Attorney Profile
Anthony Natale III
Areas of Practice
Contact Info
Overview
Tony devotes his practice to Pennsylvania workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, municipal law (Heart and Lung Act), and federal Longshore and Harbor workers' compensation. He focuses on high-exposure, complex litigation including repetitive trauma claims, occupational disease and hearing loss claims, as well as chemical sensitivity claims. He also actively represents the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association in regard to workers' compensation matters. In addition, Tony is the Chair of the Medicare Compliance Practice Group.
Tony has represented law firms, financial institutions, forging companies, steel mills, transportation companies, aeronautical/space manufacturers, universities and hospitals in various types of workers' compensation and unemployment compensation matters. He has handled multiple high-exposure workers' compensation chemical and toxic tort claims involving mass defendants, and he has had a high success rate in having clients dismissed from same.
Tony is the founder of Marshall Dennehey's in-house workers' compensation Continuing Legal Education program. He is also frequently called upon to speak to insurance companies and self-insured employers in the areas of workers' compensation and employment law.
Results
Successfully argued that viewing the September 11 terrorist events and suffering a psychological condition did not rise to the degree of a work injury under Pennsylvania law.
Refined the interpretation of workers' compensation case law as it relates to the staute of limitations regarding death claims from medication abuse.
Successfully defeated and/or resolved at base value more than 400 high-exposure hearing loss cases in western and eastern Pennsylvania.
Successfully defended 50 late answer high-exposure claim petitions in eastern and middle Pennsylvania in 2007.
Successfully handled multiple heart attack and psychological claims.
Successfully handled multiple toxic tort (asbestos, silica) cases.
Thought Leadership
Average Weekly Wage, panelist, Pennsylvania Bar Association Workers' Compensation Fall Section Meeting, September 12, Hershey, Pennsylvania
How to Deal With Difficult Litigants, Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Tough Problems in Workers' Compensation webinar, May 11, 2023
Workers' Compensation Case Law Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 27, 2022
Hot Topics in Workers' Comp and Litigation Trends, Philly I-Day, Philadelphia, PA, September 20, 2022
"Insurance Defense Attorneys Combat Workers' Compensation Fraud," AM Best Insurance Law Podcast, August 31, 2022
What People Do For Money: Identifying Claimant Fraud In Workers’ Compensation Cases, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud 360 Seminar, Lafayette Hill, PA, June, 2022
The Right Way to Avoid a Wrongful Termination Claim When the Employee Is Also a Workers’ Compensation Claimant, Marshall Dennehey webinar, March 3, 2022
Navigate the Medicare Maze: A Practical Guide to Understanding Medicare Set-Asides, Marshall Dennehey webinar, November 19, 2020
Decisions, Decisions: A Legal Update, Marshall Dennehey webinar, October 28, 2020
HR Webinar Series Part I: Workers' Compensation Basics, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, February 13, 2020
Workers' Compensation and Medicare Legal Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 24, 2019
Identifying Fraudulent Workers' Compensation Claims, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 24, 2019
The Interplay Between Traumatic Brain Injuries and Fraud in Workers' Compensation, Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Conference, Hershey, Pennsylvania, April 24, 2019
Influence of Pharmaceuticals and Changing Landscape in Workers' Comp Medical Costs, Philly I-Day, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 9, 2019
Workers' Compensation Case Law Update; and Workers' Compensation Fraud, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 25, 2018
Workers' Compensation Fraud: Don't Forget the Data, Marshall Dennehey Insurance Fraud 360, June 13, 2018
Workers' Compensation Fraud: Don't Ignore the Data! 2018 Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Conference, Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, April 13, 2018
Workers' Compensation Fraud: Don't Forget the Data, Philly I-Day, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 12, 2018
Biggest Mistakes Companies Make in Complying with Workers’ Compensation, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Annual Human Resources Conference, Hershey, Pennsylvania, November 28, 2017
Workers' Compensation Legal Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 19, 2017
If You See Something, Say Something – Detecting Workers' Compensation Fraud, Pennsylvania’s 2017 Insurance Fraud Conference, Hershey, Pennsylvania, April 6, 2017
Case Law Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminars, October 19 and 27, 2016
Pennsylvania's Workers’ Compensation Law: Best Practices for Complying with Benefits, Understanding the Flow of a Workers’ Compensation Claim, and Tips to Prevent WC Fraud, PA Chamber of Business and Industry Workers' Compensation Summit, September 30, 2016
Check the Rulebook: Workers' Compensation Legal Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 22, 2015
Unemployment Compensation Roundtable, Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, June 2015
Tough Problems in Workers' Compensation 2015, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 13, 2015
UC/WC 101 Benefits Roundtable, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, March 19, 2015
PEO's effect on Guaranty Fund: Insurance Company Perspective, Fund Perspective and Counsel Perspective, NCIGF 2014 Fall Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2014
Case Law and House Bill Update, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, October 30, 2014
Social Media and Workers’ Compensation, and Handling Unusual WC Situations, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Workers' Compensation Summit, Hershey, Pennsylvania, October 1, 2014
Workers' Compensation Medical Fraud and Abuse, CEU Institute, June 25, 2014
Busted! Identifying, Proving And Prosecuting Workers' Compensation Fraud, National Workers' Compensation Insurance ExecuSummit, Uncasville, Connecticut, February 4-5, 2014
Understanding the Most Common Mistakes Made in Workers' Compensation, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Annual Human Resources Conference, Hershey, Pennsylvania, December 3, 2013
Tri-State Workers' Compensation Legal Update, Roadmap to Success - Understanding Workers' Compensation, Marshall Dennehey seminar, October 24, 2013
FrankenFraud – The New Employee Monster, Marshall Dennehey Workers' Compensation Seminar, November 30, 2012
Workers' Compensation 101 Roundtable, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, June 8, 2012
Unemployment Claims Fraud: Protect Your Organization from Bogus Jobless Claims, Center for Competitive Management, April 19, 2012
Unemployment Compensation Roundtable, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Scranton, Pennsylvania, March 8, 2012; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, March 16, 2012
The Interplay Between the Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act and the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act, AmeriHealth Casualty webinar, August 25, 2011
Top Ten Defenses to a Fee Review Action, Chubb Seminar, April 2011; discussion about the problems associated with provider fraud in fee review applications and a 10-point analysis on how to properly defend these cases
Workers' Compensation Primer, Drexel Seminar, March 2011; an analysis on how to defend workers' compensation actions in a university setting
Pennsylvania Claims Handling (monthly seminars in PA, NJ and DE), 2002-present
Defending Pennsylvania Claims, Boston, 2008
Prosecuting Fraud Under New Guides, Texas, 2006
Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Law and Claims Handling, Michigan, 2001
Case Law Updates to various insurers on monthly basis, 1998-2000
Prosecuting Fraud, 1997
Pennsylvania Forms Seminar, 1997
Act 57 Amendments, 1996
How to Defend Hearing Loss Cases, 1994
ADA and Workers' Compensation Act, five Pennsylvania cities, 1992
"Beware of the Language Used in Your Settlement Agreements: Medicare is Watching," The Legal Intelligencer, Workers' Compensation Supplement, October 10, 2023
"Why do Claimants Lie? Because They Can and Swift Prosecution is the Only Way to Deter It," CLM Magazine, June 2023
"The State of Pay-For-Play: College Athletes as Employees and the Implications for Workers' Compensation," CLM Magazine, September 2021
"Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act and the Student-Athlete: The Ultimate Mismatch," Pennsylvania Lawyer, September/October 2019
"Suicide Squeeze: An Overview of Pa. Workers' Comp and the Pro Athlete," The Legal Intelligencer, Workers' Compensation Supplement, October 30, 2018
"If You See Something, Say Something - The Importance of Identifying and Reporting Workers' Compensation Fraud," CLM Magazine (page 10), August 2017
Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Guide, Eighth Edition, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, contributing author, 2016
"The Treating Physician: A Misnomer in Workers' Comp Litigation," Pennsylvania Law Weekly, August 25, 2015
Insurance Agency Risk Management: E & O Exposures By Line of Business, chapter on workers' compensation, 2014 edition
"Practical Ramifications of Supreme Court Determination Involving Latent Manifestation of Occupational Diseases Under the PA Workers' Compensation Act," CounterPoint, newsletter of the PA Defense Institute, April 2014.
"PEOs: A New Potential for Workers' Comp Fraud? A Close Look at Professional Employer Organizations," National Underwriter Property & Casualty, October 2013
"Fee Review Litigation: An Overview," Pennsylvania Self-Insurers' Association newsletter, May 2011
"Retirement Does Not Mean Retirement When You are Collecting Workers' Compensation Benefits," The Philadelphia Lawyer, Summer 2011
"Ding Dong Kachinski's Dead: Commonwealth Court Declines To Resuscitate," Defense Digest, Vol. 16, No. 3, September 2010
Articles in Defense Digest and the Pennsylvania Self-Insurer's Association's publications
"Insurers Mobilize to Identify Comp Fraud in Effort to Stem Rise in Suspicious Claims," Business Insurance, May 3, 2022
"Spotting the Red Flags of Workers' Comp Fraud," Business Insurance, April 18, 2018