims in the Wake of 'Mortimer', The Legal Intelligencer Liquor Law Supplement, February 15, 2023
•'Employers (Still) Not Liable For Serving Alcohol to Intoxicated Employees,' The Legal Intelligencer Liquor Law Supplement, February 10, 2022
•'Assessing the Risk of Takeout Alcohol Under the Pa. Dram Shop Law,' The Legal Intelligencer Liquor Law Supplement, February 17, 2021
•'Should Mandatory Liquor Liability Insurance Be in PA's Future?' The Legal Intelligencer Liquor Law Supplement, February 25, 2020
•'Compulsory Arbitration Useful in Small-Exposure Cases,' The Legal Intelligencer ADR Supplement, January 20, 2015
•“Don't Bother Trying to Fix It, We'll Just File Suit!,” Defense Digest, Vol. 18, No. 1, March 2012
•'Substituted Judgment: Does Pennsylvania Law Provide an Appropriate Standard for Withdrawal of Life Support in Non-terminal Patients?' Duquesne Law Review, Volume 44, Spring 2006
Results
Claims Against Bar/Restaurant Dismissed in Dram Shop Action
The plaintiff spent the afternoon at our client’s restaurant/bar before driving ten minutes to his local Country Club to continue celebrating his birthday. Ninety minutes after he arrived at the Club, he fell down the stairs and suffered a severe brain injury. His Blood Alcohol Content was roughly three times the legal limit. The plaintiff had previously worked as a high-end custom wood finisher but is now unable to see color, among having other deficits, and he is alleged to be fully disabled. After more than 20 depositions, and despite varying reports as to what the plaintiff had to drink at our client’s establishment, we were able to argue that he showed no signs of visible intoxication prior to the last service of alcohol by our client. Our motion was strenuously opposed by the Country Club, who argued there was testimony that the plaintiff appeared intoxicated upon his arrival at the Club. The court agreed with our argument that this was insufficient evidence for a jury to find that our client served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated plaintiff, and, as such, all claims against our client were dismissed and summary judgment was granted.
Thought Leadership
Defense Digest
On the Pulse...Navigating the New Era of Dram Shop Liability: Marshall Dennehey’s Hospitality & Liquor Liability Practice Group Steps Forward
September 1, 2025
Dram shop liability, or liquor liability, is civil liability-typically for bars and restaurants-for personal injuries arising out of service of alcohol to either a minor or a visibly-intoxicated patron. And it is quite the hot topic these days. An article about “dram shop” cases recently graced the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer; quite a far stretch from what has long been a somewhat overlooked and largely ignored area of personal injury litigation. Marshall Dennehey has been handling liquor liability claims since the days when the most common question we fielded was, “What is dram shop?” These cases have always had the potential to inflame juries due to the volatile nature of the fact patterns and circumstances surrounding alcohol-related incidents. But now, in the era of the “nuclear verdict,” juries are rendering astronomical verdicts in these cases. Philadelphia attorney, M. Scott Gemberling, and King of Prussia attorney, Tony Michetti, have been at the forefront of this litigation for the past 40 years. With Tony’s recent retirement, and Scott’s transition to senior counsel at the firm, we have been appointed co-chairs of the firm’s longstanding Hospitality & Liquor Liability Practice Group.While it may seem like a “new era” here we have been learning from and working with Scott and Tony for the past two decades. And while Scott and Tony have tried plenty of liquor liability cases to verdict, their true legacy is a forward-thinking strategy focused on smart, fixed, and speedy investigation of claims, along with an evaluation of early mediation. The hope is to avoid, where possible, the nuclear verdicts that are increasingly splashed across the front pages of newspapers.This is the legacy we intend to carry forward. Drawing on our many years of experience, our team is here to handle any type of accident that accompanies or is related to the service of alcohol. While the classic “dram shop” scenario involves the patron who leaves a bar or restaurant and gets into a motor vehicle accident while intoxicated, that is just one scenario. We have handled cases against bars and restaurants arising out of numerous types of injuries that can occur, including cases involving: Alcohol poisoning Bar fights Car accidents Motorcycle accidents Shootings Stabbings Suicide University fraternity/sorority eventsAdditionally, the members of our group routinely present on the topics of safe service of alcohol, as well as risk management best practices, to help avoid and protect against claims and litigation.Whether you are faced with a lawsuit involving alcohol, or whether you are a business looking to avoid such a situation, our Hospitality & Liquor Liability Practice Group is here to help. Patrick and Carolyn co-chair our Hospitality & Liquor Liability Practice Group. Patrick works in our Pittsburgh, PA office, and Carolyn works in our Mount Laurel, NJ office. Defense Digest, Vol. 31, No. 3, September 2025, is prepared by Marshall Dennehey to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. 2025 Marshall Dennehey. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact [email protected].
Protecting Your Bar From Claims in the Wake of ‘Mortimer’
February 15, 2023
Even if the licensee is apportioned a minimal amount of liability and the AIP is assigned the majority of liability, the licensee will nevertheless be on the hook for the entire judgment. A savvy plaintiff will strive to establish dram shop liability against the licensee, recognizing that oftentimes the licensee may have more assets that could be used toward a judgment than those of an AIP.
News
98 Marshall Dennehey Attorneys Recognized in the 2026 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America
August 20, 2025
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
