John is the administrative partner for Jones Day’s Pittsburgh Office. He is a recognized authority in aviation and transportation litigation and leads Jones Day’s airlines and aviation industry initiative. John has over 34 years of experience defending companies in business and tort litigation and has defended multinational companies such as China Eastern Airlines, Doncasters, Parker Hannifin, Penske Automotive, Pilatus Aircraft, Mitsubishi Aircraft, R.J. Reynolds, Textron, U. S. Steel, Yamaha, and WESCO in trial and appellate courts across the United States, Canada, and Europe. John has litigated complex commercial disputes, defended clients in diverse product liability and toxic tort actions, and represented clients in grand jury investigations. He obtained several injunctions preventing the U.S. government from enforcing a key provision of its Affordable Care Act in a landmark case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A licensed pilot, John has defended cases arising from commercial and general aviation accidents worldwide. He was on trial teams for Parker Hannifin in aviation litigation arising from the crash of a former Missouri governor’s plane and in USAir Flight 427. He led the team defending Parker in aviation litigation involving SilkAir Flight 185, FlashAir Flight 604, EgyptAir Flight 990, and other cases. John also counsels aviation, rail, and other clients in NTSB investigations.
John has taught aviation law, deposition skills, and negotiation skills at Duquesne University. He has published articles on litigation strategy, is a frequent speaker at aviation and other seminars, and has served as a hearing committee officer for the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board. He is a former board president for Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh, and its Free Health Care Center. Former Law Clerk to the Honorable Ruggero J. Aldisert, former chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (1986 and 1987 terms).
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