John C. Swartz Jr.

Special Counsel

    John is a member of the Workers' Compensation Department serving as defense counsel for employers, carriers and third-party administrators. His clients include manufacturers, health care facilities, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, insurance companies and trucking companies. John has also handled liability claims and underinsured/uninsured motor vehicle claims. He also assists clients in handling medicare set-asides. 

    John graduated from Penn State University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Social Science. In 1991, he graduated from Widener University School of Law with a juris doctor. John has spent the majority of his career in the insurance industry. Prior to joining Marshall Dennehey, he served as in-house counsel for two large insurance carriers handling workers' compensation, general liability and personal injury cases.

    Representative Cases

    Commonwealth v. WCAB (Noll) 80 A.3d 525 (Pa.Cmwlth 2013)

    Conroy v. WCAB (Perrier Group), 750 A2d. 932 (Pa. Cmwlth 2000)

    Significant Representative Matters

    Successfully defended a Claim Petition for an alleged secondary injury that was reported six weeks after the initial injury. Medical evidence from the defendant showed that an alleged knee injury was not related to the initial work injury and, therefore, the claim petition was denied for any benefits even though the claimant had an accepted low back injury

    Successfully defended a Claim Petition for an injury alleged to be traumatic and an aggravation of preexisting condition. The judge rejected the medical evidence presented by the claimant and found that he had suffered no traumatic injury and his complaints were due to his preexisting condition. 

    Successful defended a Claim Petition alleging herniated discs in the low back and neck for an injury initially accepted by a Medical-Only Notice of Compensation Payable for low back sprain/strain.

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    Impairment Rating Evaluations, client seminar, May 21, 2019 

    Using Return to Work as Leverage in Litigation, Mediation and For Cost Control of Your Workers’ Compensation Claim, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, November 6, 2014

    Seminars at Liberty Mutual and ESIS, 2006, 2007 

    Seminars to adjusters at The PMA Group and Kemper Insurance Co. and Broadspire, 1996-2004 

    Labor Market Surveys, Broadspire Claims Department, 2002 

    Published Works

    “Petition to Suspend Benefits Because the Claimant Has Retired from the Workforce Is Not a Slam Dunk for Pennsylvania Employers,” Defense Digest, Vol. 28, No. 12, December 2022

    “New Exposure for Workers’ Compensation Carriers and Employers,” Defense Digest, Vol. 22, No. 2, June 2016

    Admissions
    Pennsylvania
    1991
    U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
    1992
    Education
    Widener University School of Law (J.D., 1991)
    Pennsylvania State University (B.S.S., 1988)
    Honors & awards
    Peer Review Rated by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
    Associations & memberships
    Pennsylvania Bar Association
    Year joined
    2005