Michael A. Karaffa

Michael joined Marshall Dennehey in 2002, and practices in the firm's Casualty Department. Michael represents clients in a wide variety of matters, including trucking and transportation liability, motor vehicle liability, SIU investigation and liability, construction litigation, fire loss litigation and product liability. Over the course of his career, he has handled dozens of trucking accident cases, hundreds of asbestos claims, and multiple fire loss cases. He litigated and reached a successful settlement in a $10 million property fire loss claim allegedly caused by a defective product.

Michael's experience with multi-party litigation includes the handling of several class action matters, including one case involving the constitutionality of the creation of a Rails to Trails linear park, and one case involving the constitutionality of a large corporation changing medical and health benefits for its retirees. He has also handled multi-party litigation arising from trucking loss claims, including cases involving a 90-vehicle accident, a 42-vehicle accident, a 22-vehicle accident and a 14-vehicle accident.

Michael is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and economics. He attended Duquesne University School of Law where he served as a member of the Moot Court Board and received his juris doctor in 1981.

Honors & awards

AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell

Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2014-2019

Year joined

2002

Thought Leadership

The Pennsylvania Supreme and Superior Courts Clarify the “Retained Control” Exception to General Rule of Landowner’s Nonliability for Independent Contractors

Pittsburgh
Architectural, Engineering and Construction Defect Litigation
March 1, 2016
By Michael A. Karaffa, Esq.*Key Points: Defense Digest, Vol 22, No. 1, March 2016

Classes/Seminars Taught

Advanced Torts, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, May 2015