Please visit our NEWS page often for updates on articles, events and legal news and Information about Rossetti & DeVoto.|   The New Jersey Bar Association’s Product Liability and Toxic Law Section Newsletter: Click here to read For Immediate Release:  Louis J. DeVoto of Rossetti and DeVoto, P.C., selected by Aspatore Books as author in the new authoritative book, ‘Domestic and International Litigation Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Trial Preparation, Risk Assessment, and Best Practices for Prosecution and Defense’. Click here for more details.   Construction Accidents Involving Immigrants on the Rise. With the influx of Mexican, Polish, Russian, Czech and Brazilian workers to our area construction accidents involving them are on the rise. These immigrants are performing many of the labor trades on residential and commercial construction sites from framing to roofing to drywall. Likewise, our representation of these injured immigrants has risen steadily in recent years. OSHA, which monitors and enforces job place safety, often investigates serious work site injuries and usually determines that one or more work place violations by the General Contractor or Construction Manager caused the injuries by creating a dangerous condition on the worksite. The violations typically range from failing to provide adequate fall protection and safety equipment to failing to pre-job and on the job safety meetings. The language barrier is also a factor since the General Contractor’s do not always employ foremen who can accurately communicate with the workers. R&D has repeatedly exposed General Contractors who failed to follow the law. All construction site and workplace accidents should be examined to determine if OSHA violations by the contractors caused injuries that were avoidable.   Lou DeVoto elected President of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey: The annual meeting took place at the Molly Pitcher in Red Bank. DeVoto will lead the 800 member trial organization for a one year term beginning in October 2007. The organization’s purpose is to protect and defend the right to a trial by jury. DeVoto also published a book chapter in the legal publication, “Inside the Minds, Domestic and International Litigation Strategies.” His chapter was titled “It’s All About Time Devotion and Passion” and appears in book stores and law libraries across the country. Lou also lectured for the Camden County Bar Organization on the new rules affecting “voir dire” which is the process where lawyers and judges question potential jurors to see if they can be fair and impartial.   Andrew J. Rossetti begins term as Chairman of the Product Liability Committee,  the New Jersey State Bar Organization. The committee is one of a number of specialized committees of the State Bar and has its finger on the pulse of all cutting edge issues regarding product liability case law and pending legislation. The group also gives seminars to educate the Bench and Bar on product liability law. Auto Insurance – Get More Out of Your Policy Ever wonder why two cases that sound alike settle for different amounts of money? Many times it is because the defendant in the case has inadequate auto insurance to pay for the damage he or she has inflicted. The minimum liability insurance limit in New Jersey is $15,000 which provides almost no relief to an injured crash victim. One way to protect yourself from being at someone else’s mercy is to increase your limits of Underinsured (UIM) and Uninsured (UM) motorist coverage on your auto policy in the event that you are injured by someone with little or no insurance. It’s relatively cheap but there is a catch. You cannot have higher UIM and UM limits (coverage for you and your family members when others are at fault) than you have liability limits (coverage provided to others when you are at fault). For most people that will mean increasing their liability limits so they can raise their UM and UIM limits. The small increase in premium is worth the benefit and provides a much needed layer of protection for you and your family in the event of a crash. If you have any questions, please call our office for a free auto insurance update.
Andy & Lou at the American Diabetes Association Annual Golf Classic	Lou with Dick Gephardt and Susan Bass Levin

Andy discussed motions in limine and reconsideration and post trial motions.

Lou gave a perspective on Best Practices, discovery motions and Sanctions with Judge Andrew J. Smithson

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New Jersey Court Holds Two Coverage Available in Wrongful Death Case
Click below for opinions in Acrobat PDF format

• Trial Court Opinion
• Trial Court Addendum
• Appellate Court Ruling

Andrew J. Rossetti was the guest speaker at Widener University School of Law

Andrew J. Rossetti was a guest speaker at Widener University School of Law for the Honorable Phillip A. Gruccio, in October, 2002.  His topic was “Alternate Dispute Resolution – Negotiating Tactics and Case preparation.”

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Andy participates at the Ninth Annual Statewide Paralegal Convention

The convention is being held at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel & Convention Center in Eatontown, NJ on Friday, March 22, 2002. The sponsors are South Jersey Paralegal Association and The Legal Assistants Association of New Jersey. “How to Identify a Viable Medical Malpractice Case” is the topic presented by John Kirby, M.D. and Andrew J. Rossetti, Esquire.

Louis J. DeVoto invited to the Camden County Bar Association

On Monday, March 25, 2002, Louis J. DeVoto will speak at the Camden County Bar Association at the Mansion in Vorhees, New Jersey. The Topic will be “Closed Head Injuries – Plaintiff’s Perspective.”

Louis J. DeVoto speaks at an ICLE Seminar on Saturday, March 23, 2002

On Saturday, March 23, 2002, Louis J. DeVoto will be speaking with Jane A. Kenney, Esquire and the Honorable Patricia R. LeBon, JSC at the ICLE Seminar at the New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick. The topic will be “Drafting Effective Trial Documents.”

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Andrew J. Rossetti

Effective January 23, 2002, Andrew J. Rossetti was admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia, Pennsylv

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Legal Line, WPSJ-TV, “Medical Mistakes”

Andy and Louis J. DeVoto appeared as panelists on the Camden County Bar Foundation cable network (WPSJ-TV) television show, Legal Line. The topic was Medical Mistakes.

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Andrew J. Rossetti

Andy was invited to speak, along with the Honorable William A. Dreir, former Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division, on product liability practice in New Jersey. The seminar was sponsored by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and was attended by New Jersey lawyers looking for the latest solutions and advice in dealing with complex product liability cases. Andy and his wife, Cindy, also became the proud parents of a baby boy.

Louis J. DeVoto Louis J. DeVoto was invited to speak at the Annual Boardwalk Seminar for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America – New Jersey.

He spoke on “What to Say and What to Avoid in Opening Statements at Trial.” Over 900 attorneys statewide attended the seminar. Lou is scheduled to be a panelist for ICLE topic “Drafting Effective Trial Documents” on October 27, 2001 at the Doubletree in Mt. Laurel.

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Louis J. DeVoto

Louis J. DeVoto became Board Certified in civil trial law in May after fulfilling certain trial requirements and successfully passing a written examination administered by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

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Andrew J. Rossetti

Andy presents a seminar to the Camden County Bar Association on preparing and using demonstrative evidence.

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Ferrara, Rossetti & DeVoto Help Obtain Largest Settlement in United States History

On July 12, 1996, Governor Christine Todd Whitman announced that she hired Ferrara, Rossetti & DeVoto to represent the state of New Jersey in its lawsuit against the tobacco industry.

On September 10, 1996, Ferrara, Rossetti & DeVoto, along with five other law firms whose selection by the Governor and the Attorney General was merit-based, filed a lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The suit sought to recover billions of dollars that the state and its taxpayers paid through the Medicaid program for health care costs attributable to smoking related illnesses.

During the next two years, the six firms worked non-stop to prepare the case for trial. Mr. Ferrara and Mr. DeVoto, along with paralegal Mary Kelly, worked full-time on the massive lawsuit, relying on the rest of the firm of Rossetti & DeVoto
to care for its other clients.

 “We knew we were in for a major battle since the tobacco industry had never paid a dime to anyone that had ever sued them,” Mr. Ferrara said. The years of hard work paid off when, on November 16, 1998, the Attorney General announced the historic settlement. The citizens of New Jersey will receive $7.5 billion over 25 years as a result of our lawsuit. Much of the money will be earmarked for education programs on smoking and addiction. 

In addition, marketing efforts by the tobacco industry have been drastically reduced. For instance, the settlement calls for the elimination of billboards, removal of point of purchase displays, termination of minor-targeted marketing campaigns, removal of cartoon characters such as Joe Camel and conversion of all advertisements to black and white. 

The turning point in the lawsuit came with the discovery of key tobacco company documents which uncovered the fact that for 50 years the industry lied about its knowledge of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. Other documents uncovered that the industry actually targeted minors, added nicotine to its cigarettes to keep smokers addicted and falsified research showing the serious health effects of smoking as early as 1954. Figures show that about 3,000 people die each day as a direct result of cigarette smoking, which is the same number of children that begin smoking each day. Tobacco companies refer to these new smokers as “replacement smokers.” “It is about time that this outlaw industry has finally been brought to its knees,” Mr. DeVoto said. The settlement was approved on December 4, 1998. 

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Rossetti Appointed to Civil Practice Committee

The Camden County Bar Association recently appointed Andrew J. Rossetti to serve on its Civil Practice Committee. This committee analyzes court rules and procedures, local and statewide, then recommends strategies to improve the efficiency of the court system. 

On March 24, 1999, Mr. Rossetti presented a seminar on wrongful death cases to the Camden County Bar Association. Mr. Rossetti discussed the elements that comprise a wrongful death case, as well as the applicable case law and methods for presenting and winning such a case.

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Louis DeVoto Elected to Serve on Board of Trustees for Trial Attorneys of NJ

At the December 1998 meeting held in New Brunswick, the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey (TANJ) unanimously elected Attorney Louis J. DeVoto to serve on the organization’s Board of Trustees. Mr. DeVoto is one of the youngest members ever elected to the Board. The members of TANJ, a statewide organization consisting of approximately 900 trial attorneys, commit themselves to preserving New Jersey’s civil justice system and insuring that the system operates fairly. The Board of Trustees meets monthly, and its responsibilities range from the overall operation of the organization to the creating and maintaining of the TANJ vision. The lawyers who elected Mr. DeVoto to the Board represent people injured by auto crashes, defective products and careless doctors as well as insurance companies and product manufacturers.

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Louis J. DeVoto appointed to the Board of Trustees of Bancroft Brain Injury Services Corporation

BBISC is a division of Bancroft NeuroHealth, one of the premier providers of brain injury rehabilitation services in the country. Mr. DeVoto, who handles many of the firm’s brain injury cases, was happy to accept the invitation to join the Board.  Said DeVoto, being involved with the premier provider of brain injury services in the country allows me to stay on the cutting edge of treatment regimens, knowledgeable experts and important literature.  Its an exciting opportunity for me because of my interest in helping those with brain injuries and it helps us better represent any of our clients who suffer from brain injuries.

DeVoto recently spoke to doctors, nurses and other medical professionals at Bancroft NeuroHealth’s national seminar, NeuroHealth for the New Millennium, which was held in September in Philadelphia, Pa.  In December, DeVoto appeared on the television show, Legal Line, where he was a featured legal expert on product safety and he will speak to the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey at its annual seminar in April 2000.

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Mr. Rossetti presents a seminar on expert testimony to the Camden County Bar Association.

On December 15, 1999 Mr. Rossetti presented a seminar on expert testimony to the Camden County Bar Association.

He addressed the difficult legal hurdles associated with the United States Supreme Court case of Daubert V. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals and then presented several strategies on how trial lawyers and trial judges.

Mr. Rossetti also arranged to have Vince Gallagher, a former OSHA inspector and nationally recognized safety expert address the group.  Mr. Gallagher educated those in attendance on how to properly investigate and pursue construction premises and product liability cases.

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