practice areas
honors + affiliations
Member, American Bar Association
Member, Philadelphia Bar Association
bar admissions
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- Philadelphia
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1701 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2921
Phone: 215.963.5182
Fax: 215.963.5001
James E. DelBello is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Litigation Practice. Mr. DelBello focuses his practice on complex litigation, including contract and licensing disputes, class actions, product liability, and mass and toxic torts, with an emphasis in the technology and healthcare industries. He frequently serves as first chair or lead counsel in high-stakes bench and jury trials in state and federal courts.
Mr. DelBello is co-chair of Morgan Lewis's firmwide technology industry litigation practice. His technology industry experience includes defending an international software company in cases involving the licensing, functionality, and implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. He also represents technology clients in disputes involving IT outsourcing agreements, naming rights agreements, and disputes involving theft of trade secrets or other confidential information.
Mr. DelBello represents health insurers in class action cases involving allegations ranging from purportedly improper denials of coverage for of out-of-network benefits and statutory insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment.Mr. DelBello has also handled and tried numerous mass and toxic tort cases, including claims involving exposure to asbestos, benzene and other toxic substances.
Mr. DelBello also has experience in insurance and reinsurance recovery, and has successfully prosecuted claims for indemnification and duty to defend on behalf of policy holder clients, including claims for direct access to reinsurance.
Mr. DelBello maintains an active pro bono practice and is the chair of the Philadelphia office's Pro Bono Practice, which serves such organizations as the Support Center for Child Advocates, Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program, Women Against Abuse, the Homeless Advocacy Project, the Education Law Center, and the Special Olympics.
Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Mr. DelBello served as a law clerk to President Judge Steven J. McEwen, Jr. of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Mr. DelBello is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Selected Representations
Technology Litigation
- Represented an international software company in cases involving the licensing, implementation and functionality of enterprise business software. These cases involve issues concerning the development of industry-specific functionality for customers in the waste and recycling, retail, and pharmaceutical distribution industries, as well as benchmarking and throughput capacity of software used in high volume applications.
- Represented a technology consulting firm in arbitration before the American Arbitration Association in a dispute involving an IT outsourcing services agreement.
Healthcare Litigation
- Represented a health insurer in nationwide ERISA and RICO class actions involving reimbursement of out-of-network benefits.
- Represented a health insurer in Pennsylvania state court class actions involving claims for statutory insurance benefits for substance abuse treatment.
Product Liability and Mass Tort Litigation
- Represented a construction materials manufacturing company in several class actions brought involving personal injury and property damage claims arising from drywall products.
- Represented an industrial equipment manufacturing company in a product liability case alleging the failure of water metering systems.
- Represented a valve manufacturing company in wrongful death and survival actions resulting from exposure to asbestos containing products.
- Represented an electronics company in wrongful death and survival claims arising from exposure to benzene-containing dyes and solvents.
- Represented a chemical company in personal injury cases alleging that exposure to certain dyes and solvents caused a rare form of kidney cancer.
Insurance Recovery Litigation
- Represented a policyholder airline in the Legion liquidation in a case of first impression before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court involving direct access to reinsurance for claims arising from the September 11 tragedy.
- Represented a policyholder media company in the Reliance liquidation in claims for direct access to reinsurance.
education
- Villanova University School of Law, 1996, J.D.
- University of Pennsylvania, 1992, B.A.