Della Porta, Armand J.

Armand has considerable experience in the defense of products liability, toxic tort, asbestos personal injury litigation, and general negligence cases. He has tried over 100 cases to verdict in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Armand graduated from Georgetown University in 1977 with a B.A. in Government. He was selected for Phi Beta Kappa and received the Connecticut Medal for Government. He attended Villanova Law School and graduated in 1980. Armand clerked for the Honorable Charles A. Lord of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas from 1980 to 1981.

He joined Krusen Evans and Byrne in 1981, became a partner in 1986 and was later elected to the firm's management committee in 1988. Armand was a founding partner of Kelley Jasons McGuire & Spinelli in 1989 and started its Delaware office in 1990, which he managed until he left the firm in 2005.

Armand is a past President of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, having served in that capacity  from September 2008 to September 2009. Prior to then, he has served in numerous capacities including chair of Products Liability Committee, Legislative Committee, and Judicial Selection Committee. Armand has also written numerous articles for its quarterly publication, Counterpoint, and has lectured at many CLE and other seminars. He has also been involved in leadership roles with the Defense Counsel of Delaware, and currently serves as its Vice President and representative to the Defense Research Institute.
 
He was selected as a Super Lawyer by Law and Politics and Philadelphia Magazine in 2004 and 2005. He has long been active with his alma mater, St. Joseph's Prep, having served as President of the Alumni Board of Governors, co-chair of its annual fundraiser, The Hawktion, and is currently a member of its Board of Trustees.

Significant Representative Matters:

• Defended two asbestos clients in claim with demands to each client in excess of $1 million. Our clients initially were represented to be target defendants. After pretrial prep and investigative work, we were able to demonstrate that our clients had significant defenses to plaintiff's claims and were able to settle case for 10% & 20% of original demands, well below what other target defendants paid.
  
  
• Defended target defendant in alleged illegal police pursuit case. Initial demand was $15 million. Successfully tried the case for four weeks in U.S.D.C., M.D. PA. and was able to settle case at that point for 10% of original demand.
  
  
• Successfully tried over 100 asbestos cases to verdict in Pennsylvania and Delaware, many with defense verdicts.