John is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer with a strong track record of results in a variety of high-stakes litigation matters across the country. Among other things, he has successfully defended several leading financial services companies in dozens of class actions alleging predatory lending practices. He also has substantial expertise litigating and trying complex breach-of-contract matters, including prevailing in an international patent license dispute in both U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. NOVA Chemicals, Inc. v. Sekisui Plastics, 579 F.3d 319 (3d Cir. 2009).
During the past year, John negotiated and settled the largest case of its type in U.S. history, involving $175 million in claims against the federal government following more than ten years of litigation. Bayer Corp. v. United States, Civil Action, W.D. Pa., C.A. No. 2:09-351. John's team also achieved a complete defense verdict for our client in February 2021 following a four-day trial that he first-chaired in federal court in Delaware, defeating breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract claims seeking more than $19 million. Rogers, et al. v. Wilmington Trust Company, et al., D. Del., C.A. No. 1:18-cv-00116-CFC.
John also has considerable appellate experience, having successfully represented clients in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth, and Ninth Circuits and in Maryland's highest court. He has also defended scores of consumer class actions, including more than a dozen brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. John has also served in prominent leadership roles within the firm as a member of both Reed Smith’s Executive Committee and its Global Leadership Team.
As a reflection of his strong standing in the legal community, John received an AV Preeminent rating of 5.0/5.0 as a result of a peer review conducted by Martindale-Hubbell. John is also very active in the community and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
