Criminal Law

• Wrongful Death
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, & Massachusetts Admiralty & Maritime, Oilfield & Gas Well Explosion & Fire, Insurance Bad Faith, Liquor Liability, Serious Injury & Wrongful Death Lawyers
• Sex Crimes
  In its blog, “Coast Guard Maritime Commons – The Coast Guard Blog for Maritime Professionals,” a recent post describes the federal agency’s zero tolerance for sexual assault in the U.S. maritime industry. The post states, “The Coast Guard stands ready to investigate each report or tip alleging that a credentialed mariner committed a sexual assault. The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) will initiate an investigation and gather additional information for all reports of sexual assault, or other crimes at sea. Coast Guard investigators work alongside Coast Guard attorneys to ensure they gather sufficient evidence to refer the case to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. Moreover, the Coast Guard has the authority to investigate and take enforcement action against the mariner’s credential to preclude the mariner from serving as a Coast Guard-credentialed commercial mariner.”
• Assault
• Murder
  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on March 9, 2022, a crewman aboard a scallop boat has pled guilty in Boston federal court to one count of murder in the second degree, one count of attempted murder, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 31, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs on June 28, 2022.
• Homicide
  G&O lawyer and managing member, Fred Goldsmith, graduated in December 2022 from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s Citizen Police Academy. He and his class of fellow community members obtained a fascinating, insider’s, eye-opening, unvarnished introduction to the operations of and the many dedicated women and men who comprise the PBP. He learned from police and civilian personnel about topics ranging from Use of Force, SWAT, Bomb Squad, Homicide, Patrol, Graffiti, Intelligence, Major Crimes, to internal investigations/Office of Municipal Investigations.

Business and Corporate Law

• Antitrust
  Based in Pittsburgh, we represent companies in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Massachusetts in commercial litigation. We represent businesses in state and federal courts, primarily in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Massachusetts for breach of contract, antitrust law violations, business torts (such as tortious interference with contract), insurance coverage and bad faith, and fraudulent and unfair trade practices (including claims under state unfair and deceptive trade practices and consumer protection laws).

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  Our admiralty and maritime attorneys are experienced in handling, in state and federal courts, admiralty and maritime lawsuits for vessel crewmen (deckhands, mates, pilots, captains, engineers, cooks), passengers, and others under the Jones Act and the general maritime law in claims for unseaworthiness, maintenance and cure, and negligence, and also claims under the U.S. Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act for vessel negligence. We know the Jones Act and the claims that can be brought by Jones Act seamen when they are injured or killed on the job, which may be aboard ship, a towboat, a barge, a ferry, a fishing boat, a scallop boat, a lobster boat, or even in in a crew van transferring between vessels.
• Sexual Harassment
  The report addresses, among other things, crumbling infrastructure, lack of oversight by the Department of Transportation, overworked and over stressed faculty and midshipmen, a white male culture, and systemic shortcomings on campus and during commercial shipboard training in the realm of prevention of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The report includes throughout its 274 pages many concrete, actionable, no-holds-barred, recommendations for the Academy, located at King’s Point, New York.

Property Law

• Construction Litigation
  Rich Ogrodowski previously worked as a trial and appellate litigator with two mid-sized Pittsburgh law firms where, in addition to his current practice areas, he handled construction litigation and also gained significant experience handling asbestos and other toxic tort lawsuits for the major national (“Class I”) railroads and construction equipment manufacturers.
• Property Damage
  Following graduation from Tulane Law School in 1990, Fred served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Howell Cobb of the Eastern District of Texas. He then worked as a defense attorney with two firms in Houston, focusing his practice on representing major and independent oil and gas companies, oilfield service companies, and commercial vessel operators in significant injury, death, and property damage cases arising from oil and gas drilling and production onshore and in the Gulf of Mexico. He also defended top tier recreational vessel manufacturers in product liability suits.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  G&O lawyer, mediator, and managing member, Fred Goldsmith, spoke on February 15, 2023, at the CLE program, “Preparing for Allegheny County Mandatory Mediation,” jointly presented in Pittsburgh, PA, by the ACBA Civil Litigation Section and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Fred was honored to join Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Patrick M. Connelly and other experienced plaintiff’s personal injury and defense lawyers and mediators to discuss new Allegheny County Local Rule 212.7, requiring mediation 45 days before a case appears on a published trial list.
• Auto Accidents