Jeffrey Laffey
Partner
Phone
866.641.0806Fax
215.241.8700Firm founder with a proven track record of advocating for victims of construction and work injuries and winning multimillion-dollar settlements.
Memberships
- Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association
- Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
- Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
Education
- Masters Degree in Trial Advocacy, 2005, with Honors, Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law
- Juris Doctor, 1998, Villanova Law School
- Bachelor of Arts, 1995, St. Joseph's University
Licensure
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
About Jeffrey
Over the course of his career, Pennsylvania and New Jersey workplace and construction accident lawyer, Jeff Laffey, has won multimillion-dollar recoveries on behalf of hundreds of injured union construction workers from all trades – including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, cement masons, ironworkers, laborers, and operating engineers.
Jeff is passionate about protecting the legal rights of injured union workers and their families, due in no small part to his loyalty to his roots. The proud son of a union carpenter, Jeff finds himself fortunate to be in a position to help workers and their families who come into harm’s way through no fault of their own. He considers himself a “blue collar guy with a blue-collar approach to the practice of law,” and stands firm in the belief that the true mark of a great attorney is always putting the client first and always leveling with the client.
For more than two decades, Jeff has served people who have been injured in construction and workplace accidents, auto accidents and in other negligence matters. He has helped the victims of many types of accidents to recover multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in:
- Industrial accidents
- Scaffolding and building collapses
- Defective saftey equipment and failure to supply fall protections
- Medical malpractice such as improper diagnosis, surgical infection, medical mistakes
- Forklift accidents
- Electrical explosions and chemical exposures
- Defective products
- DUI accidents
Jeff serves frequently as a guest lecturer at various construction trade events on workplace safety issues. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University, his law degree from Villanova Law School, and his master’s degree in trial advocacy from James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University. He has been recognized year after year as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® and by the National Trial Lawyers Association as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania. He also has been named among the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.
Jeff is a member of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. To hear more about Jeff’s background and Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, listen to Jeff’s appearance on American Justice Radio Network.
Industry Recognition
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® (2013-2020)
- National Trial Lawyers Association – Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania (2011-2015)
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel – Nation’s Top One Percent (2015)
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyer® – Rising Star (2005-2012 *no publication in 2009)
Speaking Engagements
- WWDB-AM Talk 860 American Justice Radio Network, June 2019
- Jeffrey Laffey speaks about his background and Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan’s practices
- Jeffrey Laffey talks about who can be held responsible for your injuries
- Jeffrey Laffey speaks about carpenter injured in scaffolding fall and awarded $2.5Million
News Featuring Jeffrey Laffey
Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan Founder Discusses the Impact of Sullivan v. Werner Case on Products Liability Law
Published on: February 8, 2024
In a recent article in The Legal Intelligencer, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan founder Jeffrey Laffey explored the ramifications of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Sullivan v. Werner decision. Laffey, who, along with attorney Stewart Ryan represented the plaintiffs in the case, explained that the Court has answered a major open question in products liability law by affirming that a manufacturer’s alleged compliance with governmental and industry standards is not admissible.
In 2014, the Court’s Tincher v. Omega decision outlined the risk-utility test, which can determine if a product is unreasonably dangerous and defective. This test examines whether a reasonable person would conclude that the probability of harm caused by the product outweighs the burden or cost of taking precautions. The decision has led some manufacturers to attempt to introduce evidence of compliance with government and industry standards.
In the Sullivan case, union carpenter Michael Sullivan suffered career-ending injuries when a platform of a scaffold collapsed, causing him to fall. Evidence established that the deck pins that help secure the platform rotate to a degree where the platform can become partially dislodged. Although Werner, the manufacturer, attempted to introduce evidence of compliance with standards set forth by an entity funded by the American Ladder Institute, this evidence was not admitted, and Sullivan was awarded $2.5 million.
Laffey highlights the implications of the case: “What the Sullivan decision does is sharpen the focus for plaintiffs and defense counsel alike when handling products liability cases. Rather than be distracted by side arguments…practitioners can hone on a very straight-forward question: was the product in question defectively designed?”
Read the full article here: Pa. High Court Cleared Up a Big Strict Products Liability Law Question in ‘Sullivan’ (subscription required)
Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan Attorneys Discuss Recent Victory for Client in Products Liability Case
Published on: December 26, 2023
In a recent article in The Legal Intelligencer, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan founder Jeffrey Laffey and partner Stewart Ryan discussed the implications of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to affirm their client’s $2.5 million award in the case Sullivan v. Werner Company. The Court determined that defendants cannot introduce evidence showing their product complies with industry standards, finding that their 2014 ruling in Tincher v. Omega Flex did not change the way courts must handle such evidence.
Laffey and Ryan’s client, Michael Sullivan, fell when the platform he was standing upon collapsed, and he alleged that the scaffold was negligently designed. The defendants in the case, Werner Co. and Lowe’s Cos., sought to bring in evidence that the product met federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations and American National Standards Institute standards.
Although Tincher had left some doubt as to the admissibility of a manufacturer’s alleged compliance with standard industry protocols, the Court’s majority decision affirms that this evidence should be barred.
“Everybody’s imagination ran amok with what Tincher meant for the past nine years,” Laffey said. “It solidifies Pennsylvania as a Second Restatement state, which Tincher expressly stated that it was.”
Under the American Law Institute’s Restatement (Second) of Torts Section 402A, “one who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer” may be held strictly liable to the injured party, even if “the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation and sale of the product.”
Tincher established that there are two tests—risk-utility and consumer expectation—under which plaintiffs can now present product liability cases, but there is still a severe separation between negligence and strict liability. Ryan noted that this appeal offers insight into the justices’ view of the post-Tincher landscape, saying, “They’re seeing the reality that the only thing Tincher may do here is change the lens by which juries can determine product liability. All of these various sub issues the defense bar is saying no longer matter. The court said we’re still a Restatement (Second) state.”
Read the full article here: Industry Standards Evidence Inadmissible Following ‘Tincher,’ Pa. Supreme Court Says (subscription required)
Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan Founders Discuss the Firm’s Advocacy on Behalf of Injured Workers and Crime Victims with Forbes
In a recent article in Forbes, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan founders Jeffrey Laffey and Paul Bucci discussed the firm’s focus on pursuing justice for victims of workplace accidents and crimes, specifically those who have survived sexual abuse or assault.
“Our clients are often in extremely vulnerable positions,” said Bucci. “Our goal is to help them move forward with their lives.”
Laffey is the son of a union carpenter and uses the power of the law on behalf of working people, obtaining numerous seven- and eight-figure results for clients. One of these victories includes a $15 million recovery for a refinery worker who fell in excess of 15 feet due to an unsafe access ladder. “I love being the blue-collar guy getting white-collar results for my clients,” Laffey said.
Bucci is also committed to fighting for working people; he secured the largest construction accident settlement in U.S. history as a lead attorney in the 2003 parking garage collapse at Tropicana Atlantic City.
“The magnitude of that case was profound, but it’s no less profound for a family whose father or husband was in a single job-site accident,” said Bucci. “We bring the same strength and compassion to any size of workplace case.”
That ethos of compassionate advocacy informs the entirety of the firm’s work on behalf of clients. “We take a lot of pride in being able to substantially alter our clients’ lives for the better,” said Laffey.
Read the full article here: Fighting the Good Fight