Our Team

“I can truly never thank you enough for the way you handled all of this for us.  Saying how much I appreciate you and all you have done just isn’t enough.”  Bonnie Lantz, Safety Specialist, P&B Transportation, Apollo, Pennsylvania.

“If we go to war, we want to have the best chance, and you ensure that.”  Gregg Bowers, COO (ret), WPSD, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sharon is a member of the firms’ insurance coverage, professional liability, trucking and employment law divisions.   She combines knowledge and tenacity to deliver results for her clients in venues from Bedford, Pennsylvania to Logan, West Virginia.  Nicknamed “the Warrior” by a client for her unwavering commitment to his defense, Sharon represents a wide variety of clients including insurance companies, professional service providers, trucking companies and their drivers.

Sharon honed her skills in analyzing insurance policies and defending insureds while employed with a large insurance carrier as a multi-line complex claims specialist for 8 years.  She has litigated a broad spectrum of coverage issues ranging from third party liability to first party property in state and federal court and has completed examinations under oath for insurers in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

An outdoor enthusiast, Sharon was proud to represent the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in recovering 2.5 million dollars against a national energy company for the Dunkard Creek fish kill of 2009.

Education

• Undergraduate:

   Marshall University, BA, Liberal Arts, 1989

• Graduate:

   Marshall University, MA, English, 1991

• Law School:

   Duquesne University School of Law, 2002
  • Law Review
  • Trial Moot Court Honor Board
  • ABA Student Delegate

Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• United States District Courts for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania
• United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
• United States Court of Appeals: Third Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals: Fourth Circuit

Significant Matters

• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Com’n v. Consol Energy, Inc., 233 W.Va. 409, 758 S.E.2d 762 (2014)
• Ohio Power Co. v. Pullman Power, LLC, 230 W.Va. 605, 741 S.E.2d 830 (2013)
• Estate of Yerger v. Northwestern Area Agency on Aging, Circuit Court of Brook County, West Virginia, Defense Verdict.
• Redman v. Morgantown Beauty College, Circuit Court of Monongalia County, West Virginia,  Defense Verdict
• Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. v. Records Imaging, Circuit Court of Wood County, West Virginia, Order Granting Summary Judgment to insurer
• Municipal Mutual Insurance Company v. Moore, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Pennsylvania, Order Granting Summary Judgment to insurer
• NVR, Inc. v Motorist Mutual Insurance Company, 371 F.Supp.3d 233 (U.S.D.C. W.D.Pa., March 1, 2019), summary judgment granted for insurer on breach of contract and bad faith

Presentations

• CAUSE OF DEATH: WHEN INTENTIONAL ACT EXCLUSIONS MAKE IT NECESSARY TO SOLVE THE CRIME:  ANPAC Annual Claims Conference, September 2018
• PROPORTIONALITY IN FEDERAL DISCOVERY: NO MORE BOILERPLATE OBJECTIONS:  Harmonie Trucking Litigation Seminar; July 2018
• BEST PRACTICES FOR CLAIMS HANDLING IN GOOD FAITH:  December 2017, Presentation to insurer, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
• WORTH FIGHTING FOR: LITIGATING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, THE DUNKARD CREEK CASE: Wildlife Management Institute Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, March 2016
• UPDATE ON TORT LAW:  November 2016, Insurance symposium, Morgantown, West Virginia

Professional Associations

• Federal Bar Association: Labor and Employment Law Division
• Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
• Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurers: Educational and Claims Committees
• Transportation Lawyers Association
• Professional Liability Underwriting Society
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• Federalist Society

Community Involvement

• Trustee, Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf Board of Trustees
• St. Philip School Athletic Board
• CASA Volunteer