Just Verdicts

Brendan Lupetin
  • 5.0 (8)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Your client’s been wronged, and they want justice. Just wait for the wrongdoer to accept responsibility? Yeah, right. You need answers to questions like “What really happened?” and “Why did it happen?”. And whatever bad thing happened, you want to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It takes the right strategies, tactics, and grit to get the just outcomes your clients deserve. Hosted by Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney Brendan Lupetin, a founder of Lupetin and Unatin, Attorneys at Law in Pittsburgh, this podcast is dedicated to the pursuit of just verdicts for just cases. Each episode features in-depth interviews and discussions of cutting-edge trial strategies to equip you with the tools you need to conquer the courtroom. Interested in co-counseling, local counseling, or referring a catastrophic injury case? We’d love to work with you. Visit our attorney referral page at https://www.PAMedMal.com/Refer (PAMedMal.com/Refer.) We handle cases in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Produced and Powered by https://lawpods.com/ (LawPods)

  1. 4D AGO

    Meet the Guy Who Gets Called on High-Stakes Cases: Robert Hirschhorn

    For over 30 years, he’s helped select juries that have returned billions of dollars in verdicts. “He is the guy who gets called on for the highest-stakes cases going,” says host Brendan Lupetin. How does Robert Hirschhorn do it? In this conversation, Robert reflects on his past and describes the “game-changing” future: his AI-powered consulting platform called VerdictHub. Tune in as Robert reveals his powerful questions for identifying ideal jurors, innovative strategies for maximizing damages in states where lawyers cannot give jurors recommendations, and technique for anchoring jurors to substantial awards. Spoiler: Repeating the word “billion” helps. Learn More and Connect☑️ Robert Hirschhorn | LinkedIn ☑️ CEB Jury and Trial Consultants ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewRobert's career transformed in 1984 when he secured a seemingly impossible not-guilty verdict against a public safety officer charged with robbery – and caught at the scene with an Uzi, sawed-off shotgun, and silencer. For that case, Robert was referred to jury consultant Cathy Bennett, who agreed to teach him her methods on one condition: He would spend an entire year attending all her meetings without speaking but instead observing and absorbing. Robert and Cathy Bennett eventually married. Later, on her deathbed, she made Robert promise to find a way to give his jury selection gift to as many lawyers as he could, a promise he would fulfill with VerdictHub, his AI-powered trial consulting platform.VerdictHub is now developing a “shadow jury" product. Once a lawyer has a seated jury, this product will replicate not one group of 12 using digital artificial intelligence jurors, but five groups of juries. Those five groups, demographically identical to the seated jury,...

    58 min

  2. JAN 23

    The Rapper, the Makeup Artist, and the “IZOMBIE” Plate, with Brandon Keller

    Fun fact: Rapper Harvey "Frzy" Daniels and famed horror makeup artist Tom Savini are both depicted on murals, created by the same artist. Their lives converged in another, more dramatic way when Frzy was injured in a hit-and-run. Brandon Keller represented the rapper against the makeup artist, who was tracked down, in part, by his “IZOMBIE” license plate. In this case breakdown with host Brendan Lupetin, Brandon reveals the challenges he faced – including an eyewitness who ghosted him for two years – and the strategies that ultimately led to a $225,000 verdict. Learn More and Connect☑️ Brandon Keller | LinkedIn ☑️ Ainsman Levine on LinkedIn | Facebook ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewDaniels v. Savini involved Harvey "Frzy" Daniels, a Pittsburgh rapper, and famed makeup artist Tom Savini, who has worked for horror legend George Romero.Frzy was leaving a meeting with a music video director when his motorcycle was sideswiped by a black Dodge Charger.The driver’s “IZOMBIE” license plate was initially transcribed incorrectly as "IVOMBIE,” creating early delays in the investigation.The 911 call was compelling: You could hear Frzy on the ground as the eyewitness's cousin tells him, "We got the plate."The defendant initially denied driving the vehicle, signing an affidavit with his insurance company stating he did not do it and would have remembered if he had.The defense's last offer was $6,700, made right after the eyewitness deposition.span class="ql-ui"...

    53 min

  3. JAN 9

    From “Insulting” $500K Offer to Millions in Punitives, with Todd Hollis

    “I thought that was insulting,” Todd Hollis says of a defense offer of $500,000. His client agreed, and Todd went “guns banging” to trial. The case involved a woman who was killed when the driver of a rental car, who had a suspended license, hit her head-on. In this breakdown with host Brendan Lupetin, Todd describes how the rental car company acknowledged that 15% of their 525,000 annual rentals potentially go to drivers without valid licenses. When the defense argued that the legislature doesn’t require electronic background scans, Todd argued that the legislature does say that a rental car company can’t rent to anyone who they know is incompetent to drive. Tune in to hear how the jury responded with “millions” in punitive damages. Learn More and Connect☑️ Todd Hollis | LinkedIn ☑️ Todd J. Hollis Law on Facebook | YouTube ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewTodd Hollis describes “jumping” from criminal defense after a painful moment waiting for a client to pay him $200 that he would use to buy Christmas gifts for his son. After a humbling experience selling hotdogs for a year, and after his daughter was born, he switched to the plaintiff side.In the Everson case, Todd sued a rental car company after it rented a car to a driver with a suspended license. That driver killed a woman after he crossed into the opposite lane and struck her vehicle head-on.The rental car company charged drivers under 25 an additional $25 per day because they're "higher risk" but did nothing to ensure these drivers were actually licensed or safe to drive.Todd’s theme in the case was community safety: How many rental cars on the road have been rented to a driver who is not legally safe or competent?li...

    58 min

  4. 12/23/2025

    How We Won $7.5M in an Unwinnable Case, with Greg Unatin and Brendan Lupetin

    An unwitnessed fall, a client with prior back problems, 10 years of unemployment, and over $5 million in disability benefits already paid – this case had every reason to fail. Yet trial partners Brendan Lupetin and Greg Unatin secured a record-setting $7.25 million verdict for the former chief of pain management at UPMC Hamot. In this case breakdown, Brendan and Greg reveal the strategies that shaped their victory: exposing UPMC's betrayal of their client through a series of emails, levering focus group insights to develop their winning liability theory, and highlighting their client’s loss of his passion in life: being a doctor. Learn More and Connect☑️ Greg Unatin | LinkedIn ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewTheir client fell on snow-covered ice while exiting a UPMC surgery center through a required after-hours door, suffering severe back and shoulder injuries that ended his career as chief of pain management at UPMC Hamot.The team strategically navigated the issue of their client’s prior back problems by explaining to the jury that he’d recovered from a spine surgery; the issue at trial was his shoulder injury: “I think that that ultimately played just fine, and we really made it all about the shoulder,” Brendan says.The attorneys dropped their theory about a code violation relating to a defective step after focus groups showed that jurors cared more about the snow and ice issue.Their winning liability theory became simple: When UPMC directed staff to exit a specific door, they had a duty to ensure that door was safely maintained.A trail of emails revealed UPMC's corporate betrayal: praising their client as their "golden boy" when he was profitable, then ghosting him after his injuries...

    1h 12m

  5. 12/09/2025

    Collaborating to Win $25M for Wrongful Death, with Tracey Dellacona and Caleb Walker

    A pregnant woman’s blood pressure drops dangerously. An obstetrician never picks up the phone. A “Keystone Cop” situation that tragically leads to the death of an unborn baby. Tracey Dellacona and Caleb Walker combined forces to secure $25 million after a surgeon missed their client’s preeclampsia diagnosis. Tune in as host Brendan Lupetin explores the case with the team: Tracey, a nurse turned med-mal attorney who founded Dellacona Law Firm, and Caleb, litigator and appellate partner at McArthur Law Firm. Tune in for their insights about managing voluminous medical records, asking for non-economic damages, and developing collaborative law firm partnerships. Learn More and Connect☑️ Caleb Walker | LinkedIn ☑️ McArthur Law Firm on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube ☑️ Tracey Dellacona | LinkedIn ☑️ Dellacona Law Firm ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Ready to refer or collaborate on med mal, medical negligence, and catastrophic injury cases? Visit our attorney referral page at PAMedMal.com/Refer. We handle cases in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Produced and Powered by LawPods

    1h 9m

  6. 11/23/2025

    From Six Breaches of Care to One Original Sin, with Tim Wojton and Matt Scanlon

    Tim Wojton was prepared to tell jurors that a skilled nursing facility violated six different standards of care, leading to a patient’s death from hypovolemic shock. Then he realized that there was really just one. “I thought, wait a minute, understaffing isn't just another breach. Understaffing is the original sin.” In this case breakdown, Tim and trial partner Matt Scanlon describe to host Brendan Lupetin how they tracked down former employees, turned brutal cross-examination moments into powerful jury connections, and used a simple tree analogy to help jurors understand corporate negligence. Jurors awarded $750,000. Learn More and Connect☑️ Matt Scanlon | LinkedIn ☑️ Tim Wojton | LinkedIn ☑️ Scanlon & Wojton Attorneys at Law on Facebook ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Ready to refer or collaborate on med mal, medical negligence, and catastrophic injury cases? Visit our attorney referral page at PAMedMal.com/Refer. We handle cases in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Produced and Powered by LawPods

    1h 7m

  7. 11/09/2025

    The $3.5M Comeback after Summary Judgment Defeat, with Patrick Sullivan

    Did the primary care physician cause his patient’s death from an undiagnosed pulmonary embolism? A trial court said no, on summary judgment. In representing the patient’s widow on appeal, Patrick Sullivan realized that he had to “scrap everything and start from square one.” In this case breakdown with host Brendan Lupetin, Patrick describes how he reframed the case even as he faced hurdles: The patient never complained of chest pain (pulmonary embolism's key symptom) and the defense characterized him as an alcoholic. Patrick reveals how he exposed the PCP’s behavior – putting business interests above his patient’s care – and how he strategically ordered his witnesses for maximum impact. The jury responded, awarding $3.5 million. Learn More and Connect☑️ Patrick Sullivan ☑️ Dallas Hartman on LinkedIn | Facebook ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewPatrick Sullivan represented a widow whose husband died from a pulmonary embolism after his primary care physician cleared him for surgery without discussing or noting his history of blood clots on the surgical clearance form.The trial court let the primary care physician out on causation at summary judgment; Patrick got that decision overturned on appeal and then sued the PCP again.The jury found the PCP negligent, awarding $3.5 million in wrongful death damages and assigning zero comparative negligence to the patient.Patrick emphasizes constant learning through reading trial strategy books, getting in the arena early and often, and maintaining genuine passion for clients. Ready to refer or collaborate on med mal, medical negligence, and catastrophic injury cases? Visit our attorney referral page at PAMedMal.com/Refer. We handle cases in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Produced and Powered by LawPods

    1h 11m

  8. 10/23/2025

    Defense-Turned-Plaintiff’s Lawyer Lands a Record Verdict in Somerset County, with Doug Olcott

    Doug Olcott believes his 15 years as a defense attorney gives him a “leg up” representing plaintiffs. It did in his case against a snow tubing park, where his client suffered a catastrophic injury. “I think I have a better understanding as to what the defendants are going to do and then being able to anticipate how they're going to approach a game because, quite frankly, in my 35 years doing this, not a lot has changed on the defense bar side,” he tells host Brendan Lupetin. In this case breakdown, Doug explains how he overcame a signed waiver, exposed defense contradictions, and challenged an expert witness who said his client “lacked common sense.” The result: a $693,000 verdict, Somerset County's largest in at least 20 years:  Learn More and Connect☑️ Doug Olcott | LinkedIn ☑️ Edgar Snyder & Associates on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube ☑️ Brendan Lupetin | LinkedIn ☑️ Lupetin & Unatin, LLC ☑️ Connect: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Episode PreviewDoug’s client was attending a children's birthday party at Hidden Valley's snow tubing park when her tube accelerated down the hill and launched off the back of a runout embankment.She suffered a T12 burst fracture requiring surgical placement of two rods across five levels of her thoracic spine, along with a pelvic fracture and other lesser fractures.After the court granted summary judgment on negligence claims based on a signed waiver, the case proceeded to trial on recklessness only—a significantly higher burden requiring proof of intentional or reckless disregard for known risks.Doug and co-counsel Jerry Hutton proved recklessness by establishing three critical failures: no workers stationed at the bottom to stop tubes, no deceleration mats deployed, and no barrier to prevent riders from going over the embankment.The defense's own policies and procedures contradicted their trial testimony—interrogatory answers identified specific safety protocols that witnesses couldn't verify had been followed on the day of the...

    56 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Your client’s been wronged, and they want justice. Just wait for the wrongdoer to accept responsibility? Yeah, right. You need answers to questions like “What really happened?” and “Why did it happen?”. And whatever bad thing happened, you want to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It takes the right strategies, tactics, and grit to get the just outcomes your clients deserve. Hosted by Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney Brendan Lupetin, a founder of Lupetin and Unatin, Attorneys at Law in Pittsburgh, this podcast is dedicated to the pursuit of just verdicts for just cases. Each episode features in-depth interviews and discussions of cutting-edge trial strategies to equip you with the tools you need to conquer the courtroom. Interested in co-counseling, local counseling, or referring a catastrophic injury case? We’d love to work with you. Visit our attorney referral page at https://www.PAMedMal.com/Refer (PAMedMal.com/Refer.) We handle cases in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Produced and Powered by https://lawpods.com/ (LawPods)

Information

  • Creator
    Brendan Lupetin
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Brendan Lupetin
  • Show Website
    Just Verdicts

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