In The News



PATRICK J. REILLY IS APPOINTED AS SPECIAL MAGISTRATE 

 

 

     In March 2021, Patrick J. Reilly was appointed Special Magistrate for Code Enforcement for the City of Venice.  The term of the appointment is for a three-year period and is subject to renewal for additional three-year terms.  As Special Magistrate, he will hold quasi-judicial hearings and assess fines for violations of the City Code.

 

 

PATRICK J. REILLY ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF SARASOTA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION SOUTH COUNTY DIVISION

 

     On September 3, 2021, Patrick J. Reilly was sworn in as President of the Sarasota County Bar Association South County Division.  Pat has previously served as Secretary, Treasurer and President-Elect of the South County Division and has been on the Board since 2018.  Pat was previously President-Elect, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary of the Lehigh County Bar Association in Allentown, Pennsylvania prior to relocating to Florida.  Pat looks forward to serving members of the Sarasota County Bar Association and the communities in South Sarasota County.

 

 

PATRICK J. REILLY RECEIVES AV PREEMINENT CERTIFICATION

     For more than 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been evaluating attorneys for their strong legal ability and high ethical standards through a Peer Review Rating system.  In 2020, Pat received the AV Preeminent Rating, which is the highest peer rating standard.  This rating is given to attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers.  Snyder & Reilly congratulates Pat on receiving this significant recognition.

 

 

PATRICK J. REILLY OBTAINS SUBSTANTIAL JURY VERDICT

IN EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION CASE

 

     Following a seven-day jury trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Easton, Pennsylvania, Patrick J. Reilly obtained a successful jury verdict on behalf of a client in the amount of $675,000.00, plus attorney’s fees.  Melissa Koch was an employee at Mack Trucks since 1997, starting in Winnsboro, South Carolina, moving to New River Valley, Virginia and finally to a plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania in 2010.  She was a Production Supervisor consistently receiving good employment reviews in a male-dominated work place and was noted as “promotable” by her supervisor.  Nevertheless, she applied for over sixty promotions, never receiving one.  There were numerous instances in which Koch was treated differently than her male counter-parts and received no assistance when covering for her superior, even though the men she worked with frequently provided assistance to one another.  After Koch filed a gender and disability discrimination complaint as well as a retaliation complaint with her employer, Mack Trucks conducted an investigation after which the investigator concluded that there was no “intentional” discrimination, and that there was reason for Koch to believe that she had been treated differently.  Nevertheless, no changes took place.

 

     Patrick J. Reilly, together with Samuel E. Cohen, of Gross McGinley, LLP in Allentown, Pennsylvania filed a gender and disability discrimination claim as well as a retaliation claim against Mack Trucks in Federal Court.  The basis of the claim was that Koch was treated differently than were men in a similar position within the plant, and that she was treated differently because she suffered from Multiple Sclerosis, even though it did not affect her ability to perform the essential functions of her job.  Koch claimed damages based upon the difference in her current pay, and the pay that she would have received had she been promoted to one of the positions for which she was qualified.  In particular, Koch claimed that she should have been promoted to the position of Business Team Leader, which was one step above her position.  The basis of Koch’s claim that she should have been promoted to this position is that when the Business Team Leader to whom she responded was absent from work for any period of time, Koch filled in for him and performed not only his responsibilities, but hers as well, without any assistance.  Instead of promoting Koch when the position became available, Mack Trucks gave the position to a male who had no previous experience on this particular line within the plant.  Koch was instructed to teach him the position.

 

     After a seven-day trial, the jury of five women and three men found that Koch had proved her claim of gender discrimination and retaliation, and awarded her compensatory damages, front pay and back pay totaling $675,000.00.  Because the case was tried under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Mack Trucks will be responsible for paying Koch’s attorney’s fees in an amount to be determined by Judge Edward G. Smith, who presided over the trial. 

 

     Patrick J. Reilly currently practices full time at Snyder & Reilly, Trial Lawyers, in Venice, Florida.  He also currently serves as Of Counsel to Gross McGinley, LLP., in Allentown, Pennsylvania and has extensive experience representing individuals in employment discrimination and disability claims. While still a partner with Gross McGinley, Reilly won a landmark employment discrimination case against a pharmaceutical company, obtaining a $2.5 million-dollar award and changing the law regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act.  In 2013, his client documented her struggles and Reilly’s case in Call to Witness, a book written by Sherry Blackman, and published by Broad Street Publishing of Monroe County.

 


RUSSELL SNYDER AND PATRICK REILLY are once again SUPER LAWYERS

 

     Both Russ Snyder and Pat Reilly have been named as Super Lawyers, each for the 5th time.  This is an award issued to only 5% of the lawyers practicing in Florida.  They are both recognized in the category of Estate and Trust Litigation, a focus of both of their practices.  Russ and Pat are both honored to be recognized and attribute their success to a great staff consisting of Valerie Aitken, Joyce Gerhart, Diane Mueller and Debbie Lambert.

 

Pat Reilly is appointed to Venice City Code Enforcement Board

 

     Attorney Patrick Reilly has been appointed to a second term as a Commissioner on the Venice City Code Enforcement Board.  The Board conducts hearings related to enforcement of City Ordinances, and has authority to consider and enter enforcement orders and civil fines relating to any provision of the City Codes.  Attorney Reilly is honored to have been selected to serve the City of Venice and its citizens.  His current term runs through November 30, 2020.

 

 

Pat Reilly serves on Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of South Sarasota County

 

Attorney Patrick Reilly has been selected to serve on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of South Sarasota County.  The Mission Statement and Vision for Habitat for Humanity is as follows: 

 

MISSION STATEMENT

Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County, Inc. is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operating on Christian principles that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope.

 

VISION

Focus on shelter.

We create opportunities for all people to live in decent, affordable, durable, energy efficient shelter. We put faith into action by helping to build, renovate or preserve homes, and by partnering with others to accelerate and broaden access to affordable housing as a foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty.

 

Advocate for affordable housing.

We promote decent, affordable housing for all, and we support the global community’s commitment to housing as a basic human right. We will advocate for just and fair housing policy to eliminate the constraints that contribute to poverty housing. And, in all of our work, we will seek to put shelter on hearts and minds in such powerful ways that poverty housing becomes socially, politically and religiously unacceptable.

 

Promote dignity and hope.

We believe that no one lives in dignity until everyone can live in dignity. We believe that every person has something to contribute and something to gain from creating communities in which all people have decent, affordable places to live. We believe that dignity and hope are best achieved through equitable, accountable partnerships.

 

Support sustainable and transformational development.

We view our work as successful when it transforms lives and promotes positive and lasting social, economic and spiritual change within a community; when it is based on mutual trust and fully shared accomplishment; and when it demonstrates responsible stewardship of all resources entrusted to us.

 

 

Snyder and Reilly sponsor painting of Korean War Veteran’s home

 

     In the Fall of 2018, Snyder and Reilly sponsored a “Brush with Kindness” in which volunteers, including Pat Reilly, Malka Reilly and Joyce Gerhart, on behalf of the firm, painted the exterior of the home of a Korean War Veteran in North Port.  “Brush with Kindness” is a program of Habitat for Humanity of South Sarasota County.  It was a satisfying and humbling experience to volunteer for one who selflessly served our country.  Pat is honored to sit on a Board to assist others to attain the American dream of home ownership.

 

 


RUSSELL SNYDER AND PATRICK REILLY NAMED 2018 SUPER LAWYERS

 

     Russ Snyder and Pat Reilly have once again been designated as Super Lawyers for 2018, an award issued to only 5% of the lawyers in the State of Florida.  Both Russ and Pat have received the recognition multiple times in the past.  Their recognition is in the category of Estate and Trust Litigation, an area of specialty for both of them.  Pat and Russ both realize that although they have received the award, it would not have been possible without the assistance of the great staff at Snyder and Reilly, including Valerie Aitken, Joyce Gerhart, Diane Mueller and Debbie Lambert.

 

Pat Reilly is elected to Sarasota County Bar Association, South County Division, Board of Directors

 

     Attorney Patrick Reilly has been nominated and elected to serve on the Sarasota County Bar Association, South County Division Board of Directors, and serves as its Secretary.  In 2010, the Sarasota County Bar Association recognized that a significant number of Sarasota County lawyers practice in the communities of Venice, Englewood, Osprey, Nokomis, and North Port and that such lawyers are unable by reason of geography to fully benefit from the programs and activities of the Association which are centered in greater Sarasota. The mission of the Division is to offer South County lawyers the opportunity to participate in organized voluntary bar activities accessible to them and developed by them so as to be directed to their particular needs and interests, within the overall mission of the Association.

 

     Pat has previously served on the Board of the Bar Association of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, including the offices of Treasurer, Vice President and President Elect.  He is honored to have the opportunity to represent his fellow lawyers in Sarasota County and the State of Florida.