PENINO & MOYNIHAN - Key Persons
Brian S. Frank's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims. Mr. Frank has significant trial and appellate experience in both Connecticut and New York. He has represented national insurance companies and their insureds in Connecticut and New York, as well as insurers in coverage actions in California, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida.
Casey Butterly's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims. As an experienced litigator, Mr. Butterly handles all aspects of litigation, including pre-suit investigation, litigation strategy, pleadings, discovery, depositions, dispositive motions, case evaluation and trial. He also counsels insurers regarding coverage issues.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Butterly worked at litigation firms in New York and Connecticut, specializing in bodily injury claims involving auto accidents, premises liability, construction site accidents and labor law matters. In addition, he worked for the firm retained by the Federal Court to adjudicate the claims arising from the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. Mr. Butterly commenced his practice of law more than 15 years ago, serving as a Research Clerk in the Danbury Superior Court.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Member of the American Trial Lawyers Association
Douglas W. Falch has extensive insurance defense and coverage litigation experience, including personal injury, property damage, construction and professional liability matters. As a seasoned litigator, Mr. Falch has significant experience conducting trials, handing appeals in state and federal courts, and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums. Among other successes, Mr. Falch has successfully defended clients against claims involving oil spills, residential real estate, appraisal and personal injury matters.
Mr. Falch is a respected member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and the New York State Bar Association. He has lectured on important topics and trends regarding commercial insurance, professional liability and general litigation.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Falch represented plaintiffs in matters involving premises liability, automobile accidents, labor law and medical malpractice.
Edward J. Barbour ("Ted") is a highly experienced litigator whose practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation in personal and commercial line cases, involving premises, property damage, professional, labor law and construction liability. He also has significant experience handling environmental, advertising injury, civil assault, municipal and school liability matters. As a seasoned litigator, Mr. Barbour has extensive experience conducting trials and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums. Mr. Barbour has represented national insurance companies and their insureds, including major national retailers and municipalities.
Mr. Barbour was the former Vice President and Secretary of the Yonkers Lawyers Association and was a former member of the Yonkers Judicial Screening Committee and Board of Directors of the Westchester County Bar Association. Mr. Barbour participated and completed the intensive N.I.T.A. trial advocacy skills-based course.
Elizabeth Lachterman handles a broad range of insurance defense litigation, including general liability, personal injury and premises liability matters. Ms. Lachterman has significant trial and appellate experience, as well as a vast background in alternative dispute resolution and mediation. She has represented clients before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and in various courts, asserting claims of wrongful termination based upon violations of the whistleblower retaliation and discrimination protections of the ADA and FMLA.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Ms. Lachterman practiced in diverse areas of commercial litigation, including contract disputes, unfair trade practice, partnership dissolutions, construction, foreclosure, and summary process actions.
In addition, Ms. Lachterman was claims counsel in the Professional Liability Departments of two national insurance companies. She handled the defense of real estate brokers, attorneys, and accountants under errors and omissions policies, directly negotiating and settling cases at the pre-litigation stage and managing cases assigned to outside counsel after litigation commenced.
Jason LaMark's practice focuses on insurance defense litigation, including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims. As an experienced litigator, Mr. LaMark has experience conducting trials and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums.
Prior to Penino & Moynihan, Mr. LaMark gained significant experience handling workers' compensation defense and plaintiff litigation involving personal injury, as well as real estate litigation. Prior to going to law school, Mr. LaMark was employed as a public school teacher.
Jason Sklar's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including personal injury, property damage, automobile accidents and premises liability. He has represented national insurance companies and their insureds, from inception up to trial. Mr. Sklar has a demonstrated record of successfully and efficiently negotiating settlements in the clients' best interests.
Jean Marie Hamer's practice focuses on insurance defense litigation, including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims. Ms. Hamer has significant experience conducting trials and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums.
Prior to Penino & Moynihan, Ms. Hamer gained significant insurance defense experience at several major defense firms, handling personal injury, property damage, construction and professional liability matters. Ms. Hamer also has experience representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters involving dog bite incidents, motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls and dram shop claims.
Ms. Hamer lives in Bethany, Connecticut on a small hobby farm where she has award winning goats, mini horses and turkeys.
John Madzula's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims. As an experienced litigator, Mr. Madzula handles all aspects of litigation, including pre-suit investigation, litigation strategy, pleadings, discovery, depositions, dispositive motions, case evaluation and trial. He also counsels insurers regarding coverage issues.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Madzula practiced at other law firms in Connecticut and Rhode Island, specializing in construction and construction surety law matters. Mr. Madzula also practiced as an appellate litigator and handled complex civil litigation before the CAVC representing injured and disabled veterans who were denied VA benefits.
Karen K. Lutt is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including personal injury, property damage, construction and professional liability matters. She has significant experience representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums, as well as all aspects of pretrial litigation, including discovery, complex depositions and substantial motion practice.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Ms. Lutt was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the Law Department of the City of New York and also worked as an associate in the New York City in-house counsel office for Cigna Property and Casualty.
Job Titles:
- Certified Paralegal
- Paralegal
Karen Sack is a certified paralegal with more than 20 years of litigation support experience . Ms. Sack is responsible for handling medical authorizations and supporting the team of attorneys with all aspects of litigation, including pre-suit investigations, court filings, discovery and trial preparation.
Job Titles:
- Certified Paralegal
- Paralegal
Kathy Penino is a certified paralegal with more than two decades of experience supporting insurance defense litigation. With her strong organizational skills, Mrs. Penino provides invaluable litigation support, including with respect to pre-suit investigations, filings, discovery, witness coordination, logistics and trial management.
Kyri Bermudez's practice focuses on insurance defense litigation including bodily injury and property damage matters involving automobile accidents, premises liability and first-party claims.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Bermudez practiced as a real estate attorney handling residential real estate closings, as well as commercial and residential leases.
Job Titles:
- Certified Paralegal
- Paralegal
Margrit Maselli is a certified paralegal with more than 20 years of experience supporting insurance defense litigation. Her strong organizational skills allow her to provide invaluable assistance with all aspects of litigation support, including pre-suit investigations, court filings, discovery and logistical coordination for trials and arbitrations.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association
Melissa L. Vincton is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation in Upstate New York, including matters involving motor vehicle accidents, injuries on premises, dog bite incidents and construction accidents. Ms. Vincton is an experienced trial and appellate attorney. Among other successes, she has obtained defense verdicts in New York State Supreme Courts in the Eighth Judicial District and favorable decisions before the New State Appellate Division, Fourth Department.
Ms. Vincton is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Defense Trial Lawyers Association of Western New York.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Ms. Vincton practiced at a law firm in Buffalo, New York for eight years.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the New York State Bar Association
Nicole M. Massi's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including personal injury, property damage, automobile accidents and premises liability. She has represented national insurance companies and their insureds, from inception up to trial. Ms. Massi has a demonstrated record of successfully and efficiently negotiating settlements in the clients' best interests.
Ms. Massi is a respected member of the New York State Bar Association and the Westchester County Bar Association.
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Ms. Massi represented financial institutions and investors in various commercial and residential real estate litigation, foreclosure and bankruptcy matters.
Stephen J. Penino has decades of experience in insurance defense and coverage litigation, including personal injury, property damage, construction and professional liability matters. Mr. Penino has extensive trial experience and has also represented clients in numerous arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums.
As managing partner, Mr. Penino actively oversees Penino & Moynihan's team of attorneys, ensuring adherence to the Firm's core principles - exemplar performance, cost efficiency, early case resolution, collaboration and communication. With these core principals as the flagship for the Firm's growth over the last 25 years, Mr. Penino has overseen the addition of offices in New York and Connecticut and has successfully established the Firm's presence in all jurisdictions throughout both states.
Mr. Penino is a respected member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York Trial Lawyers Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association. He has presented numerous risk management seminars to some of the largest insurance companies in the country.
Prior to founding Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Penino served as a prosecutor at the Queens County District Attorney's Office in the Rackets and Economic Crime and Homicide Bureaus. Since then, Mr. Penino has devoted his career to insurance defense litigation, counseling insurance companies and representing their insureds.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner
- Member of the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association
Steven J. Monn's practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation involving construction site, brokers, and premises and auto liability, including both first- and third-party litigation. As a seasoned litigator, Mr. Monn has extensive experience conducting trials, handing appeals in state and federal courts, and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums. Mr. Monn has represented clients throughout Connecticut and New York, including in Upstate New York, the Hudson Valley Region and New York City. His clients include several major national retailers, supermarkets, and claims services. He has also counseled the Special Investigation Units of several major insurers in fraud prevention and detection.
Mr. Monn is a respected member of the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA).
Prior to joining Penino & Moynihan, Mr. Monn was a partner and a senior litigator at another major defense firm. Mr. Monn commenced his practice of law as a staff attorney for the New York City Legal Aid Society, defending indigent defendants in criminal actions.
Sylvia Pastena is a legal assistant with nearly thirty years of experience . Ms. Pastena provides administrative support to the team of attorneys with all aspects of litigation.
William A. Elder is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on insurance defense and coverage litigation, including personal injury, property damage, labor law, construction and professional liability matters. Mr. Elder has significant experience conducting trials and representing clients in arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution forums.