Joseph T. Moran focuses his practice on commercial and construction litigation, First Amendment/media law and technology/Internet litigation, counseling, planning and policy work.

Mr. Moran has been a regular speaker at local and national conferences and CLE seminars sponsored by the Allegheny County Bar Association, Federal Court Section, PBI, PLI, local universities and graduate schools and corporate entities on commercial litigation, ethics and First Amendment issues, and privacy, electronic discovery, media and ethical issues relating to Internet usage in workplace and media settings and technology/e-commerce issues. He also has written for and served on the faculty of the International Bar Association Conference on Cyberspace Media.

Mr. Moran is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County bar associations, where he served as a member of the Civil Litigation Section Board of Governors. He is a past president of the University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association.

Mr. Moran is a 1986 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he was business editor of the Journal of Law and Commerce, a 2000 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (M.S.E.C.) and a graduate of the University of Scranton.

Areas of Practice

Commercial Litigation
First Amendment/Media Law and Litigation
Technology/e-commerce Law

Representative Matters

Litigation

Won defense jury verdict in libel trial brought by a senior bank executive against local newspaper and successfully defended verdict on appeal. Wallace v. Johnstown Tribune Publishing Company (C.C.P. Cambria)(Pa. Superior Ct.)
Won $500,000+ plaintiff's jury verdict in piercing the corporate veil case against corporate officer and successfully defended verdict on appeal. Savannah River Wharf Company v. Germain Timber Co. & W Preston Germain, (C.C.P. Allegheny)(Pa. Superior Ct.)
Won liability verdict as co-counsel for power company plaintiff in complex contract action involving implosion and destruction of electric turbine. Case settled prior to damage phase. Orion Power Holdings, Inc. v. Mechanical Dynamics & Analysis, et al. (C.C.P. Allegheny Co.)
Won admission of press via King's Bench Petition Orders from Pennsylvania Supreme Court (on behalf of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) to formerly closed jury selection proceedings in racially charged police brutality case involving death of minority suspect. In re Commonwealth v. White Hall Borough Police, et al. (Gammage) (Pa. Supreme Ct.)
Won appellate reversal of jurisdictional dismissal (handled by prior counsel) and negotiated settlement of client's claims related to the interstate sale of a defective corporate airplane C. J. Betters Corp. v. Mid-South Aviation Services Inc. (Pa. Superior Ct.)
Initiated suit and negotiated favorable settlement for franchisee plaintiff in dispute with franchisor regarding protected territorial rights Ray Joll Development Co. v. Quaker Steak & Lube (C.C.P. Mercer Co.)
Won jurisdictional dismissal in federal contract action involving interstate shipments of woodchips - Germain Timber Co. v. Peeples, et al. (W.D.Pa.)
Co-counsel on coal supply contract force majeure dispute, which was resolved to mutual benefit of parties. EME Homer City Generation v. Unionvale Coal Company (C.C.P. Indiana)
Negotiated favorable settlement for impleaded major video distribution company in royalty dispute injunction case. In re Anne of Green Gables (W.D. Pa)
Successfully negotiated settlement involving new Horseman's Association Agreement regarding Pennsylvania Gaming Act royalty rights. Meadows Standardbred Owners Assoc. v. Centaur Pennsylvania LLC, et al. (C.C.P. Washington Co.)
Co-counsel in multimillion-dollar environmental insurance claims matter involving favorable settlements from multiple major insurance companies on environmental liability claims. NVF, Inc. v. American Casualty, et al. (C.C.P N.J.)
Drafted license agreement for new invention and successfully negotiated settlement of contract dispute lawsuit brought to enforce guaranteed royalty rights. Gray Doyle Ideas, Inc. v. L&N Sales & Marketing, Inc.
Defended damage claims against major oil company in bench trial relating to environmental damage to property resulting from tanker spill. The case resulted in a settlement our client found favorable.
Current part of trial team defending/prosecuting $200 million in construction claims related to construction of a coal-fired electrical generation plant
Member of trial team in successful injunction case brought by major entertainment company, Broadcast Networks and NFL in international piracy injunction case involving theft and rebroadcast of television signals. Obtained effective relief and/or settlement as necessary. Disney, et al. v. icraveTV (W.D. Pa.)
Acted as trial counsel for many companies involved in commercial or transactional disputes in a wide variety of industries.

First Amendment/Constitutional Matters

Successfully defended First Amendment, Access, and Shield Law interests of reporters and defended defamation and libel actions for local and major newspapers, publishers and entertainment companies including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Gannett, U.S. News & World Report, CBS, WPXI (NBC),
Currently pursuing appellate relief for Adult Bookstore owner in First Amendment Dispute related to local licensure statute. Boron v. Pulaski Twp. Bd. of Supervisors (C.C.P. Lawrence Co.) (Argued 10/15/08 to en banc Pa. Commonwealth Ct.)

Internet and E-commerce

Counseled clients extensively and drafted various Internet Usage and Privacy policies and Agreements regarding their internal policies on use of the Internet, e-mail, electronic record retention, Do Not Call legislation and various web-based e-commerce issues.
Drafted web agreements and Internet usage policies for leading companies across several industries, including internet service providers, the nation's oldest real estate organization, one of the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, a leading asset management and securities services company, an online metal forgings auction site, a supplier of products and services to the global rail industry, and the world's largest supplier of OEM and aftermarket automotive replacement parts to transmission professionals.
Presented Privacy, Legal Ethics, Internet Usage and Electronic Discovery issues to, among others, the International Bar Association, NACHA Conference; National Business Institute; American Corporate Counsel Association, American Marketing Association; Employment Law Institute, Allegheny County Bar Association (state and Federal Sections) and to private and public industry, including Mellon Bank, PPG, Alperin Rosenthal, Educational forums sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh, LaRoche College and Robert Morris University and for Pennsylvania accredited CLE providers PLI, PBI, Lorman and others.

Professional Activities

Pennsylvania Bar Association
Allegheny County Bar Association
- Civil Litigation Section

Admissions

Pennsylvania
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Education

University of Pittsburgh School of Law, J.D., 1986

Experience

Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2003-present
Pepper Hamilton, LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Partner, 2003
Reed Smith, LLP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Partner, 1995-2003
- Associate, 1986-1995

Civic and Charitable Activities

Former President, University of Pittsburgh Law Alumni Association