Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Insurance Coverage, Civil Litigation; view more
Licensed in Arizona since: 1989
Education: Villanova University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2015 - 2024 Details
Diligently offering legal representation to the people of Arizona for nearly three and a half decades, Charles D. Onofry is the owner of the Phoenix-based legal firm Schneider & Onofry. Throughout his long career, he has advocated for individuals, franchises, businesses and insurance companies in a broad range of matters involving the following:
- Bad faith
- Insurance coverage
- Employment law
- Premises liability
- Professional liability
- Real estate litigation
- Personal injury issues
- Wrongful death
A certified specialist in personal injury and wrongful death by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization, Mr. Onofry has arbitrated cases for his clients before several federal and state courts. Recognizing the importance of the preliminary investigation, he ensures that a thorough evaluation and assessment are carried out to gather all relevant information before proceeding further in a case. His track record of cases argued and litigated in courtrooms not only includes personal injury cases but copyright infringements, assault and battery, the negligent transmission of STDs, HOA disputes, shareholder valuations and more.
After graduating from Hamilton College with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982, Mr. Onofry attended Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1986, where he received the Scribes Award for performing exceptionally well in legal writing. He was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1989 and appears before the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and 9th Circuits and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as well.
Mr. Onofry is peer-review rated AV Preeminent* through Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his commendable work in insurance and commercial litigation. Not only is he known and honored for his legal services, but also for his contribution to legal literature. He is a recipient of the G. Duffield Smith Award, presented to him by the Defense Research Institute (DRI) for publishing one of the outstanding articles in DRI’s For The Defense publication.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Defense, Insurance Coverage, Civil Litigation: Defense, Professional Liability: Defense, Real Estate: Business, Transportation/MaritimeFocus areas
Animal Bites, Assault, Bad Faith Insurance, Dram Shop Laws, Insurance, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Defense, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Professional Malpractice - Other, Slip and Fall, Transportation Law, Wrongful Death
- 40% Personal Injury - General: Defense
- 20% Insurance Coverage
- 10% Civil Litigation: Defense
- 10% Professional Liability: Defense
- 10% Real Estate: Business
- 10% Transportation/Maritime
First Admitted: 1987, Pennsylvania
Professional Webpage: https://www.soarizonalaw.com/attorneys/onofry/
- Allen v. Shamrock Foods Co.,1CA-CV 04-0256 (3/31/2005) Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One: Jury verdict in favor of truck driver affirmed in wrongful death case
- Mirage Homes, L.L.C. v. Headlee Roofing Company, Inc.(2 CA-CV 2005-0215; decided 9/21/2006)
- Rivera v. Superior Court, No. SA 95-248, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
- Robert Kubicek Architects & Associates, Inc. v. Bosley, 1 CA-CV 11-0416 (12/20/2012), 2012 WL 6673954: Grant of new trial in favor of minority shareholder in business dispute affirmed; grant of minority shareholders’ directed verdicts against plaintiff’s claims affirmed
- Ruckdashel v. Superior Court, No. SA95-237, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
- Schrum v. Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co., 9th Cir. Ct. App. No. 06-16135 (7/10/2008): Summary judgment in favor of defendant affirmed in FELA case due to lack of competent evidence on causation
- Zamalloa v. Ligon Nationwide, Inc. (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) Defense of commercial trucking company in personal injury action involving significant and complicated issues of ICC Trucking liability for leased vehicles; co-counsel trying initial case and briefed matter before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Kieren v. Waste Management Corporation, No. 2 CA-CV 95-0126, Arizona Court of Appeals and Petition for Review to Arizona Supreme Court
- Kaufman v. Fulton, No. 1 CA-CV 95-0052, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
- Hutchison v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co.,1 CA-CV 14-0606 (10/29/2015), 2015 WL 6696583: Obtained reversal of judgment dismissing plaintiff’s bad faith claim
- Hines v. Southern Arizona York Contracting Company, No. 2CA-CV 94-0020, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two
- Hahne v. AZ Air Time, LLC,1 CA-CV 14-05 Security Pest & Termite Sys. of S. Ariz. v. Reyelts, 1 CA-CV 16-0624 (12/7/2017): Obtained reversal of trial court’s grant of preliminary injunction on issues of non-competition and non-solicitation
- Fulton Homes Corp. v. BBP Concrete, 214 Ariz. 566, 155 P.3d 1090 (App. 2007): Attorneys’ fee awards to subcontractors affirmed where the evidence supported a determination that the general contractor’s third-party complaint against the subcontractors was not warranted
- Evans Withycombe, Inc. v. Western Innovations, Inc., 215 Ariz. 237, 159 P.3d 547 (App. 2006);
- Dilger v. Conrail – U.S. Court of Appeals for Second Circuit
- Decola v. Freyer, 198 Ariz. 28, 6 P.3d 333 (App. 2000)
- Dean/Connelly v. Jack in the Box, Foothills Shopping Center, and Zell Commercial Real Estate Services, Inc. (1 CA-CV 04-1274 and 1 CA-CV 04-0282
- Cervantes v. Superior Court, No. 2 CA-SA 96-0031, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two
- Campbell v. Anderson, No. CA-CV 94-0469
- Brimley v. Jirauch, 1-CA-CV 17-0507 (12/27/2018): Affirmed trial court’s grant of summary judgment on a breach of real estate contract and affirmed trial court’s award of damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs
- Baron v. Dillard,1 CA-CV 14-0171 (1/5/2016) 2016 WL 54832: Affirmed trial court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint with prejudice based on plaintiff’s repeated failure to comply with discovery requests
- Arellano v. Primerica Life Ins. Co.,235 Ariz. 371, 332 P.3d 597 (App. 2014): Breach of contract and bad faith verdict upheld against life insurance company; punitive damages based on evidence of reprehensibility upheld, but reduced in scope
- Anderson v. Graham Bros. et al.,1 CA-CV 09-0254 (8/26/2010), 2010 W L 3366656: Summary judgment in favor of bar affirmed in dram shop action
- “Trying the Automobile Accident Case in Arizona,” National Business Institute, December 2002
- “Premises Liability,” Fry’s Food Stores and CNA Insurance Company, 1994
- “Utilizing, Limiting or Preventing Reconstruction Evidence: Views From the Expert and the Attorney,” DRI Young Lawyers Seminar, June 1997
- Villanova University, Law Review, 1986
- “Current Trends in Arizona Auto Law,” National Business Institute, September 2003
- “Litigation Basics for the Civil Defense Associate,” AADC Young Lawyers Division, November 2004
- “Case Study of a Trucking Accident,” Arizona Claims Association, November 2004
- “A Sophisticated Guide to Proving Damages for Arizona Paralegals,” National Business Institute, December 2004
- “Litigation Basics for the Civil Defense Associate,” AADC Young Lawyers Division, November 2005
- “The Economic Loss Rule and Its Application to Arizona Construction Defect Claims,” State Bar of Arizona Construction Law Section, September 2006
- “Motion Practice,” Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, November 2004 and 2005
- “Stigma Damages,” State Bar of Arizona Construction Law Section, November 2007
- “Building Your Civil Trial Skills,” National Business Institute, November 2008
- Comment, “The Merchant’s Exception to the Uniform Commercial Code’s Statute of Frauds,” 32 Vill. L. Rev. 133, 1987
- Casenote, Deese v. State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co., “Covered Events” (newsletter of the DRI Insurance Committee), Winter 1994
- “Mandatory Disclosure of Information: One State’s Experience” (co-author with W. Birmingham), For the Defense, July 1994
- “Fibromyalgia: Liability Claims Are on the Increase,” Jennings, Strouss & Salmon Tort & Insurance Newsletter, Spring 1995
- “Dealing With Soft Tissue Injuries,” For the Defense, May 1995
- “Automobile Accident Reconstruction: Understanding the Basics,” For the Defense, January 1997
- Defense Research Institute “50 State Compendium on Spoliation of Evidence,” Contributing Editor, Arizona Section
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1997
- Maricopa County Bar Association
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1987
- Arizona, 1989
- U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, 1989
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1993
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1997
- Certified Specialist in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death, Arizona Board of Legal Specialization
- Hamilton College, B.A., 1982
- Scribes Award for Outstanding Legal Writing, 1986, Villanova University
- Defense Research Institute, 1994 (annual award to the author of the most outstanding article published in DRI’s monthly publication, For the Defense), G. Duffield Smith Award
- Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent
- Super Lawyers, 2015 - Present, Super Lawyers
- Insurance Law, 2019 - Present, The Best Lawyers in America
- Commercial Litigation, 2018 - Present, The Best Lawyers in America
- Insurance Litigation, 2016 - Present, The Best Lawyers in America
- American Board of Trial Advocates, ABOTA
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2015 - 2024
Certificates and credentials
Injury and Wrongful Death Law
