The Firm

Our attorneys have a long history of accomplishment and dedication to our clients. Arnold Kessler founded our law firm in 1973 and was one of the first attorneys in the United States to secure a recovery in excess of $1 million on behalf of an individual client. Since then our lawyers have compiled a record of success in both individual and class action litigation.

Medical Malpractice and Professional Negligence

• A $14.5 million recovery in a medical negligence case for a child who suffered brain damage as a result of the physicians' failure to properly manage post operative care.
• A $7.5 million recovery in a medical negligence case for a newborn who suffers from cerebral palsy due to negligence on the part of the physicians during birth.
• A $3.25 million recovery in a medical negligence case for a client who was blinded during surgery because the physicians failed to properly administer anesthesia.
• Numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and recoveries on behalf of innocent and injured victims of medical neglect including: children who suffer from brain damages as a result of a birth injury, patients who were improperly diagnosed and treated, as well as patients who have suffered injuries as a result of surgical and anesthesia errors.

• A $25 million jury verdict for a high school student who suffered a severe brain injury in a motor vehicle collision which was caused by the negligence of the shopping center, which failed to build and maintain a safety exit that would have prevented the collision. The jury verdict was reported as one of the "Top 100 Jury Verdicts" in United States by The National Law Journal in 2005 and remains the highest jury verdict for a personal injury verdict in northeastern Pennsylvania.
• A $10 million recovery for the family of a young father of three children who was killed when a tire separated from an illegally overloaded tractor-trailer and crashed through the windshield of the car.
• An $8.5 million jury verdict against Ford Motor Company for the defective design of a sports utility vehicle. The jury verdict established a new record high for a personal injury jury award in Etowah County, Alabama.
• Numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and recoveries on behalf of individuals injured and killed in motor vehicle accidents.

• A $4.2 million recovery on behalf of the daughter of a boilermaker who developed mesothelioma as a result of being exposed to the asbestos on her father's work clothes.
• A $3.8 million recovery for a daughter who was exposed to asbestos during home construction.
• A $3.6 million recovery on behalf of an electrician who developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos containing products and equipment in the course of his work.
• A $3.3 million recovery on behalf of a former carpenter who developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos-containing products while installing ceilings in commercial buildings.
• Numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and recoveries for individuals who suffer from fatal diseases associated with exposure to asbestos fibers on the job, at home and in schools.

• A $6 million recovery for a 37-year-old welder who suffered a brain injury on a construction job site where safety was ignored by the general contractor and owner, who failed to erect the scaffold properly, failed to perform routine safety inspections, and failed to schedule the work properly.
• A $4.3 million recovery for a child who suffered a serious head injury while attempting to cross a dangerous roadway which did not have properly marked crosswalks, crossing lights, overhead lighting, nor appropriate warnings for either motorists or pedestrians. After Cohen, Placitella & Roth attorneys obtained recovery on behalf of the injured child, the roadway was repaired and safety recommendations were implemented.

Product Liability

• An $8 million recovery for a fire fighter who suffered crippling injuries because a fire hose coupling was defectively manufactured and broke during a fire training exercise, causing the hose to become detached and strike the fire fighter.
• A $7.5 million recovery for a firefighter seriously injured as a result of defective fire fighting equipment.
• Numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and recoveries for workers catastrophically injured by dangerous products and machinery, as well as other workplace hazards.

• $3.75 billion settlement for injuries caused by the prescription diet drug combination known as Fen-Phen.
• Key member of the legal team representing New Jersey against the tobacco industry to achieve a record breaking recovery of $7.6 billion.
• A multi-million dollar class action recovery regarding the recall of the prescription drug Baycol.

• A multi-million dollar jury verdict where a commercial fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of rags soaked with linseed oil.
• A $3.5 million recovery when a gas utility company failed to protect a gas regulator, after an explosion, from impact damage.
• A $2.4 million recovery where a marina fire was caused by negligence of the electrical utility and an electrician.

• Chiquita Brands International, Inc. Alien Tort Statute and Shareholders Derivative Litig., No. 08 MD-01916 (S.D. Fla.): Court-appointed co-lead counsel on behalf of Plaintiffs in four derivative actions arising out of company's involvement in and criminal conviction for clandestine payments to armed Columbian groups in violation of United States anti-terrorism law.
• County of York Employees Retirement Plan v. Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., No. 4066- VCN (Del. Ch.): Court-appointed co-lead counsel on shareholders' class action for inadequate disclosure of terms for merger with Bank of America.
• Rite Aid Pharmacy Securities Litig., No. MDL 1360 (E.D. Pa.): A $320 million settlement of securities class action in connection with massive accounting fraud involving numerous interrelated GAAP and GAAS issues against senior management and public auditors.
• Tycom Ltd. Securities Litig., No. 03-CV-03540 (D.N.J.): A $79 million settlement in a securities class action.
• Providian Financial Corp. Securities Litig., No. 01-CV-3952 (N.D. Cal.): A $65 million securities fraud class action settlement against a bank/credit card company and its senior management regarding accounting for charge-offs, allowance for doubtful accounts and off balance sheet securitizations of outstanding account balances.
• Campbell Soup Securities Litig., No. 00-CV-00152 (D.N.J.): A $35 million settlement in a securities class action.