Thomas, Thomas & Hafer, LLP

Gerald “Jerry” Valentini joined TTH as a partner in March 2025 in the firm’s Ambler, PA office.  Before joining the firm, Jerry practiced at another regional defense firm for nearly 35 years where he developed a national reputation as a litigator specializing in the defense of complex cases.  His insurance and corporate defense practice is focused on cases involving sexual abuse, products liability, construction site injury claims, construction defects, professional liability, dram shop claims, and premises liability.

Jerry has successfully represented numerous schools, churches, religious institutions, foster home agencies and juvenile placement facilities in a variety of cases involving allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

Products liability litigation is also  major aspect of Jerry’s practice.  Over the course of the last 35 years, he tried numerous cases to verdict and successfully defended a variety of manufacturing and distributor concerns in the areas of industrial machinery, including metal forming equipment, paper converting machinery, electrical equipment, plastic injection molding machinery, conveyor equipment, hydraulic jacks, flexible steel braided hoses, meat processing equipment, plastic products, power tools, lawn and garden equipment, construction equipment, scaffolding, plumbing supplies, paints and coatings, floor finishing products, consumer goods and appliances, mobile scooters, medical devices, and many others.

Construction litigation represents another major area of Jerry’s practice.  He has tried and defended a multitude of lawsuits involving complex construction defects, as well as construction site accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injury, death, property damage, and business losses in a variety of state and federal courts.  He has represented property owners, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, crane rental companies, equipment owners, developers, design professionals, and consultants.

Jerry also has more than 35 years’ experience handling complex litigation matters, such as medical device and pharmaceutical cases. He has served as national liaison counsel in the Multi-District Diet Drug (Fen-Phen) Litigation.  In that role, he was responsible for coordinating defense efforts among a nationwide group of diet centers and clinics.  He has also successfully defended a client of the firm in Latex Glove Litigation, and has represented a major manufacturer involved in “PPA” (phenylpropanolamine) mass tort litigation.

Jerry has also successfully defended a variety of professional liability claims, including the defense of surgical centers, methadone clinics, accountants, design professionals, insurance agents and brokers, certified inspectors, and other errors and omissions claims.  He has also served as national coordinating counsel for a major insurance carrier overseeing a large inventory of nursing home cases against its insured in 22 states.  In this capacity, he was responsible for a legal team that assisted his client in the litigation, evaluation, negotiation, and resolution of an inventory of over 180 professional liability claims.

Jerry also has substantial experience in defending liquor liability (“Dram Shop”), Hospitality, and Social Host Liability cases.   He has successfully tried and defended a number of such cases, including ones involving bar fights, altercations, shooting deaths, and automobile accidents.

Jerry also has broad experience in insurance coverage and bad faith matters, representing carrier clients at both the primary and excess levels.  He has litigated numerous declaratory judgment actions involving a multitude of insurance coverage and bad faith issues.