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Defense Verdict for Physician Assistant and Orthopedic Group

On Monday, May 19, 2025, Evan Baker and Jack Shusted secured a defense verdict for their clients, a Physician Assistant and his Orthopedic Group, after a seven-day trial in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. The Plaintiff estate claimed that the orthopedic group improperly handled the follow up care of a post-surgical patient who had undergone an Achilles repair surgery six weeks earlier. Plaintiff alleged that the treatment rendered by the Physician Assistant in an incision check was substandard. Two hours after this interaction, the patient unfortunately passed away. The Plaintiff alleged that the defendants failed to identify deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) in the patient which ultimately caused his death shortly after the encounter.

Throughout the trial, the Defense demonstrated that on the morning of the patient’s death, he was not showing symptoms indicative of a DVT or PE, and that the Physician Assistant properly assessed and treated the wound as the standard of care required. The Defense vigorously defended against claims of negligence, malpractice, and agency on behalf of their clients. Ms. Baker and Mr. Shusted’s clients were found to have no liability in the $4.8 million jury verdict awarded to the Plaintiff against a different medical provider.

Matthew J. McColgan Presents at the 2025 ALFA Transportation Seminar

Matt was recently invited to speak on a panel discussing a defensive approach to life care plans, focusing on underlying health economics.  Insurance and trucking industry leaders were in attendance, as well as skilled attorneys.  The presentation, “The Latest Migraines in Life Care Planning – Does your Head Hurt Now Too?”, was aided by an expert health economist who covered some of the latest “migraine-inducing” challenges and defects of proposed life care plans.

Schneiders and Persichetti Secure Summary Judgment

Jacqueline E. Schneiders and Joseph N. Persichetti recently obtained summary judgment in favor of an attorney and law firm in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, PA.

The underlying case involved an eviction and confession of judgment by a commercial landlord due to unpaid rent. The plaintiffs claimed our clients, through representation of the landlord, did not comply with the terms of the lease in pursuing the eviction, causing lost revenue, investors, vendors, and customers, as well as damage to reputation. The plaintiffs asserted claims for abuse of process, wrongful use of civil proceedings, and tortious interference with business relationships.

After thorough briefing and oral argument, the Court ruled in favor of our clients, dismissing all claims asserted against them. This result reflects our firm’s commitment to providing diligent, strategic, and effective advocacy for professionals facing complex claims. We are proud to have achieved this favorable outcome for our clients.

GGM is pleased to announce new Litigation Associate Joseph Persichetti

Our GGM team continues to expand with our newest associate Joseph Persichetti.  Joseph will be joining our product liability and catastrophic injury team.  Before joining GGM, Joseph worked at a Pennsylvania firm where he practiced litigation in various practice areas.

Joseph, graduated from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate.  Joseph is also a graduate of LaSalle University where he received his BA in English.

GGM is pleased to announce new Litigation Associate Cameron Campbell

GGM is pleased to announce our newest team member, Cameron Campbell.  Cameron has joined our firm as an associate specializing in defense of professional liability cases involving medical malpractice litigation. Before joining GGM Cameron worked at a Pennsylvania law firm involved in corporate governance, mergers and acquisition.

Cameron graduated from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate.  Cameron is also a graduate of Scripps College where she received her B.A., cum laude, in Middle East-North Africa Studies.

Summary Judgment Affirmed on Appeal in Medical Malpractice Case

Jacqueline E. Schneiders successfully defended a trial court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of a surgeon in Donnelly v. Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, A-3878-22 (App. Div. 2024). After oral argument, the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed the dismissal of all claims against her client while reversing the judgments granted in favor of the other defendants.

The case stems from the death of a woman who underwent abdominal surgery and later developed complications that led to her hospitalization. Plaintiff’s experts, Drs. Stephens and Reed, generally asserted that all surgeons breached the standard of care in a net opinion, even though the surgeons treated the decedent on different days and at different stages of her condition.

A careful review of the report and testimony of Dr. Stephens showed that the treatment provided by Dr. Salem was consistent with the standard of care asserted by Dr. Stephens. Schneiders argued that Dr. Stephen’s net opinion was not supported by the uncontradicted facts of record or his own opinions on the standard of care. Although Dr. Reed generally asserted that the surgeon deviated from the standard of care, Schneiders argued that he did not state how it caused her death many days later. The court agreed: “Absent from Dr. Reed’s report is an opinion that Dr. Salem’s care was a substantial cause in decedent’s death.” As neither expert sufficiently alleged that a deviation by Dr. Salem proximately caused her death, the appellate court affirmed the order granting summary judgment.

For questions or a copy of the opinion, please contact schneidersj@ggmfirm.com.

Defense Verdict for Vascular Surgeon

On Monday, March 31, 2025, Audrey Melli-Mirza and Jack Shusted secured a defense verdict for their client, a Vascular Surgeon, after an eight-day trial in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The Plaintiff had claimed that the Vascular Surgeon failed to repair an arteriovenous fistula in the left upper arm, resulting in significant complications, including steal syndrome, loss of use of the hand and finger amputations. The Plaintiff alleged these damages were caused by the surgeon’s alleged failure to meet the standard of care.

Throughout the trial, the Defense demonstrated that the Vascular Surgeon fully adhered to the standard of care. Central to the defense was the successful and careful placement of the arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Expert testimony and evidence further confirmed that the Vascular Surgeon involved provided proper monitoring and follow-up care, and that the Vascular Surgeon’s treatment was in line with accepted medical standards at all times.

Yana N. Shapiro Presents at the 2025 ALFA Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Seminar

This week at the ALFA 2025 Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Seminar, Yana N. Shapiro will moderate a discussion titled Art of the Global Settlement and will also serve as the Women’s Initiative Liaison.

Jeffrey D. Laudenbach Presents at the 2025 ALFA Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Seminar

This week at the ALFA 2025 Workers’ Compensation Practice Group Seminar, Jeffrey D. Laudenbach will moderate a discussion titled What’s In Your Tacklebox?: Trolling The Deep Sea For Hidden Data With Social Media and Surveillance Investigations to Impact Claim Values.  

Attorney Ashley N. Baker Moderates Panel at 2025 ABA Transportation Mega Conference

We are proud to announce that Ashley Baker, one of our distinguished attorneys, recently served as a moderator at the 2025 ABA Transportation Mega Conference. Ashley led a dynamic discussion on proving and defending the most common and troublesome personal injury claims involving commercial trucks—a critical topic in the evolving landscape of commercial transportation litigation.

As the current Chair of the Commercial Transportation Litigation Committee within the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the American Bar Association (ABA), Ashley brings invaluable expertise to the field. Her leadership in the industry continues to shape strategies for both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes trucking litigation.

We congratulate Ashley on this accomplishment and look forward to her continued contributions to the legal community.