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Henry M. Sneath - Pittsburgh, PA
Three Gateway Center401 Liberty Ave.22nd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222 - 1005
Houston Harbaugh, P.C.
Pittsburgh Litigation Lawyer
Overview
Business Litigation. Pittsburgh Strong.® DTSALaw®; Complex Case Mediation and ADR; Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Co-Chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Litigation Practice, and Chair of its Intellectual Property Practice, Henry Sneath is a corporate and commercial trial attorney, mediator, arbitrator and Federal Court Approved Mediation Neutral and Special Master with extensive federal and state court trial experience in cases involving commercial and business to business disputes, artificial intelligence (AI) issues, breach of contract litigation, intellectual property matters, patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, DTSA claims, cyber security and data breach prevention, mitigation and litigation, probate trusts and estates litigation, construction claims, eminent domain, professional negligence lawsuits, pharmaceutical, products liability and catastrophic injury litigation, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith claims. He is currently serving as both lead trial counsel and local co-trial counsel in complex business and breach of contract litigation, patent infringement, trademark infringement and Lanham Act claims, products liability and catastrophic injury matters, and in matters related to cybersecurity, probate trusts and estates, employment, trade secrets, federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) and restrictive covenant claims. He is well versed in issues related to artificial intelligence and large language models and their training as it relates to copyright issues and he understands and deals with emerging technology issues, including artificial intelligence (AI) implementation and related intellectual property concerns. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Lawyer. DTSALaw® PSMNLaw®
Henry has been recognized and listed in Best Lawyers in America in 6 categories: Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Personal Injury – Defense, and Legal Malpractice Plaintiff and Defense Litigation. He has been voted by his peers as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in Business Litigation and Intellectual Property. He was a fellow of the prestigious Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania for many years and has spoken at, chaired, facilitated and authored numerous seminars, CLE presentation, law firm retreats and public speaking events on a national basis. He is an accomplished national and regional public speaker and author and was awarded the Defense Lawyer of the Year Award by the Pennsylvania Defense Institute (PDI). He served as President of the 22,000 member international lawyer organization DRI (Defense Research Institute) in 2011-2012 and is a member of the IADC and ADTA organizations. He was Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section and has held numerous other leadership roles in various organizations and on Boards of Directors.
He is currently representing clients in trademark and copyright matters and in patent infringement litigation matters pursuant to the Pittsburgh Federal Local Patent Rules promulgated by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and in other jurisdictions. These rules are designed to make the Pennsylvania Western District a forum of choice for patent infringement and invalidation actions. He has worked as co-counsel with some of the world’s largest law firms on high exposure and bet-the-company cases, and is also prepared to assist out-of-state law firms and their clients as local counsel given the intricacies of these Local Patent Rules which provide a procedural mechanism for accelerated case disposition, and numerous changes to the processes of Federal Rule 26 disclosure, claim construction, use of experts and infringement and invalidation contention disclosure.
He has tried over 95 cases to jury and non-jury verdict in Federal and State Court jurisdictions and has helped clients resolve disputes through a variety of Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures. He is serving now as a Federal Court Special Master and mediator in large patent infringement litigation and has received certification in complex case and public policy mediation and facilitation from the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation (PON) taught by some of the country’s leading academicians on ADR at Harvard, MIT and Tufts University. He is also certified by the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (USDC WDPA) for their approved ADR panel of neutrals to handle mediations, Arbitrations, Early Neutral Evaluations (ENE) and Special Master appointments in business litigation, intellectual property including patent matters, insurance, employment, trade secrets and catastrophic injury cases. See court ADR link here. Henry also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University School of Law teaching 2 courses: Trade Secret Law and the Law of Trademarks and Unfair Competition. He has devoted Pro Bono time to the representation of battered women in Protection from Abuse hearings and trials and is active in his Church and community. He can be found on Twitter @HenryMSneath and on LinkedIn. He also hosts, edits and writes an Intellectual Property and Technology Blog and Podcasts for Houston Harbaugh at www.pitiptechblog.com. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Lawyer.
Business Litigation. Pittsburgh Strong.® DTSALaw®, PSMN®, PSMNLaw® are federally registered trademarks of Houston Harbaugh, P.C.
About Henry M. Sneath
Practice Areas
- Litigation
- Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Law
- Intellectual Property and Trade Secret DTSA Law
- Employment Law
- Mediator, Arbitrator, Special Master
Current Employment Position(s)
- Attorney/Shareholder/Director
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
Specialties and Certifications
- Certified Mediator, Arbitrator, Special Master, Good Shepard Mediation in Conjunction with Philadelphia Bar Assciation, 2020
Other Affiliations
- American Bar Association (Intellectual Property, Business Law, and Tort/Insurance Practice Sections) (Member)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section) (Member)
- Pennsylvania Bar Association (Past Chair, Intellectual Property Section)
- Allegheny County Bar Association (Civil Litigation, Construction Law, and Federal Court Sections) (Member)
- Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association (Member)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (Member)
- Defense Research Institute (Past President and National Member Board of Directors)
- Defense Research Institute (Member Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property Committees)
- International Association of Defense Counsel (Member Business Litigation Committee)
- The Federalist Society, Pittsburgh Lawyers Division (Member)
- Lawyers for Civil Justice (Member)
- Federal Bar Association (Member)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) (Member)
- International Trademark Association (INTA) (Member)
Education
- Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
J.D. - Hamilton College
B.A.
Pro Bono Activities
- Protection From Abuse Hearings and Trials for Battered Women
Classes and Seminars
- Transforming Your Practice: Leaping Canyons One Step at a Time, IADC, DRI and Various Organizations, 2010 - Present
- Keeping Secrets Secret: Analysis of the Defend Trade Secret Act (DTSA), Patent Inns of Court Pittsburgh, November 19, 2018 - Present
- Leadership Principles and Strategies, DRI, January 10, 2018 - Present
- Tough Witnesses; Cross Examination; Deposition and Trial Tactics, DRI Annual Products Liability Seminar, - 2018
- The New Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, Association of Corporate Counsels (ACC), 2018 - Present
- Trade Secrets: The Old, But New Hot IP Protection, Corporate Counsel Roundtable, 2017 - Present
- Equitable Enforcement of Corporate Rights, USLAW, September 24, 2016 - Present
- IADC National Trial Academy at the Stanford University School of Law, International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), July 1, 2015 - Present
- Joint FDCC/IADC Law Firm Management Conference in Chicago, IADC/FDCC, May 13, 2015 - Present
- Cyber-Security and Data Breach, Corporate, May 12, 2015 - Present
- The Potential Consequences of Data Breach on Compromise or Infringement of Intellectual Property Including Trade Secrets, USLAW, February 27, 2015 - Present
- Doing Business in the Digital Age: The Present and Future of Non-Compete and Non-Disclosure Agreements, USLAW, 2014 - Present
- Business Litigation in Federal Court, Academy of Trial Lawyers – Allegheny County, December 12, 2013 - Present
- Tough Witnesses, Cross Examination, Deposition and Trial Tactics, Canadian Defense Lawyers (CDL), June 6, 2013 - Present
- Business Valuation Damages, DRI, May 17, 2012 - Present
- Litigation Trends, Concerns of Corporate Counsels and E-Discovery, IADC Pittsburgh Regional Meeting, November 3, 2010 - Present
- Patent Litigation Claims and Defenses, Primerus, April 16, 2010 - Present
- Developing Thought Leadership, DRI Leadership Conference, 2010 - Present
- Dispositive Motions in Federal Courts, Academy of Trial Lawyers – Allegheny County, December 16, 2008 - Present
- Judges Night: Perspective from the Bench on Patent Litigation in Western District of Pa., Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association (PIPLA), April 16, 2008 - Present
- DRI and Public Policy, DRI Leadership Conference, 2008 - Present
- Chair – DRI 2007 Annual Meeting and Convention in Washington DC, DRI Annual Meeting and Convention, 2007 - Present
- Technology in the Courtroom, Pennsylvania Bar Institute and Primerus Organization, 2006 - Present
- Chip Bullies and Short Stackers: Unfair Competition in IP Claims: The New Bad Faith?, DRI Intellectual Property Section, 2006 - Present
- Expert Witness Strategy for Trial, DRI Young Lawyers Section, 2006 - Present
- Message in a Bottle: Copyright Infringement – Strange Case and Notable Verdicts, DRI Intellectual Property Section, 2004 - Present
- Liability Insurance: How Insurance is Written and What You Need to Know About Liability Policies, Various Organizations, 2003 - Present
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About Henry M. Sneath
Included on the 2025 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2024 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2009 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2008 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2007 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2006 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
- 2005 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law, Personal Injury Defense
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Business and Intellectual Property Litigation 2005 - 2019
- Top 50 Pittsburgh Super Lawyers 2014, 2015
- AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating System
- Fellow, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County
- 10/10 "Superb" Rating by AVVO
- Most Outstanding Committee Chair Award by Defense Research Institute
- Pennsylvania Defense Lawyer of the Year Award, 2012
- Most Outstanding Public Speaker, Clark Prize
Office Information
Address
Three Gateway Center401 Liberty Ave.22nd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222 - 1005
Phone
Fax
- 412-281-4499
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Office Hours
M - F, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Websites
- http://www.pitiptechblog.com (Pit IP Tech Blog)
Publication
Articles
- DRI national publication “The Business Suit”, Regional Editor
- Pennsylvania Bar Association’s (PBA) Civil Litigation Section, Editor
Representative Cases
- MHF Logistical Solutions, Inc. v. ICE Services Group, Inc. Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented Defendant against claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, intentional interference with business relations, breach of contract and equitable injunctive relief. After brief litigation, assisted the parties in reaching an amicable business settlement with no payment of money by client to plaintiff.
- Modular International, Inc. v. RSA Lighting LLC and Cooper Lighting, Inc. – Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented Plaintiff in bringing patent infringement claims against defendants. After substantial litigation, but prior to claim construction, the parties reached an amicable settlement including a royalty payment to client by defendant.
- Haynes International, Inc. v. Special Metals Corporation Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented Defendant against claims of trademark infringement and other Lanham Act claims. Prior to trial, the parties reached an amicable settlement the terms of which are confidential.
- Voice Signal Technologies v. Nuance Communications, Inc. Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented Plaintiff in bringing claims of patent infringement. The lawsuit was settled when the defendant corporation acquired the plaintiff corporation and effectuated a business settlement of the litigation.
- German Manufacturer v. American Seller of Commercial Light Fixtures (names protected) Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Defended American seller of sophisticated commercial light fixtures against claims of copyright, trademark and trade dress infringement. Defense was based on lack of confusion in the relevant marketplace and on theory that Plaintiff’s copyrights were invalid. A non-monetary business settlement was reached quickly after these defenses were raised and pled.
- Tivi BV . v. U.S. Tech. and Sportstech – Federal District Court (Seattle, Wa.) and Hong Kong – Represented plaintiff, a Dutch Corporation, which owned the exclusive rights and license to the
- Louis Coccoli, et al. v. Allegheny County Airport Authority – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Defended three lawsuits filed against large municipal authority, which lawsuits challenged the legality and formation of the defendant Authority and sought emergency and permanent injunctive relief. After filing motions to dismiss and supportive briefs, all claims against our client were withdrawn/dismissed.
- Ray v. Armstrong Developers, et al. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff brought premises liability claims for alleged brain injury she sustained when she collided with large glass wall on commercial premises. Obtained jury verdict on behalf of defendant.
- American States Insurance, et al. v. Pennsylvania Insurance Guaranty Association, et al. – Armstrong County (Kittanning, Pa.) Obtained summary judgment on behalf of defendant Association in this declaratory judgment action wherein plaintiff excess insurance company claimed that defendants breached their duty to defend an underlying insured, and failed to make indemnity payments to that insured. Claims were brought in breach of contract and bad faith. The decision was upheld on appeal.
- Norma Vaglio-Lauren v. Pioneer Hose Co. No. 1 of Brackenridge Borough – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Obtained summary judgment in two wrongful death and survival actions which brought dram shop and other tort claims against volunteer fire company which owned and operated a social club serving alcohol. Successfully applied Pennsylvania law granting immunity to volunteer fire companies and obtained summary judgment on behalf of all defendants.
- Blake v. George P. Bohach, Esquire, and Law Offices of Delamater, Haag & Bohach – Hancock County (Wheeling) Defended claims of professional (legal) malpractice brought by plaintiff pursuant to an alleged failure of defendants to file a lawsuit prior to the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations. Obtained a relatively modest settlement in a near-certain liability action in the panhandle area, which is known for large jury verdicts.
- Industrial Risk Insurers as Subrogee for Neville Chemical Co. v. Minnotte Contracting Corp. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented plaintiff in subrogation action following the explosion of a large industrial facility and their payment on the property damage claims. Obtained substantial settlement on behalf of plaintiff insurer prior to trial.
- Smith v. ABC Accounting Firm – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) – (actual names protected by confidentiality agreement) Defended professional negligence and breach of contract claims brought against regional accounting firm. Obtained complete withdrawal/dismissal of all claims just prior to trial.
- Rodgers v. Jones, M.D. Crawford County (Meadville, Pa.) (actual names protected) Defended medical negligence and lack of informed consent claims against plastic surgeon at trial and obtained defense verdict on behalf of client after jury trial.
- Wolf v. Bankers Life and Casualty Co. Delaware County (Media Pa.) Defended Bankers Life against claims of breach of contract, insurance bad faith and unfair trade practices. Following a bench trial, the judge awarded plaintiff $1.4 million. During the course of our appeal from the adverse verdict and award, the matter was settled on terms far more favorable than the verdict to my client.
- Beck v. Lomas Mortgage USA, et al. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff brought breach of contract and bad faith claims pursuant to a mortgage life insurance policy sold to plaintiff’s decedent. Obtained summary judgment on behalf of all defendants.
- National Fidelity Life Insurance Co. v. Equibank, Merrill Lynch, Manhattan Life Insurance and Max Gomberg – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Represented plaintiff life insurance company in complex commercial litigation prosecuting claims for fraud, embezzlement, breach of contract and banking related claims involving fraudulent endorsement issues. Obtained large settlement on behalf of plaintiff against the defendants.
- Galloway v. Beckwith Machinery and Caterpillar, Inc. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Successfully defended Beckwith Machinery against products liability claims brought by plaintiff. Plaintiff claimed serious brain injury resulting from an alleged design and manufacturing defect in a forklift truck, which had been modified and sold by defendant Beckwith. Plaintiff demanded $7,000,000 for settlement. Jury returned a defense verdict.
- allo v. General Motors Corp. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff claimed unwanted, sudden acceleration of the subject vehicle causing personal injury and property damage. Successfully defended case on behalf of client and obtained defense verdict after jury trial.
- Bayani v. Connors Footwear, Inc. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff claimed serious orthopaedic injury (trimalleolar fracture of ankle) due to defectively designed clog shoe which allegedly collapsed. Obtained defense verdict on behalf of client manufacturer after jury trial.
- Kaczor v. Icon Health and Fitness, Inc. Federal District Court (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Successfully defended manufacturer of exercise treadmill against claims that an electrical malfunction caused a fire and extensive property damage. Defense verdict obtained on behalf of client at jury trial after prevailing on Daubert motion to strike one of plaintiff’s liability experts.
- Laughery v. Komline-Sanderson Engineering Corp. and Perry Machinery Corp. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff claimed serious bodily injury when his arm was crushed in a large industrial water filtration device. Plaintiff brought strict products liability and negligence claims involving an alleged failure to properly guard the subject machine. Case settled prior to jury selection.
- White v. Manufacturer, Inc. and Equipment, Inc. (actual names protected) – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff, an airplane pilot, claimed total disability from injuries sustained in an alleged collapse of a home exercise weight-lifting unit. Favorable settlement obtained after successful discovery on damage and medical causation issues.
- Pfab v. Fruehauf Trailers, Inc. and Monsanto, Inc. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff claimed injury from an alleged product defect in the crank gears used to raise and lower the trailer when disengaged from the tractor.
- Scherer v. Bitting Recreation, Inc. and Gametime, Inc. – Washington County (Washington, Pa.) Minor plaintiff brought personal injury claims of product liability against manufacturer of swing set chains and S-hooks. Obtained defense verdict on behalf of designer and manufacturer after jury trial.
- Webb v. Suzuki Motor Corporation – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff claimed massive injuries as a result of alleged vehicle rollover. Case settled prior to jury selection.
- Smith v. DeMaco Machine Corporation and Maldari & Sons, Inc. – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Successfully defended product liability claims against the defendants wherein plaintiff alleged amputation of part of his foot pursuant to an alleged defect in pasta making equipment. Obtained a
- Beronilla v. Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation USA – Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Plaintiff brought strict product liability claims of design and manufacturing defect and claims of negligence seeking damages for personal injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash. Obtained summary judgment on behalf of defendant Kawasaki after filing of motion prior to trial.
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