Kline & Specter, PC

Earlier this week, my colleagues Emily Marks, Alex Van Dyke, and I secured a $17.5M settlement from three Northeast Philly hotels for victims of sex trafficking. It’s disturbing that children are being abused and trafficked at these hotels, and even more so that these budget hotels fail to secure their properties and protect vulnerable people, especially children. This settlement is a step toward justice. Read more at NBC News: https://bit.ly/3FMQqOp Kline & Specter, PC #Trafficking

Kline & Specter attorneys Michael Trunk and Helen Lawless filed a lawsuit against OptumRx, Inc. and Walgreens Pharmacy on behalf of the parents of Cole Schmidtknecht who died from an asthma attack after his inhaler was no longer covered by insurance and the cost skyrocketed from $66 to $539.?The lawsuit alleges that OptumRx failed to provide the required 30 days notice to Cole before removing Advair Diskus from its covered formulary, and Walgreens failed to contact Cole’s doctor to get an exception or authorization for an alternative medicine. “The conduct of both OptumRx and Walgreens was deplorable,” said Trunk, “The evidence in the case will show that both OptumRx and Walgreens put profits first, and are directly responsible for Cole’s death.”

Dominic Guerrini and Phil Pasquarello, with support from trial team members Angela Preston, Kat Paffett and Susan Grady, obtained a $5 million verdict against a trucking company on behalf of a truck driver who sustained cervical disc herniations after a rear-end collision.

Hooray to the many at Kline & Specter who spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day giving back to the community by contributing and volunteering across the Philadelphia area at the Share Food Program, Lighthouse Community Center, Gloucester Township Senior Citizens Community Building, Laura Sims Skate House Clean Up and the National Constitution Center!

We are proud of the relentless advocacy of our clients Jim and Evelyn Piazza and other families who have lost their sons to fraternity hazing, which culminated in the passage of a federal anti-hazing law in the US Senate and which will now likely be signed into law by President Biden. https://bit.ly/4gDJm45

Barry Magen and Jack O'Neill, with support from trial team member Kathryn Longer, obtained a $6.8 million verdict against Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and one of its physicians on behalf of a woman who died after her stomach was burned and punctured during a liver ablation procedure and the doctor failed to disclose what happened or treat her for 11 days. "This was a preventable situation that was made much worse by the doctor's failures after he caused the injury and it was important to hold him accountable."

Nadeem Bezar and Emily Marks obtained $9.3 million in settlements with a foster care agency and a Days Inn hotel for their client who was sex trafficked as a child. Emily Marks commented, "Human trafficking is dehumanizing and it's pervasive. One way to deter trafficking is to hold accountable those who allow trafficking to happen. And, that's what we did."

Nadeem Bezar and Kyle Nocho obtained an $8 million settlement against a Philadelphia-based foster care and child welfare agency in an abuse and wrongful death case involving the failure to safeguard an infant. Bezar commented, "I'm not sure I've seen a more dangerous situation with regard to domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and a long history of acting out towards children."?

Kline & Specter filed suit against L’Oreal and other beauty companies over their hair-straightening products with cancer-linked chemicals on behalf of five Philadelphia Black women. These products have been linked to an increased risk of reproductive system cancers in women and because Black women are more likely to use the products, they are at a higher risk. The lawsuits argue that the beauty companies either knew the products were linked to cancer or didn’t adequately test them for safety. Shanin Specter commented, “Either way, it appears to me that their conduct is indefensible. It’s unlawful to market a product that is not safe.” https://bit.ly/3zHfJ22

We are proud of the tireless and successful anti-hazing activism of our clients Jim and Evelyn Piazza who were featured in a front page profile article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.