Bryan S. Neft

BRYAN S. NEFT is a partner in the Litigation, Health Care, Qui Tam and Toxic Tort Practice Groups of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP.

Mr. Neft’s practice is focused on commercial litigation and toxic torts, which includes experience in a variety of areas, such as antitrust, banking and lender regulatory matters, business torts, competition and trade secrets, consumer protection, contractual disputes, environmental law, ERISA, false advertising, health care, insurance coverage, medical malpractice, shareholder and corporate control disputes, products liability, accountants’ liability, and insurance bad faith and unfair insurance practices.

Representations reflective of his practice include:

• Large integrated health care system in an antitrust challenge to its merger with a specialty hospital, coordinating all facets of preliminary injunction proceedings including the coordination of 20 attorneys in extensive document review and production.
• Health care practice groups in antitrust and contractual disputes brought by a former practice physician.
• Fortune 100 company in substantial toxic tort litigation in western Pennsylvania, including the formation of litigation and trial strategies.
• A variety of defendants in asbestos litigation including airlines, tractor manufacturers, school districts, and small family businesses.
• Closed corporations and partnerships in shareholder and business disputes.
• Purchaser of raw materials against shipper for contaminating a shipment thereby making it unusable for its intended purpose.
• Tax collector in class actions cases alleging improper imposition of fees and costs.
• Fortune 500 asbestos-coated wire and cable manufacturer in toxic tort litigation resulting in the dismissal of all claims in Pennsylvania brought by more than 200 electricians; and trial preparation and participation in the largest toxic tort mass trial in West Virginia, involving more than 1,800 plaintiffs.
• Company in a favorably settled trade secret case where a forensic computer search of a former employee’s hard drive revealed deleted e-mail correspondence of client’s trade secrets to new employer.
• Health maintenance organization in a contract dispute with more than 80 pharmacies for recovery of overpayments under HMO participating pharmacy agreements, including coordinating discovery and taking more than 20 depositions.
• Insureds in disputes with insurance carriers and third-party payers over mismanagement of workers’ compensation programs and for reclamation of collateral.
• Sole proprietor insurance broker against national insurance company in a claim for fraudulent and unfair insurance practices in setting premium rates in West Virginia.
• Large multi-national insurer in a coverage dispute involving the largest verdict recorded in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
• Company in a defamation dispute, successfully obtaining a court order requiring an Internet service provider to disclose the identity of the defendant, an anonymous poster of online bulletin board messages alleged to be defamatory.

Mr. Neft also practices before the Appellate Courts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio drafting briefs and motions regarding issues of first impression in toxic tort law and insurance coverage. He has had trial responsibility through appellate proceedings; and first and second chair experience in all phases of pretrial and trial procedure in federal and state courts, arbitration proceedings and administrative proceedings, including those before the Pennsylvania Board of Claims.

He has also spoken extensively on the topic of electronic discovery and document retention.

In 2003, Mr. Neft was named a “Pennsylvania Lawyer on the Fast Track”, a recognition given annually by American Lawyer Media to only several dozen attorneys under the age of 40 for their significant contributions to the practice of law through case work, bar association involvement and pro bono efforts.

Mr. Neft has been a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of the Allegheny County Bar Association and also served as the association's Treasurer. He is also the past Treasurer and Trustee of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. He chaired the latter’s successful Attorneys Against Hunger campaign for 11 years. He was a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Task Force on Gender Equality. Mr. Neft is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates. In addition to his bar association activities, Mr. Neft previously served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and currently serves as Treasurer for Beth El Congregation of the South Hills.