Delaware Lawsuits

Kline & Specter's Delaware office, located in Wilmington, is headed by Gilbert F. Shelsby Jr. and Robert J. Leoni, who also operate their own highly successful practice, Shelsby & Leoni, P.A.

Shelsby and Leoni have won a series of seven-figure verdicts in Delaware over the years, as has Kline & Specter, among them a $36.4 million settlement in the death of an oil refinery worker in Delaware City and a $19.9 million verdict for a patient who was seriously injured in an assault in a Wilmington hospital. (more below) 

Shelsby & Leoni handles cases ranging from medical malpractice to motor vehicle accidents, from workplace injuries to premises and product liability. Among Shelsby & Leoni’s major victories are a $4 million settlement for a woman who lost her kidneys due to medical malpractice and a $3.2 million verdict for a man who injured his arm and shoulder while at work.

In one recent case, Leoni in December 2012 won a verdict of more than $1 million in Kent County Superior Court for a 36-year-old woman in a missed cancer case. After her doctor told her that a biopsy was normal when it was really abnormal, the woman suffered bleeding and pain for 18 months before she was properly diagnosed with endometrial cancer.  At that point her cancer had metastasized to a lymph node, forcing her to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment to her pelvis and vagina that could have been avoided had the cancer been diagnosed at an earlier stage. The treatments left permanent scarring that causes her severe pain during sexual intercourse.

Shelsby and Leoni share a background that gives them a unique perspective for handling plaintiffs personal injury cases. Both previously practiced insurance defense law, affording them the opportunity to learn “from the inside” how insurance companies evaluate and defend personal injury claims.

Understanding defense strategies and the resources insurance companies have at their disposal, their firm is better able to prepare cases for settlement negotiations and, if necessary, for trial. And while a fair settlement is preferred over the uncertainty of a jury verdict, Shelsby & Leoni knows that insurance companies often make smaller offers when they believe the opposing lawyers are inexperienced or lack the resources to see a complex case to its conclusion. In that realm, their firm’s association with Kline & Specter is a big advantage.

Shelsby and Leoni have great experience with the Delaware court system and a solid background in the region. Shelsby attended the University of Maryland as an undergraduate and earned his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law, later serving as law clerk to the Hon. Joseph H. Kaplan, Circuit Court for Baltimore. Leoni graduated from the University of Delaware and Widener University School of Law and served after graduation from law school as a law clerk on the Delaware Superior Court.

Kline & Specter and its attorneys have obtained verdicts and settlements that were among the largest-ever in their jurisdictions (See Major Victories), including two record-setting Delaware cases (See the Motiva Case and the Sparber Case)

If you or a loved one have a potential personal inury case in Delaware, you should contact us today for a free evaluation of your case. 

Delaware Office Address
221 Main Street
Wilmington, DE 19804
Phone: 302-575-9709