J Brooks Di Donato

Mr. DiDonato focuses his practice in the areas of insurance defense litigation, municipal liability and civil rights litigation under 42 U.S.C. section 1983. For over 19 years, he has represented self-insured and governmental entities, as well as insured parties and insurance companies, in state and federal litigation involving claims for insurance coverage, personal injury, property damage, and emotional distress and damage to reputation. Mr. DiDonato defends clients in a wide range of areas, including automobile liability, civil rights litigation, employment litigation, general liability, government liability, premises liability, and product . DiDonato recently won a Landmark victory in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the matter of Albert Florence v. Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders, et al, which is a class action lawsuit by current and former inmates at the Burlington County Jail claiming that a policy of strip searching all inmates prior to admission to the General Population of the Jail was violative of their Fourth Amendment Right against unreasonable Search and Seizure. In ruling that such a policy was Constitutionally permissible, the Third Circuit became just the third Circuit Court of Appeals to so rule. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari and oral argument before the Court was held on October 12, successfully representing the defendant before the District Court and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the matter of Paulino v. Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Mr. DiDonato recently filed a brief in the United States Supreme Court opposing the plaintiff's Petition for a Writ of Certiorari. That matter involves a prisoner's claim for failure to protect and the provision of inadequate medical care following his assault by three other inmates contrary to his rights under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Petition is currently pending before the Court.