Phinorice J. Boldin

A seasoned litigator with more than 25 years experience, Phinorice represents individual property owners, businesses owners, and city and state agencies in civil litigation matters.

More specifically, Phinorice handles a variety of insurance coverage, premises liability, products liability, contract, civil rights and employment disputes on behalf of residential and commercial property owners as well as small and large corporations. As counsel to the Philadelphia Board of Education, she advises the organization on education related matters, including student expulsions.

Phinorice also represents the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security (PLFCS) in civil litigation matters including actions for reimbursement of monies paid by the PLFCS to claimants defrauded by their attorneys.

Phinorice has published several papers and articles on legal issues related to insurance coverage.

• Defended the operator of a snow and ice removal contracting company in a personal injury case in the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County. The plaintiff slipped and fell on commercial property serviced by the contractor, following a snow and ice storm. The plaintiff, who suffered serious debilitating neck and back injuries as a result of the incident, accused the contractor of failing to perform his job properly. After a jury trial, the defense secured a verdict in favor of the contractor, saving the client several hundred thousand dollars in damages.
• Defended the owners of an apartment building in a personal injury case in a Pennsylvania Federal Court. The plaintiff slipped and fell while ascending the staircase leading out of the client’s building. The plaintiff, who sustained injuries to his back and legs, sought several hundred thousand dollars in damages. Although the plaintiff established that the steps leading out of the building were not up to code, the defense established that the plaintiff contributed, significantly, to cause his own injuries. Consequently, after a jury trial, the defense secured a verdict in favor of the landowners.
• Represented a local oil company in a race discrimination claim, filed in a Pennsylvania Federal Court, by an employee, following a work-related infraction. Citing lighter penalties imposed on non-minority employees who committed similar infractions, the plaintiff, an African American male, claimed that he was terminated from his job because of his race. The defense proved, however, that the plaintiff’s history of work related infractions was more extensive than any of the other employees who had committed similar offenses and that the plaintiff was terminated because of his inability to perform his job properly, not due to his race. After a bench trial, the court ruled in favor of the oil company.
• Represented a local merchant in a personal injury claim arising out of an automobile accident. The plaintiff, who had a host of pre-existing medical problems, claimed that the merchant’s employee had ignored traffic signals and broadsided her vehicle, thus aggravating her pre-existing injuries. The plaintiff claimed in excess of $1 million in damages for her debilitating physical condition allegedly caused by the accident. Through the discovery process, the defense established that the plaintiff contributed to cause the accident and that most of the problems for which she sought recovery were unrelated to the incident. As a result, the defense settled the case for an amount significantly lower than the plaintiff’s initial demand.