Practice Areas
• Litigation
• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Professional Licensing

Professional Profile
Danielle has been defending complex medical malpractice and personal injury claims in arbitration, trial and appellate procedure for more than 15 years.  She has represented physicians, nurses, acute care hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia in cases involving a wide variety of medical issues and factual scenarios.  Danielle also represents physicians and nurses in disciplinary and licensing matters before the Board of Physicians and Board of Nursing.

Education
Widener University School of Law (J.D. 1995, cum laude)
York College of Pennsylvania (B.A. Business 1992)

Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania 1995 (inactive)
Maryland 2003
District of Columbia 2004
United States District Court for the District of Columbia 2005
United States District Court for the District of Maryland 2004
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 2005

Representative Matters

• Obtained summary judgment for a Maryland hospital and emergency room physician in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland on a Frye/Daubert motion challenging the efficacy of Heparin, Aspirin and low molecular Heparin in preventing stroke in a two day period of time.  Plaintiff alleged he was misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis when he presented to the emergency department with symptoms allegedly consistent with a transient ischemic attack.  He further alleged the medical providers should have treated him with Heparin and/or Aspirin and that this would have prevented the large stroke he suffered two days later.  The relevant medical literature failed to demonstrate that Heparin and Aspirin is successful in preventing stroke in more than 50% of the patients who receive it - particularly in the short term.  In rendering their opinions, plaintiff’s neurology experts failed to consider the relevant medical literature and, therefore, the Court determined their opinion that treatment with Heparin and/or Aspirin would have prevented Plaintiff’s stroke was mere ipse dixit.

• Obtained a defense verdict in a medical malpractice action involving allegations an orthopedic surgeon caused a third degree burn to the patient’s skin when a surgical instrument malfunctioned and overheated during arthroscopic knee surgery.  It was alleged the physician should not have used the instrument for this procedure and should have recognized the complication as it was occurring

• Obtained a defense verdict in a medical malpractice action involving allegations a general surgeon failed to provide post-operative care to a patient after he was called on an emergent basis to assist another general surgeon who had inadvertently cut his patient’s common bile duct during surgery to remove the patient’s gall bladder.  The consulting surgeon obtained emergency privileges to assist in the repair that did not extend beyond the surgery.

• Obtained a defense verdict in a medical malpractice action involving allegations an anesthesiologist caused a nerve injury in the patient’s knee when he injected regional anesthesia for surgery.

• Successfully argued that a hospital cannot be held liable for medical negligence in an emergency room setting based on apparent agency where the patient/plaintiff had no recollection of her encounter with the emergency room physician.