Credentials

Areas of Law

• Medical Malpractice
• Nursing Neglect
• Professional Liability

Education

• Widener University School of Law (J.D., 2008)
• University of Delaware (B.A., 2003)

Bar and Court Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

Memberships

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Commission on Women in the Profession
  • Professional Liability Committee
• New Jersey State Bar Association

Accolades & Involvement

Honors/Awards

• Selected for inclusion on the 2014-2018, 2020-2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers “Rising Stars^®” lists

Publications

• “Autopsy, Cremation & the Spoliation of Evidence in Wrongful Death Cases”  The Legal Intelligencer, March 2023
• “Medical Malpractice Cases and Placing One’s Mental Health at Issue” The Legal Intelligencer, April 2020
• “To Delete or Not Delete: When Can Patient Records be Modified” Burns White Insights, December 2019

• Secured the complete dismissal of a hospital client in Lackawanna County, PA in a medical malpractice action involving alleged post-operative complications sustained by Plaintiff following a neck dissection. Burns White successfully entered judgment of non-pros, due to Plaintiff’s failure to comply with procedural rules and timely prosecute her case.
• Secured the complete dismissal of a civil suit against a physician, with prejudice, after Plaintiff failed to effectuate service of original process within the statute of limitations. Consistent with the Lamp Rule, the defense argued that the mere filing of a praecipe for a writ of summons, without additional affirmative action to effectuate service of the writ, does not constitute a good faith effort to notify a defendant that he is being sued; therefore, it is not sufficient to toll the statute of limitations and preserve a cause of action. See Lamp v. Heyman, 366 A.2d 882 (Pa. 1976).
• Successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of a hospital client, demonstrating the hospital was unaware of any radiology policy/procedural deficiencies that caused harm to the Plaintiff, thereby negating the corporate liability claim and limiting the hospital’s exposure to vicarious liability only.
• Secured the dismissal of a corporate negligence claim in a medical malpractice action involving a specialty practice group in Lackawanna County.  After extensively briefing the argument that a specialty practice group does not play a central role in the delivery of total health care to patients, nor should it be bound by the corporate negligence standards as set forth in Thompson v. Nason Hospital, Plaintiff’s corporate liability claim was subsequently withdrawn.
• Secured the dismissal of a corporate liability claim in a medical malpractice action involving a physician practice group. Counsel successfully argued that physician practice groups have neither the role of a comprehensive healthcare center, nor a central role in the delivery of total health care to patients. Plaintiff’s corporate claim was subsequently dismissed, with prejudice.
• Secured the dismissal of a corporate liability claim in a medical malpractice matter against a hospital client in Mercer County, PA in a case involving an alleged failure to diagnose and treat a cardiac condition. Burns White successfully argued that there was no evidence that a physician’s credentialing and reappointment to the medical staff amounted to systemic negligence.
• Secured the dismissal of a claim for punitive damages in a medical malpractice matter against a hospital client in Luzerne County, PA. It was successfully argued that the hospital’s credentialing of a physician did not rise to the level of outrageous, wanton, or reckless conduct necessary to support a claim for punitive damages.
• Secured the dismissal of a claim for punitive damages in a medical malpractice matter against a hospital client in Mercer County, PA. It was successfully argued that there was no evidence that the Hospital was cognizant of a provider’s cancer diagnosis such that it affected patient care and the ability to practice medicine.
• Successfully negotiated several pre-suit settlements on behalf of healthcare providers to mitigate potential exposure to reputational and financial interests.
• Obtained a dismissal for a health system client in a medical malpractice action. The firm’s health system client was included in the matter by virtue of a successor liability theory that was dismissed early in the litigation.
• Secured a dismissal with prejudice for a hospital client in Mercer County, PA in a medical malpractice action involving allegations of a failure to diagnose cancer. Burns White successfully entered a judgment of non-pros for Plaintiff’s failure to file timely certificates of merit against the hospital.
• Obtained multiple dismissals for hospital clients in Northeastern Pennsylvania, following affidavits of non-involvement and subsequent motions illustrating that the hospitals had no part in the alleged negligent care and treatment.
• Assisted lead counsel in obtaining a defense verdict for a hospital client in Philadelphia County facing both vicarious and corporate liability claims for an alleged failure to diagnose a gastrointestinal bleed.
• Secured the dismissal of a claim for wrongful death damages in Philadelphia County, after successfully arguing that Plaintiff’s emancipation severed her ability to share in the distribution of any proceeds as a beneficiary to her father’s estate.
• Secured the dismissal of a claim for punitive damages in a medical malpractice matter against a hospital client in Luzerne County, PA. Burns White successfully argued that there was no evidence that the hospital was cognizant of any transfer policy deficiencies that would amount to punitive conduct.
• Successfully negotiated multiple confidential settlements on behalf of hospital clients to mitigate potential exposure to reputational and financial interests prior to trial.