GERALD J. VALENTINI

Jerry Valentini serves as Deasey, Mahoney, Valentini & North’s managing partner. His insurance and corporate defense practice is focused on issues involving products liability, construction site injury claims, construction defects, crane and rigging litigation, premises liability, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation.  He is an active member in the Defense Research Institute, and currently serves as Vice President of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel.

Product liability claims are the centerpiece of Jerry's defense practice.  Over the course of the last 20 years, he has represented a variety of manufacturing concerns in the areas of industrial machinery, including metal forming equipment, paper converting machinery, plastic injection molding machinery, conveyor equipment, meat processing equipment, plastic products, lawn and garden equipment, construction equipment, scaffolding, paints and coatings, floor finishing products, mobile scooters, medical devices, and many others.

Jerry also has broad experience in insurance coverage and bad faith matters, representing carrier clients at both the primary and excess levels.  He has litigated numerous declaratory judgment actions involving a multitude of insurance coverage and bad faith issues.
 
Construction litigation represents another major area of Jerry's practice.  He has defended a multitude of lawsuits arising out of construction site accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injury, death, property damage, and business losses in a variety of state and federal courts.  He has represented property owners, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, crane rental companies, equipment owners, developers, design professionals, and consultants.

Jerry also has more than 12 years’ experience handling complex litigation matters, such as medical device and pharmaceutical cases. He has served as national liaison counsel in the Multi-District Diet Drug (Fen-Phen) Litigation.  In that role, he was responsible for coordinating defense efforts among a nationwide group of diet centers and clinics.  He has also successfully defended a client of the firm in Latex Glove Litigation, and has represented a major manufacturer involved in “PPA” (phenylpropanolamine) mass tort litigation.
 
Jerry has also been extensively involved in the handling of professional liability claims, including the defense of surgical centers, design professionals, certified inspectors, and other errors and omissions claims.  Jerry also has significant experience as national coordinating counsel for a major insurance carrier overseeing a large inventory of nursing home cases against its insured in 22 states.  In this capacity, Jerry was responsible for a legal team that assisted our client in the evaluation, negotiation, litigation and resolution of an inventory of over 180 professional liability claims.
 
He has also lectured to clients of the firm in the areas of products liability, insurance litigation, and many other topics.

Education

• University of Delaware (B.A. 1984)
• Whittier College School of Law (J.D. 1987)

Experience

• Deasey, Mahoney, Valentini & North, Ltd. (1990–Present)
• Hogan, Baynes & Haworth – Los Angeles, Cal. (1989–1990)

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association (Tort and Insurance Practice Section and Civil Litigation Committee)
• California Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute (Construction Law and Products Liability committees)

• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (Executive Committee)
• Philadelphia Bar Association
• Professional Liability Underwriting Society

Attorney News

• Jerry Valentini and John Morgenstern participated in the 2010 East Region Construction Defect and Insurance Coverage Conference
  June 4, 2010
  
  
• Gerald J. Valentini and Jane A. North Honored With Membership in the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
  March 10, 2010
  
  
• Jerry Valentini and Christine Celia Conduct Presentation on Chinese Drywall Claims
  August 14, 2009
  
  
• Frank Deasey and Jerry Valentini Named 2009 Super Lawyers
  June 1, 2009
  
  
• Gerald J. Valentini Added to Firm Name and Carla Maresca Promoted to Partner
  June 29, 2007