MacMain and McAvoy Win Defense Verdict For Prison
At the conclusion of a 4 day trial in which David MacMain and John McAvoy defended two correctional officers accused of using excessive force against an inmate, the jury took less then 45 minutes to reach a defense verdict.
Matthew J. Connell Speaks at National Employment Practices Liability Conference
Matthew J. Connell spoke on a panel addressing hot topics in the United States Supreme Court at
the ExecuSummit Fall Employment Practices Liability Insurance Seminar in Montville,
Connecticut. Mr. Connell and his co-panel members addressed the key issues facing the Court in
its upcoming term. Mr. Connell’s presentation focused on the status of sexual orientation
discrimination under Title VII, highlighting critical decisions from the 2nd, 7th, and 11th Circuit
Court of Appeals focusing on the current split of those circuits which will lead to Supreme Court
review in the future. Sexual orientation discrimination is one of the hottest topics in employment
litigation and Judges across the country are divided on whether or not such discrimination is
prohibited under Title VII. We anticipate that the Supreme Court accept cert on this issue within
the coming months.
MacMain Moderates Police-Community Relations Panel Discussion
On October 6, 2017, David MacMain served as a moderator at the DRI Annual Conference in Chicago on the topic of “Bridging The Gap: Police – Community Relations.” The panelists included Chicago Deputy Police Chief Eric Williams, Father Michael Pfleger – a Chicago community activist, and Anthony Schumann a Chicago attorney. The topic of discussion was how relations between law enforcement and the citizens they serve can be improved and strengthened in these times of turmoil and distrust – particularly in urban areas.
Caleb MacMain Joins The Ranks of Law Enforcement
David MacMain is extremely proud to announce that his son Caleb MacMain is following in his Father’s footsteps and joining the ranks of law enforcement, having been recently hired to serve as a Whitemarsh Township Police Officer. Caleb was selected out of 80 applicants to join the 40+ officer Whitemarsh Police force.
MacMain and Ambrose Cause Street Minstrel To Sing The Blues
David MacMain and Tricia Ambrose obtained a defense verdict in under an hour for our client, a City of Allentown Police Officer who arrested a self-proclaimed street minstrel who had been the subject of much sympathetic media attention, and complaints from business owners and citizens. Plaintiff has – to use the term loosely – been “singing” in the streets of Allentown for the past few years – to the amusement of some and irritation of others.
In the incident in question, the officer was responding to complaints about Plaintiff’s disturbing downtown diners and encountered Plaintiff in a full-throated and off-key rendition of “Ba-Ba-Barabara Ann” by the Beach Boys outside of a high-end steak restaurant. Plaintiff immediately became defensive and uncooperative, with the end result being the Officer using a take-down and placing Plaintiff in custody. The incident was captured by i-phone and went viral with over 6 million hits. The officer was vilified by some liberal media outlets and by one particular anti-law enforcement site who labeled the officer’s actions both a violation of the First Amendment and unjustified police force. The jury saw it differently and cleared the officer in less than an hour including their lunch recess. It was an important victory for both the Officer and the Allentown Police Department who have had numerous and ongoing dealings with the Plaintiff.
MacMain Speaks at Pennsylvania State Boroughs Association Annual Legal Update Conference
David MacMain spoke at the Pennsylvania State Boroughs Association Annual Legal Update Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on August 10, 2017. The conference was attended by Borough solicitors, managers, police administrators and officials from all over Pennsylvania. David spoke at two sessions (1) Use of Force, and (2) Stop and Frisk Programs. Charles Gilliam-Brownlee helped research and prepare the written materials for the Stop and Frisk program.
MacMain Interviewed by the Washington Post regarding Videos of Police Shootings
MacMain Interviewed by the Washington Post Regarding Videos of Police Shootings
David MacMain was interviewed and quoted in a June 20, 2019 article in The Washington Post regarding the accuracy and reliability of videos of police use of force incidents, and why they only tell part of the actual story of what occurred:
Experts caution that video footage of police shootings can remain incomplete and, even if capturing an entire incident, might not definitively answer what an officer saw at that moment.
“The officer’s judged by what he or she reasonably sees or perceives,” said David J. MacMain, a former Pennsylvania state trooper and attorney who represents law enforcement officers in civil cases.
MacMain also said that when videos are released publicly, the encounters are dissected in a different way than officers perceive them while they unfold.
“We all get to look at it 20 times over and replay and zoom in and zoom out,” MacMain said. “Officers have to make split-second decisions, and we all get to critique it over the next four, five, six, seven months.”
MacMain speaks at the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel’s Winter Conference
MacMain speaks at the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel’s Winter Conference
On March 9, 2017, David MacMain was one of 3 panelists who spoke at the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel’s Winter Conference in Charleston, South Carolina on “Balancing Interests In An Armed Society – The Intersection Between The 2nd Amendment and Local Government’s Ability To Regulate Guns”. Tricia Ambrose assisted in the preparation of the research and written materials.
MacMain speaks at Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Prisoner’s Civil Rights Litigation Seminar
MacMain Speaks at Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Prisoner’s Civil Rights Litigation Seminar
David MacMain spoke at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s “Prisoner’s Civil Rights Litigation” seminar held in Philadelphia on March 3, 2017. The seminar, which is focused on the litigation of §1983 prisoner litigation against correctional facilities and law enforcement officers, was attended by over 100 people. Besides David, the panelists included the Honorable Mitchell Goldberg of the District Court of the Eastern District to Pennsylvania, Steven Brown of Dechert LLP, David Rudovsky and Jonathon Feinberg of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg LLP, Armando Brigandi of the Philadelphia City Solicitor’s Office, and Melissa Gomez of MMG Jury Consultants.
MacMain And Freiler Attend Civil Rights Conference
MacMain and Freiler Attend Civil Rights Conference
David MacMain and Nicole Freiler attended the 2017 Annual DRI Governmental Liability and Civil Rights Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee on January 24-27, 2017. David serves as Vice-Chair of the DRI Governmental Liability and Civil Rights Committee and was involved in the planning and presentation of the program. Nicole serves as Vice-Chair of the Committee’s On-Line Community which allows committee members to communicate to share questions, ideas, new cases and information affecting governmental entities and officials. Seminar topics included legal updates on civil rights and governmental liability, witness identification, police body cameras, trial tactics, free speech and transgender accommodations. The conference attendees participated in and raised almost $2000 for The 100 Club of Nashville – a nonprofit charity dedicated to providing financial assistance to the families of police officers, firefighters, and EMT staff.
