Richard Serbin

Richard M. Serbin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. He attended the Duquesne University School of Law where he received his law degree in 1974. His practice is limited to representing individuals who have suffered serious injuries as a result of vehicular accidents, medical malpractice and sexual abuse, and standing up for people who have been taken advantage of by insurance companies who refuse to pay valid claims. Mr. Serbin is board certified in civil trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, and has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Serbin has repeatedly received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a recognized and respected independent rating authority for attorneys, which represents the highest rating for a lawyer for professional and ethical standards. He has been selected by his peers and through the independent research of Lay and Politics as a 2006 Super Lawyer, a designation of achievement given to the top five percent of Pennsylvania lawyers. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and his biography appears in Who's Who in American Law.

Mr. Serbin has successfully argued major cases in the Pennsylvania Superior and Supreme Courts, which are cited throughout the country by other courts as establishing legal precedence in various areas of the law. He has appeared on television and radio, and has been profiled in a number of Pennsylvania newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer for his trial work, particularly cases on behalf of children who were sexually abused by members of the clergy. He is the author or When Clergy Fail Their Flock published in Trial Magazine, the Journal of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (May, 2002).

Mr. Serbin is member of a number of professional and trial lawyer organizations, and has previously served on the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association.

Representative Cases

946 A.2d 744 (The Superior Court ruled the injured victim is entitled to over $720,000 in interest, computed from the date of the jury's verdict, despite lengthy delay caused by the erroneous rulings of the Superior Court)

896 A.2d 1260 (The Superior Court found the trial evidence supported the jury's $1,000,000 punitive damage verdict)

870 A.2d 766 (The Supreme Court holds punitive (punishment) damages are available in a claim for negligent supervision of an employee)

763 A.2d 826 (The Superior Court found the evidence supported the jury's verdict against the Diocese and its bishop for knowingly employing a child molester).

742 A.2d 1052 (The Supreme Court reverses the Superior Court's dismissal of the jury's verdict in a case involving the sexual abuse of a child by a priest).

658 A.2d 1372 (The Superior Court holds a pedestrian injured when hit by a car is entitled to post judgment interest from the date of the verdict, resulting in total verdict of $417,908.)

632 A.2d 9 (The Commonwealth Court found the trial court's computation of delay damages, adding $362,686.19 to the jury's verdict against PennDot for negligent highway maintenance was correct)

Cambria County (On retrial, pedestrian struck by car while standing in bar parking lot awarded total verdict of $417,907.00)

Blair County (Driver was awarded verdict totaling $365,000 where jury found electric company's truck which backed into the driver's stopped vehicle caused an aggravation to his pre-existing shoulder injury)

Somerset County (Jury awarded verdicts totaling $833,272. to family in claim against trucking company for injuries caused by overloaded coal truck).

Blair County (Jury found absence of guardrail was substantial cause of injuries, awarding vehicle passenger $1,045,000 in damages).

Blair County (Child victim in clergy sex abuse case awarded total damages of $1,880,564.11 against priest and diocese, following twelve week trial).