Joseph P. Moschetta - Longshore Lawyer

Joseph P Moschetta - Jones Act Longshore Lawyer

Judge Moschetta (former) received his law degree from West Virginia University School of Law and was admitted to practice there in 1961.  In 1963, after having served in the United States Army, Judge Moschetta was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania.  Except for serving as Washington County’s First Public Defender and Trial Judge of Washington County for five (5) months in 2005, his law practice has concentrated representing Plaintiffs in Admiralty/Maritime and other tort cases as well as serving as a mediator in complex civil cases.

While on the Bench, Judge Moschetta pre-tried over two hundred cases, settled and tried to jury verdict and non-jury verdict one hundred and twenty-five (125) cases.  In an article entitled “Music and Mediation” published by the Pennsylvania Bar Association (Volume 15, Number 1-Winter 2011), Judge Moschetta joined his love of music with resolving disputes via Mediation.  Judge Moschetta has served on the Board of Directors for Craig House School for Special Children (now The Watson Institute), as well as the Washington Communities MH/MR Center.

Finally, Judge Moschetta served as President of Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc. [http://www.splas.org/], an organization dedicated to providing free legal services for low-income citizens in Washington, Greene, Fayette and Somerset Counties.

Areas of Practice

Maritime Personal Injury

  • Jones Act Seaman Claims
  • Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation
  • Cruise Ship Injuries
  • Pleasure boat accidents/collisions
  • Defense Base Act claims

Professional Associations

  • Member, West Virginia Bar Association  – 1961 to present
  • Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association  – 1963 to present
  • Member, Washington County Bar Association  – 1963 to present
  • Member, Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association  –  1963 to present
  • First Public Defender of Washington County  –  1969
  • President, Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association  –  1971/72
  • Vice President of Washington County Bar Foundation  – 1986
  • President, Washington County Bar Association  –  1987
  • Member, Board of Governors, American Trial Lawyers Association  –  1988 to 1994
  • Member, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania  –  1991 to present
  • Founding Member, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Southwestern Pennsylvania
  • President, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Washington County  –  1993
  • State Delegate for Pennsylvania, Association of Trial Lawyers of America –  1994 to 1999
  • Trustee, American Trial Lawyers Association Political Action Committee –  1994 to 1995
  • Member, Advisory Committee for Judicial Nominations and U.S. Attorneys
  •                for the Western District of Pennsylvania – 1994
  • Member, 2003 Federal Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel
  • Member of Judicial Advisory Commission, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • Co‑Chairman of Washington County Civil Mediation Program –  1994
  • President, Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc. –  1994 to 2009
  • Board of Governors, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
  • Member, American Association for Justice
  • Member, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
  • Former Member, National Italian American Bar Association
  • Former Member, National Crime Victim Bar Association
  • Executive Board Member, Southwest Pennsylvania Legal Services Consortium
  • Member, The Melvin Belli Society
  • Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
  • Member, Maritime Law Association of the United States
  • Member, Maritime Law Section of the American Association for Justice
  • Former Member, Wheeling Academy of Law & Science
  • Mediator, Court of Common Pleas of Washington County
  • Special Master of Mini-Jury Trials, Court of Common Pleas of Washington County
  • Arbitrator, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • Mediator, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Honors and Awards

  • 1999 Recipient, Distinguished Service Award, Washington County Bar Association
  • 2004 Recipient, Milton D. Rosenberg Award, Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
  • 2007 Recipient, Robert L. Ceisler Professionalism Award, Washington County Bar Association

Bar Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
  • Superior Court of Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Published Opinions as Judge

  • Glover v. Deem, 2005 WL 3008177 (Pa.Com.Pl.), 74 Pa. D. & C.4th 175 (2005)
  • Ramsey v. Rich Valley Tp. Volunteer Fire Dept., 2005 WL 4171023 (Pa.Com.Pl.), 76 Pa. D&C 4th 153 (affirmed, 912 A.2d 930 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006))
  • Chillingworth v. Nello Const. Co., 2005 WL 4310870 (Pa.Com.Pl.), 76 Pa. D. & C.4th 276
  • UNUM Life Ins. Co. of America v. Carlins, 2005 WL 2787385 (Pa. Cmwlth.), 75 Pa. D. & C. 4th 361, 2005
  • Mazur v. Washington County Redevelopment Authority, 2005 WL 3008178 (Pa.Com.Pl.), 74 Pa. D. & C.4th 472 (appeal denied at 912 A.2d 839 (Pa. Cmnwlth 2006)
  • Grantz v. Chenney, 2005 WL 2787381 (Pa. Cmwlth.)