Detweiler, Michael L.

For nearly 30 years, Scott  has focused a significant portion of his practice on the defense of liquor liability, professional liability (legal, accounting, employment, D&O, non-profit, HOA)  and significant exposure excess insurance claims.  Scott has tried over 100 cases to verdict, many involving dram shop, medical, dental and product liability matters.
 
In addition to his law practice, Scott has lectured extensively to various claims and trial lawyer associations concerning liquor liability, negotiations and other topics.  He serves as the National Litigation Coordinator for high exposure liquor liability, professional liability and excess claims for a number of national insurance companies.  Scott has actively defended liquor liability, casualty and professional liability claims in a variety of jurisdictions including Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Washington, Arizona, Kentucky and Tennessee. 

Since 1995, Scott has served on the faculty of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute for its annual Tort Law Update Program lecturing attorneys concerning subjects including dram shop liability and the admission of evidence of alcohol in civil cases.  He has served as a Judge Pro Tem in Delaware County (1997-2002), Co-Chairman of the Delaware County Civil Trial Practice Committee (1998-2002) and a member of the Delaware County Judicial Advisory Committee. He also serves as both Coordinator and Faculty for a Pennsylvania Bar Institute sponsored Dram Shop Liability Seminar presented on numerous occassions since 1999.

Scott graduated from Clarion State University in 1974, completed masters credits toward a Master of Psychosocial Science at The Pennsylvania State University from 1976 through 1978. He concluded his legal education at Widener University School of Law in 1981. Scott  began his career with Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin as a law clerk in 1979 and continued employment with the firm following his admission to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1981.

Significant Representative Matters

• In Hiles v. The Brandywine Club, 443 Pa. Super. 462; 662 A.2d 16 (1995), Scott represented the co-defendant liquor licensee, The Brandywine Club, in the wrongful death/survival claim of a husband whose wife was killed by the co-defendant drunk driver, William Diviney, as she was driving to work at 6:30 a.m. on November 30, 1985.  Following trial in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the jury rendered a verdict finding Diviney 100% liable and awarded Hiles $925,000.00 with The Brandywine Club avoiding payment of the entire verdict under joint and several liability for any percent of negligence.  The Hiles case has since provided the defining standard in Pennsylvania for licensee liability involving off-premises accidents caused by intoxicated adult patrons.
   
  
• In Pulliam v. Bakerstown Hotel, 2004 Pa. Super. 116 (2004), the plaintiff was rendered quadriplegic as a result of a one-vehicle accident following his consumption of alcoholic beverages at the defendant bar.  During jury trial in Butler County, Pennsylvania in 2002, the Court admitted evidence of plaintiff's juvenile drug rehabilitation records, prior DUI convictions and evidence that plaintiff's urine tested positive for marijuana and cocaine following the accident as "highly probative" of the plaintiff's life expectancy and tolerance to intoxicants.  Plaintiff's Petition for Allowance of Appeal was denied by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in July 2005 and the case has since provided the standard by which evidence of plaintiff's prior drug and alcohol history may be admitted at trial.