Chris is a member of the firm's Professional Liability Department, and he devotes a significant portion of his practice to the representation and defense of school districts, intermediate units, career and technology centers and other academic institutions in all manner of employment, civil rights and special education litigation. As a member of the Professional Liability Defense Federation, Chris currently serves as Vice Chair of the Municipal, School Leaders and Miscellaneous Liability Committee.
Chris is Co-Chair of the firm’s Special Education Law Practice Group, and his special education practice focuses on counseling clients and defending due process litigation involving a wide range of issues including claims of child find violations, denial of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), manifestation determinations and student discipline, appropriate educational programming and placement, and parents seeking private school placement at public expense. Chris has presented on a number of special education topics for school districts as well as for PBI’s Exceptional Children Conference, Lehigh University’s Special Education Law Conference and the National Business Institute.
Chris also represents public and private employers and their directors, officers, management and employees, in a variety of employment practices litigation under federal and state law, including defending claims of harassment, discrimination and retaliation, as well as whistleblower claims.
Additionally, Chris represents and defends licensed and certified professionals, including real estate agents and brokers, real estate appraisers, insurance agents and brokers, home inspectors, architects, engineers, surveyors, attorneys and accountants in E&O and related matters throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Chris is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. During law school, Chris clerked for the Hon. Robert J. Woodside in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Chris also served as judicial law clerk for the Hon. Ronald B. Graves in the Civil Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Chris is a certified mediator, and he works as a pro bono mediator for the Middle District of Pennsylvania mediation program and the Cumberland County Bar Association Fee Dispute Committee. For many years, Chris served as an adjunct instructor at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law for its Problem Solving I/ Law Practice I - Critical Skills course, and he assisted Dickinson’s National Mock Trial Team as both a judge and sparring attorney. Chris also devotes a portion of his time as a volunteer for the Wills for Heroes Program. Additionally, Chris is a Member of the Knights of Columbus Council 13100 and Saint Martin’s Assembly 2708.
Honors & awards
AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
Susquehanna Valley Select Lawyers
2014
Year joined
2006
Results
Summary Judgment Obtained for a Homeowners’ Association
Non-Profit D&O
June 19, 2025
We secured summary judgment for a homeowners’ association. The plaintiff owned an apartment in a planned community and sought to drill a hole through the exterior wall of the building to vent an HVAC unit. The HOA denied his request, and the plaintiff asserted claims of negligence and breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealings, alleging that the HOA treated him unfairly by denying his request.
Secured Dismissal of a Suit Against a Dauphin County School District
School Leaders' Liability
September 4, 2024
We achieved dismissal of a suit against a school district by way of preliminary objections. The Dauphin County case involved allegations that the district deprived the plaintiffs of certain educational rights, premised on procedural due process violations, negligence and subornation of perjury. Preliminary objections were filed to the plaintiffs’ original complaint on both procedural and substantive grounds. Following the filing of an amended complaint and additional preliminary objections on similar grounds, argument was held.
Successfully Defended a School District in a Special Education Case
School Leaders' Liability
March 12, 2024
We defended a school district in a special education matter involving a high school student identified with a specific learning disability and ADHD. The student sought out a peer during the school day, went into the peer’s classroom and physically attacked her, punching and kicking her several times. After the incident, the student’s Individualized Education Program team determined the conduct was not a manifestation of the student’s disabilities. The student and her parent disagreed with this determination and requested an expedited due process hearing.
Motion to Dismiss Granted in Hazing Lawsuit Filed Against a Pennsylvania School District
School Leaders' Liability
October 3, 2023
We prevailed on a motion to dismiss a hazing lawsuit filed against a school district. The plaintiff, who was a member of his high school football team, alleged he was subject to hazing and physical abuse by several other members of the team while attending a dinner at the home of one of his teammates. The plaintiff claimed that the school district had been aware of the hazing, but failed to prevent it. He asserted claims against the school under Title IX for emotional distress damages and punitive damages.
Summary Judgment Secured in Fourth Amendment Civil Rights Case
School Leaders' Liability
September 14, 2023
We secured summary judgment in a Fourth Amendment civil rights claim involving an unlawful search and seizure. The plaintiff, a former social worker employed by a school district, alleged that the assistant superintendent and Right to Know Law officer conducted an illegal search of her work space, who then produced these records to the plaintiff’s estranged husband, with whom she was in the midst of a contentious divorce.
Thought Leadership
Legal Update for Special Education Law - Case Law Update
Harrisburg
School Leaders' Liability
January 1, 2026
Court Upholds Hearing Officer’s Decision and Grants Full Attorneys’ Fees After School Misses IDEA Appeal Deadline A.L.L., A.L. v. Laboratory Charter School, 2025 WL 3269941 (E.D. Pa. Nov. 24, 2025)
Legal Update for Special Education Law - Updates from the U.S. Department of Education
Harrisburg
School Leaders' Liability
December 1, 2025
The Dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education Continues
Legal Update for Special Education Law - Case Law Update
Harrisburg
School Leaders' Liability
October 1, 2025
Federal Court Remands IDEA Case for Reconsideration of Compensatory EducationMobley v. Laboratory Charter School, 2025 WL 2621303 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 11, 2025) Legal Update for Special Education Law - October 2025 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey to provide information on recent legal developments of interest
Legal Update for Special Education Law - Updates from the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Harrisburg
School Leaders' Liability
May 1, 2025
A New Initiative to Support Transition from Early Intervention to Kindergarten Legal Update for Special Education Law - May 2025 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers.
Federal ‘Stop Campus Hazing Act’ Signed into Law
Harrisburg
School Leaders' Liability
January 2, 2025
The federal bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, an amendment to the Jeanne Clery Act, was signed into law by President Joe Biden on December 24, 2024. Legal Update for School Leader’s Liability - January 2, 2025, is prepared by Marshall Dennehey to provide information on recent legal developments of
Classes/Seminars Taught
Left Behind? Today’s U.S. Department of Education and the Potential Impact on Special Education and Disability Services, PBI’s Exceptional Children Conference. October 24, 2025
Hot Topics in Employment Law, PBA Law Firm Administrators Conference, April 30, 2025
From Complaint to Appeal And Beyond: Litigating a Special Education Due Process Case, PBI Exceptional Children Conference, October 18, 2024.
UNcivil Discourse: The 1st Amendment and Regulating Speech at Public School Board Meetings, Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF) 2024 Annual Meeting, September 26, 2024
Extended School Year - It's Not Summer School, PBI Exceptional Children Conference, October 13, 2023
Special Education Litigation: Best Practices for Avoiding Liability, and Strategies for a Successful Defense, Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting, September 2022
Why Schools Need to Be Thinking About Title IX: Effectively Navigating the Evolving Legal Issues Surrounding Gender Identity, Professional Liability Defense Federation Annual Meeting, October 2021
Federal Law and the Art of Email Maintenance: When Must Emails Be Produced Under IDEA and FERPA, PBI Exceptional Children Conference, October 2019
Navigating the Bermuda Triangle: The Intersection of Workers' Compensation, the FMLA and the ADA, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, March 2019
The Risks of Failing to Report School Leaders Liability Claims, Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, October 2017
The Thin Blue Line in School, Lehigh University Special Education Law Conference, May 2017
Dyslexia: Much More Than What We Thought, Lehigh University Special Education Law Conference, May 2016
Advanced Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Support Plans, PBI Exceptional Children Conference, October 2015
Successfully Handling Disciplinary Actions for Special Needs Students, National Business Institute, December 2014
Best Practices for Technology and Social Media in the Workplace, Estate Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania, Inc., February 2014
Insurance Agents and Brokers Best Claims Practices in Claims Administration and Underwriting, Liberty Mutual Insurance, December 2013
Avoiding Liability in Special Education, Central Dauphin School District, August 2013
PBA Malpractice Avoidance Program, Perry County Bar Association, April 2013
Avoiding Legal Malpractice, PBA Malpractice Avoidance Program, Adams County Bar Association, April 2012
Avoiding Liability as Sellers' Agents in Residential Real Estate Transactions, Particularly with Regard to the Disclosure of Material Defects in the Property, Educational Development School of Real Estate, March 2012
Malpractice Avoidance Program, PBA Malpractice Avoidance Program, Mifflin and Juniata County Bar Associations, October 2011
PBA Malpractice Avoidance Program , Dauphin County Bar Association, August 2011
Avoiding Liability in Special Education, Pottsville Area School District, August 2011
Avoiding Liability in Special Education, Palmyra Area School District, August 2010
