Jeffrey P. Goodman

Jeffrey is a trial lawyer who focuses on complex and high-profile cases around the globe. Primarily representing victims in mass disasters, Jeff has set numerous records for the largest settlements and verdicts in history. Jeffrey holds the records for: the largest settlement in American History arising from a construction accident ($1.2 Billion – Surfside Condominium Collapse); the largest settlement in American History for a train accident ($227 Million – Derailment of Amtrak Train 188); and the largest settlement in American history for a maritime disaster ($150+ Million – Sinking of Stretch Duck 07). Based on this experience, Courts in Pennsylvania and around the country regularly ask Jeffrey to serve as lead counsel or appoint Jeff to plaintiff’s management committees. In his first 12 years of practice, Jeffrey obtained and collected over $2 Billion for families whose loved ones were killed and survivors who were catastrophically injured due to the negligence of corporations.

Jeffrey’s most notable work relates to the June 24, 2021, collapse of Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida that claimed the lives of 98 people. Jeffrey served as co-lead counsel on behalf of the Plaintiffs for all issues of liability, construction, and collapse causation. Following the announcement of the record-setting $1.2 Billion settlement, the Honorable Michael A. Hanzman, who presided over the case, praised Jeffrey’s work stating:

“Mr. Goodman is one of the finest construction litigation attorneys that has ever appeared before the Court. His competence and expertise was immediately apparent to everyone involved in this case , and his outstanding work was critical to its success. The Defendants were represented by some of the most talented and formidable construction defect lawyers in the country … and without [Mr. Goodman’s] talents and experience this may not have been a ‘fair fight’. The Plaintiff class was very fortunate to have him as part of the leadership team.”

The $1.2 Billion settlement is the largest settlement in American History for a single event and also the largest settlement in American history for a construction failure. The second largest construction settlement in American History was also due in large part to Jeffrey’s work. In 2017, following a six-month jury trial in Philadelphia, Jeffrey, along with SMB President Bob Mongeluzzi won a favorable verdict and a $227 Million award on behalf of the victims of the Market Street Building Collapse in Philadelphia, which killed 7 people.

While Jeffrey was representing the victims of the Surfside Condo Collapse in Florida, Jeff was simultaneously serving as lead counsel on behalf of the families whose loved ones died in the September 25, 2021 Amtrak derailment near Joplin Montana. Jeffrey led the complex settlement negotiations in this case that resulted in a total settlement of $81.5 Million on behalf of SMB’s clients.  Remarkably, both the Surfside Collapse and the Montana Derailment were settled in less than 15 months following the tragedies.

Currently, Jeffrey is lead counsel on behalf of the victims of the Grenfell Tower Fire in London, which killed 72 people, in litigation pending in the United States and serves as co-lead counsel for the 34 families whose loved ones died in the sinking of the Conception Dive Boat in California.  Jeff also represents dozens of individual clients who have been catastrophically injured by corporate negligence and the families of those that have been killed. Jeffrey is based out of SMB’s Philadelphia office; however, his unique cross-border litigation experience leads Jeff to routinely represent clients throughout the United States and internationally. Jeffrey has obtained multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts for clients in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, West Virginia, and the Virgin Islands. Jeff has been routinely recognized by his peers for his outstanding trial achievements, including being named as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers, a Lawyer on the Fast Track by the American Legal Media, and the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers.

In 2016, Jeff became the youngest partner in SMB’s history. In addition to being a partner at the firm, Jeff previously served the Director of the firm’s Summer Associate and Law Clerk program.