Joseph L. Luciana, III
Top rated Insurance Coverage attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Dingess, Foster, Luciana, Davidson & Chleboski, LLP
Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage, Construction Litigation, Environmental; view more
Licensed in Pennsylvania since: 1987
Education: Duquesne University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2004, 2009 - 2023 Call today:
412-926-1812
Dingess, Foster, Luciana, Davidson & Chleboski, LLP
20 Stanwix StreetThird Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Visit website
Details
Joseph L. Luciana III is a founding partner of DFL Legal, a law firm with offices in the city of Pittsburgh but specializing in the practice of construction and engineering law both in the United States and abroad. Mr. Luciana's own practice is concentrated in the areas of litigation and counseling with emphasis on construction, construction insurance coverage and real estate. His practice also includes experience in environmental litigation, toxic tort litigation and environmental insurance coverage actions.
Mr. Luciana's construction related litigation experience has included the representation of clients in state and federal lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, lien proceedings, insurance coverage actions, administrative proceedings, mediations, private party and government "CERCLA" actions and other matters as well. Mr. Luciana also assists clients by drafting, negotiating and reviewing construction contracts, negotiating with subcontractors and material suppliers for construction project closeout, filing of mechanic's liens claims in Pennsylvania and other states, and civil litigation arising out of environmental construction work in connection with underground storage tanks. He regularly serves as an arbitrator in AAA arbitrations and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the American Bar Association in the construction litigation committee.
Practice areas
Insurance Coverage, Construction Litigation: Business, EnvironmentalFocus areas
Bad Faith Insurance, Construction Defects, Environmental Law, Insurance
- 50% Insurance Coverage
- 40% Construction Litigation: Business
- 10% Environmental
First Admitted: 1987, Pennsylvania
Professional Webpage: https://www.dfllegal.com/joseph-l-luciana-iii.html
Honors/Awards:
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2010 - 2015
- Selection as Distinguished Alumni by Riverview School District (www.rsd.k12.pa.us), 2010
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Borough of Oakmont, Zoning Hearing Board, 2010-Present
- Board Member, Riverview Athletic Association, 2003 - 2005
- President, Board of Directors, North Side Christian Health Center, 2000 - 2009
- Vice-President, Riverview Athletic Association, 2005 - 2006
- Board of Directors, North Side Christian Health Center, 1996- 2003
- President, Board of Directors, Riverview Athletic Association, 2006 - 2008
- President, North Side Christian Health Center, 2003-2009
- Board Member, Christian Legal Aid of Pittsburgh, 2014
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- "Settling Complex Claims While Avoiding Bad Faith Liability, California Coverage Dreaming on a Winter’s Day," 17th Annual TIPS Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Midyear Program, Los Angeles, CA, February 26-28, 2009
- "Insurance Coverage for Loss and Claims on Construction Projects," International Construction SuperConference, London, England, May 19, 2005
- "Owner Strategies for Dealing with the Financially Troubled Contractor", Construction SuperConference, San Francisco, California, 2004
- "Pennsylvania Bond and Lien Law," presented at Continuing Legal Education programs in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, PA in 1999 and 2000
- Speaker, The Construction Contracts Program: Understanding and Negotiating the Critical Clauses in the Industry Form Documents, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, 2011
- Before You Place Coverage, Understand the Provisions of the Proposed Policy, Engineering News - Record, 2015
- Insurance Coverage Litigation, LawReviewCle, March 6, 2012, Speaker, 2012
- "Trial Courts Split on CGL Coverage for Property Damage Arising from the Defective Work of a Subcontractor," Construction Law and Business, July/August 2001
- "First Decision of its Kind Regarding Suspension of Government Contractors," The Procurement Lawyer, Fall 2000
- "The California Supreme Court Rejects Tort Liability of a Performance Bond Surety, Construction Law and Business, Spring 2000
- "Insurance Coverage for Defective Workmanship Claims," Construction Law and Business, Winter 2000
- "Two Important Topics in Construction Cases: Dealing With Experts and the Best Practices in Electronic Document Review and Production," Construction Law Section, Allegheny County Bar Association, Pittsburgh, PA, April 29, 2009
Bar/Professional Activity:
- President, Allegheny County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, 2008 - 2009
- Treasurer, Allegheny County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, 2005 - 2006
- Board of Directors, Applied Training Resources
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Co-Chair of the Construction Subcommittee of the ABA Section of Litigation Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee ("ICLC"), 2013
- United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- Allegheny County Bar Association
- Secretary, Allegheny County Bar Association, 2006 - 2007
- Construction Litigation Committee, American Bar Association
- United States Supreme Court
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Pro hac vic admission to state and federal courts throughout the United States, including New York, California, Lousiana, West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey
- Vice-President, Allegheny County Bar Association, Construction Law Section, 2007 - 2008
- Panel Member, Construction Dispute Resolution Group, ACBA Services, Inc.
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Construction Industry Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- Untied States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Educational Background:
- Carnegie-Mellon University, M.S. in Chemical Engineering, 1979
- University of Pittsburgh, B.S. in Chemistry, 1976
Representative Clients:
- Leon Sloan, Sr. and Jimmie Lee Furby v. Department of Housing & Urban Development, et al.; 231 F.3d 10, D.C. Cir., 2000
- Jamaica Broilers Group Limited, et al. v. Equitable Resources, Inc., et al., Case No. 03-1550, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- John J. Gulisek Construction Company v. Douglass Pile Company, Inc., et al., Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County
- Aker Kvaerner/IHI v. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Louisiana, Civil Action No. 2:10-CV-1041, United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
- Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A., v. Black & Watch Corporation, 362 F.3d 1108, 8th Cir., 2004
- Cheryl Harris v. Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc., No. 09-2325. In the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Blaine Construction Corporation v. IPSCO Construction, Inc., et al., Case No. 01440, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- Bootay v. KBR, Inc., Civil No. 2:09-cv-01241, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation v. J.L. Allen Co., et al., Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Pennsylvania
- Thomas L. Smith and Dolores Smith v. Pauline Weaver; 445 Pa.Super. 461, 665 A.2d 1215, 1995
- Kvaerner U.S. Inc. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., et al., Case No. 01-0780, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- Harris v. Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc., Civil No. 2:08-cv-00563, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Verdicts/Settlements:
- Lead counsel for an owner in an Ocean Marine Cargo insurance coverage dispute - Assicurazioni Generali S.P.A., et al v. Black & Veatch Corp., et al., 362 F.3d 1108 (8th Cir. 2004). Client recovered entire $6 million claim in Ocean Marine Cargo Insurance dispute arising from property damage to heat recovery steam generators on a power plant project in Missouri., 2004
- Lead counsel for Plaintiff in Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation v. J.L. Allen Co., et al., in the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. In this case, Mr. Luciana represented the owner of a natural gas pipeline compressor facility that suffered extensive damage due to a high voltage electrical fire following a construction project. In the lawsuit, the owner asserted claims against the general contractor and electrical subcontractor for alleged improper termination of a high voltage connection that subsequently failed and caused a fire. The general contractor and subcontractor denied the claim on the grounds that they were not responsible for the work, the work in question was not the cause of the fire and the owner had allegedly caused or contributed to the cause of the fire. Following a jury trial, the court entered a judgment in the amount of $1,039,588.96 in favor of the owner and against the electrical subcontractor for negligence (100%) and the general contractor for breach of contract. The trial court's judgment was affirmed on appeal and the defendants paid the entire amount of the owner's claim plus post-judgment interest
- Lead counsel for a project manager in two related construction insurance coverage cases in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania - Kvaerner U.S. Inc. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., et al., Case No. 01-0780 and Blaine Construction Corporation v. IPSCO Construction, Inc., et al., Case No. 01440. In these cases, the project manager was seeking insurance coverage under a professional liability policy for professional claims asserted against it arising from the construction of a new steel mill in Alabama. As a result of these lawsuits, the project manager achieved a policy limit settlement from the professional insurer that paid costs of both defense and indemnity in the total amount of $20 million
Industry Groups:
- Construction
- Engineering
- Oil & Gas
Office location for Joseph L. Luciana, III
20 Stanwix Street
Third Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: 412-926-1812
Selections
16 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2004, 2009 - 2023
