Anthony Natale III

Chair, Medicare Compliance Practice Group
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    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.

    Significant Representative Matters

    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.

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    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

    Published Works

    "Beware of the Language Used in Your Settlement Agreements: Medicare is Watching," The Legal Intelligencer, Workers' Compensation Supplement, October 10, 2023

    "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

    Admissions
    Pennsylvania
    1991
    Education
    University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D., 1991)
    University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1988)
    Honors & awards
    The Best Lawyers in America®, Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
    2025
    Associations & memberships
    Pennsylvania Bar Association
    Philadelphia Bar Association
    Year joined
    1995