Craven, Charles W.

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Updated 7/31/2009
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Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin

1845 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103-4797

Phone: (215) 575-2626

Fax: (215) 575-0856

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Summary

Current Employment Position(s)

Shareholder

Year Joined Organization: 1973

Lawyer Overview

Chuck is a renowned, respected, and talented appellate attorney with significant experience as a trial attorney. He devotes all of his professional practice to assisting clients and trial counsel across an extensive spectrum of federal and state cases. His services include the development and implementation of case strategy; the prosecution and defense of motions for dismissal, summary judgment, other dispositive and strategic pre-trial motions; providing assistance as appellate counsel on trial teams; and handling all phases of post-trial motions and appeals.

Throughout his 34-year career, initially as a trial attorney and later as appellate counsel, Chuck has been involved in the defense of hundreds of cases involving wide-ranging matters including motor vehicle accidents, construction projects, premises liability, liquor liability, medical and other professional liability claims, product liability, aviation accidents, employment and other discrimination actions, workers' compensation, and insurance coverage.

In addition to founding and leading our firm's Appellate Advocacy Practice Group for more than 26 years, Chuck has been an active and leading member of several national, state, and local appellate entities including:

  • the prestigious American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (one of seven Pennsylvania members);
  • the Bar Association of the Third Federal Judicial Circuit (Founding Steering Committee and Executive Committee member);
  • the Council of Appellate Lawyers of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar Association's Judicial Division (Executive, Rules, and Awards Committees);
  • the Defense Research Institute's Appellate Advocacy Committee (Steering and Seminar Committees, Third Circuit Reporter);
  • the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Appellate Advocacy Committee (founding Co-Chair);
  • the Pennsylvania Defense Institute's Appellate Advocacy Committee (founding Chair);
  • the Appellate Advocacy Committee of the American Bar Association's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (Vice Chair, Newsletter Editor); and
  • the Philadelphia Bar Association's Appellate Courts Committee.

    • Chuck was instrumental in founding and developing our firm's newsletter Defense Digest. He served as that publication's editor until 2002 and continues to contribute articles dealing with a variety of litigation topics.

    Chuck is a 1969 graduate of St. Joseph's College (now St. Joseph's University) and a 1973 graduate of Temple University School of Law (now Temple's Beasley School of Law). He began his uninterrupted career with our firm as a law clerk in 1971.

    Significant Representative Matters

  • In addition to numerous unpublished appellate victories and successes, the following published cases represent some of the appellate achievements secured for clients over the years:

  • Secured judgment for life insurance agent accused of directing applicant to provide false and misleading answers about current and past medical history in Northwestern Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Babayan, 430 F.3d 121 (3rd Cir. 2005).

  • Obtained judgment for water company whose reservoirs overflowed and flooded down stream properties during a hurricane notwithstanding the adverse verdict imposed by the trial judge and affirmed by the intermediate appellate court in Shamnoski v. PG Energy, 858 A.2d 589 (Pa. 2004).

  • Sustained judgment as a matter of law in favor of tennis club accused of negligence for not having defibrillator available for response to heart attack sustained by a club member on one of its tennis courts in Atcovitz v. Gulph Mills Tennis Club, 571 Pa. 580, 812 A.2d 1218 (2002).

  • Achieved milestone victory for insurer and viability of exclusion against public policy attacks in Burstein v. Prudential Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 570 Pa. 177, 809 A.2d 204 (2002).

  • Achieved judgment for and pioneering limitation of liability on the part of local municipalities for traffic accidents at intersections between local and state roadways in Starr v. Veneziano, 560 Pa. 650, 747 A.2d 867 (2000).

  • Obtained limitation on liability for mental health professionals in cases involving injury or death inflicted by outpatients on third persons in Emerich v. Philadelphia Ctr. for Human Dev., 554 Pa. 209, 720 A.2d 1032 (1998).

  • Persuaded Pennsylvania Supreme Court to assume extraordinary jurisdiction and to remand complex worker's compensation litigation for re-examination in light of claimant's suspicious claim maneuvers in Town & Country Fine Furniture v. Workmen's Compensation Appeal Bd. (Charles K. Jerrechian & Sons), 523 Pa. 424, 567 A.2d 1042 (1990).

  • Persuaded trial court and appellate court to grant judgment to truck manufacturer despite verdict of liability in Conway v. White Trucks, 885 F.2d 90 (3rd Cir. 1989).

  • Protected property owner's indemnity right in the landmark case of 23. Willey v. Minnesota Mining & Mfg. Co., 755 F.2d 315 (3rd Cir. 1985).

    • Areas of Practice

    • State and Federal Post-Trial and Appellate Practice

    West Practice Categories

    Federal Appellate Practice, State Appellate Practice

    Next: Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Bar Admissions

    • Pennsylvania, 1973
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
    • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania

    Professional Associations and Memberships

    • American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
    • American Bar Association, Judicial Division, Council of Appellate Lawyers; Tort Trial & Insurance Section, Appellate Advocacy Committee
    • Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit
    • Defense Research Institute
    • Lawyers Club of Philadelphia
    • Pennsylvania Bar Association
    • Pennsylvania Defense Institute
    • Philadelphia Bar Association

    Honors and Awards

    • AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
    • Special recognition awards from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, 2004, 2006
    • Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, 2006; 2007; 2009
    • Best Lawyers in America, 2010

    Classes and Seminars

    • Appellate Practice Tips From The Bench And The Trench, September 21, 2007
    • Practical Tips for Navigating the Appellate Courts, March 2006
    • Post-Trial Motions, November 2005
    • Successful Oral Arguments in the Pennsylvania Federal and State Appellate Courts, August 2005
    • Appellate Brief Writing, March 2005
    • Tips from the Bench on Avoiding the Pitfalls of Appellate Practice, 2005
    • Pennsylvania Appellate Practice, February 26-27, 2004
    • Successfully Seeking and Opposing Review in Courts of Discretionary Review, DRI's Fourth Annual Appellate Practice Seminar, Chicago, May 1-2, 2003
    • Various Seminars, Insurance Society of Philadelphia, various insurance companies
    • Various Seminars, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin

    Education

    • Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1973
      J.D.
      Honors: Dean's List
    • St Joseph's University, 1969
      A.B.
    Prev: SummaryNext: Articles

    Articles

    Published Works

    • Product Line Liability: Corralling the Wild Horse, Defense Digest, August, 1995
    • Customers' Claims as "Unfair Competition" Under the Extended CGL Insurance Policy, Defense Digest, September, 1995
    • Bad Faith Litigation: Are The Johnson v. Beane Footnotes Too Good To Be True?, Defense Digest, November, 1995
    • Coverage Dispute Pointers, Defense Digest, Vol. 2, No. 6, 1996
    • Co-Author, Construction Litigation Issues: Pennsylvania's Statutory Employer Immunity, Defense Digest, Vol. 2, No. 6, 1996
    • Pennsylvania Construction Litigation: Does Lascio v. Belcher Roofing Ring The Death Knell of Statutory Employer Status?, Defense Digest, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1998
    • Construction Litigation: Dealing With The Peculiar Risk And The Immune Government, Defense Digest, Vol. 4, No. 4, 1998
    • The Advantages Provided By Appellate Counsel, Defense Digest, Vol. 4, No. 4, 1998
    • Mace Knocks Out Indemnity Claim, Defense Digest, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1999
    • Starr Brightens Lines of Local Governments' Liability For Intersectional Traffic Controls, Defense Digest, Vol. 6, No. 3, 2000
    • The Owner's Defense in Construction Accident Cases: Bring On The Aspirin, Defense Digest, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2002
    • Indemnity Contracts: Mace Maced By Pa. Supreme Court, Defense Digest, Vol. 8, No. 1
    • Preparation Is Essential, For the Defense (DRI), July, 2003
    • Motor Vehicle Insurance: Some Cases Generate More Questions Than Answers, Defense Digest, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2003
    • Motor Vehicle Insurance: Some Cases Generate More Questions Than Answers, Defense Digest, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2003
    • Pennsylvania Indemnity Law: Something Is Better Than Nothing, Defense Digest, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2003
    • Pa. Supreme Court Resolves UM/UIM Controversies, Defense Digest, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2004
    • The Persistent Pitfalls Of Pennsylvania Post-Decision Practice, Defense Digest, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2004
    • Defense Research Institute's 2004 A Defense Lawyers Guide to Appellate Practice, oral argument chapter
    • Chili Palmer and the Art of Appellate Oral Argument, 2005
    • Unveiling the Mysteries of a Deposition by Written Interrogatories under Cooper v. Schoffstall, 2006
    Prev: QualificationsNext: Office Info

    Office Information

    Address

    1845 Walnut Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19103-4797

    Phones

    (215) 575-2626

    Faxes

    (215) 575-0856

    Emails

    Contact Us

    Websites

    http://www.marshalldennehey.com

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