About

I have been a trial lawyer since 1974. I completed 5 years in the Office of the Solicitor, Division of Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Labor and departed in the position of a Senior Trial Attorney. I litigated numerous class action civil rights enforcement cases seeking compliance with the obligation of federal contractors not to discriminate and to take affirmative action. One such case was against Uniroyal Tire & Rubber Co., Inc., alleging sex and race discrimination. The government was successful and Uniroyal was “debarred”, by Order of President Gerald Ford, from engaging in contracts with the United States until they came into compliance with their civil rights obligations. I began at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. in 1980. I became the Managing Partner in 2005. I have represented thousands of individuals injured as a result of the carelessness of others. I have focused a lot of my energies on the representation of individuals with traumatic brain injuries. I am a founding member of the Brain Injury Association of D.C. (BIADC). I currently serve as Vice President of BIADC and assisted in the drafting of the Athletic Concussion Protection Act of 2011 – a District of Columbia law that protects youth athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion from reentering play unless cleared by a healthcare provider. I represented approximately 15 of the families of developmentally disabled wards of the District of Columbia that died in the D.C. operated group home system. A plaque memorializing the deaths of these individuals has been placed in their honor, as a result of this litigation, outside the door of the Director of HHS of the District of Columbia. I have represented numerous children that suffered brain injury at birth as well as individuals that suffered profound brain injury as a result of the use of cyanoacrylate (the chemical equivalent of Superglue®) as an embolization device. I have also successfully represented a 6 yr. old child that suffered profound brain injury as a result of near drowning. In December 2012, I was elected to the Board of Directors for the Brain Injury Association of America. In January 2014, I was elected to a 2-year term as Treasurer of the Brain Injury Association of America. Some highlights of 2014 and 2015 include the continued successful management of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. and the mentoring of all partners and associates regarding trial technique and litigation strategies, as well as the approaches most likely to lead to the successful resolution of cases with values of approximately $1,000,000 or more at mediation. I was counsel of record in Peluso-Riti v. Treeman, Inc., et al., which concerned an incident that resulted in our client having to undergo surgery to replace a fractured screw which was placed in her back in a pre-accident surgery. Unfortunately, one of the prongs of the instrument used to insert the disc material broke and remains inside Ms. Peluso-Riti’s spine. This case was favorably resolved by settlement. I am also counsel of record in Galloway v. Alexandria Transit Company, et al. which involves a lady who was injured when she was struck by a bus while she was crossing in the crosswalk. Our client was dragged under the wheel of the bus which resulted in severe, permanent injuries. This case is scheduled for trial in the Fall. The law firm has filed a class action in Jane Doe 2, et al. v. Georgetown Kesher Israel, et al. regarding the videotaping of women while they were participating in a religious ritual bath known as a "mikvah" at Kesher Israel Synagogue under the supervision of Rabbi Freundel. Rabbi Freundel has been sentenced to more than 6 years in jail but the civil case is proceeding. The law firm filed Green, et al. v. Cosby, et al., a case which seeks compensation for injuries to the reputation of the Plaintiffs sustained as a result of the alleged defamatory comments by Defendant Cosby and/or his agents. As managing partner, I assist in the development of the litigation strategy. In short, my entire career has been dedicated to successfully representing those that have been adversely affected by the careless behavior of others.

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