Overview

Silvio Trentalange represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex and commercial civil litigations. Silvio provides clients strategic guidance from pre-litigation investigation through trial and appeal. He has argued discovery and dispositive motions before federal and state courts, and led briefing projects on novel legal issues before the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

More specifically, in commercial disputes, Silvio handles matters concerning breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, tortious interference with business relations, unfair competition, and related theories of recovery before arbitrators or federal and state courts.

Silvio also assists requesters and direct interest participant third parties in Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law matters before the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, Courts of Common Pleas, and Commonwealth Court. Silvio’s Right-to-Know Law cases have canvassed nuanced areas of the law focusing on a business’s trade secreted or confidential proprietary information.

Prior to joining Dilworth, Silvio worked at a prominent Philadelphia plaintiff’s firm handling complex cases concerning toxic tort and products liability class actions, commercial-consumer arbitrations, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury.

Silvio is a graduate of Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. While in law school, Silvio served as an intern for the Honorable Timothy J. Savage in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Additionally, he worked as a clinical intern for the Philadelphia City Solicitor’s Office – Civil Rights Unit, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

He received a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University.

Representative Experience

Commercial Litigation

  • Represented a New Jersey warehouse and logistics company in a replevin action concerning lift truck equipment that resulted in a favorable outcome for the client.
  • Defended a Pennsylvania pharmaceutical company in a fraudulent transfer matter that resulted in a resolution prior to discovery.
  • Defended a family-owned food distribution partnership in a matter concerning minority shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary duty claims, which resolved shortly after filing a motion to dismiss the complaint.
  • Representing an Australian company that sells pain relief products in the United States in a false advertisement matter and brought counterclaims against the competitor for tortious interference and abuse of process.
  • Representing a Pennsylvania medical device manufacturer in a breach of contract, tortious interference, and unfair competition lawsuit.
  • Representing a commercial-grade room air conditioner manufacturer in a breach of contract and design defect lawsuit in New Jersey.

Institutional Clients

  • Representing the District Attorney’s Offices of Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties, and the City of Philadelphia, in the Pennsylvania Coordinated Opioid Litigation against national opioid manufacturers and distributors, which concerns claims against defendants for public nuisance and Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law violations. 

Right-to-Know Law Litigation

  • Representing a Pennsylvania newspaper and its publisher as the Right-to-Know Law requester in a matter concerning public access to police body camera footage under Act 22.
  • Representing a Pennsylvania biotech company asserting its third party rights over confidential proprietary and trade secreted information implicated by a Right-to-Know Law request. 
  • Representing a national online real estate marketplace company in obtaining property and tax records through various states’ freedom of information laws

Professional & Community Activities

  • Advisory Board Member, First Tee of Greater Philadelphia 
  • Member, Justinian Society
  • Member, Philadelphia Bar Association
  • Member, National Constitution Center
  • Member, The Supreme Court Historical Society
  • Member, Holy Ghost Preparatory School Alumni Association
  • Volunteer, Philly VIP
  • Volunteer, First Tee of Greater Philadelphia

Publications

  • Courts Validate Arb Agreements, but Ways to Avoid Forced Arbitration Still Exist, The Legal Intelligencer, Jan. 8, 2019 (co-author)
  • In NJ, Arbitration Clauses Cannot Be Hidden In Fine Print, Law360, Jan. 28, 2019 (co-author)
  • After ‘Lamps Plus,’ Employees Must Again Consider Arb Agreement Options, The Legal Intelligencer, May 30, 2019 (co-author)

Professional Recognition

  • Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2023

Representative Experience

Commercial Litigation

  • Represented a New Jersey warehouse and logistics company in a replevin action concerning lift truck equipment that resulted in a favorable outcome for the client.
  • Defended a Pennsylvania pharmaceutical company in a fraudulent transfer matter that resulted in a resolution prior to discovery.
  • Defended a family-owned food distribution partnership in a matter concerning minority shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary duty claims, which resolved shortly after filing a motion to dismiss the complaint.
  • Representing an Australian company that sells pain relief products in the United States in a false advertisement matter and brought counterclaims against the competitor for tortious interference and abuse of process.
  • Representing a Pennsylvania medical device manufacturer in a breach of contract, tortious interference, and unfair competition lawsuit.
  • Representing a commercial-grade room air conditioner manufacturer in a breach of contract and design defect lawsuit in New Jersey.

Institutional Clients

  • Representing the District Attorney’s Offices of Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties, and the City of Philadelphia, in the Pennsylvania Coordinated Opioid Litigation against national opioid manufacturers and distributors, which concerns claims against defendants for public nuisance and Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law violations. 

Right-to-Know Law Litigation

  • Representing a Pennsylvania newspaper and its publisher as the Right-to-Know Law requester in a matter concerning public access to police body camera footage under Act 22.
  • Representing a Pennsylvania biotech company asserting its third party rights over confidential proprietary and trade secreted information implicated by a Right-to-Know Law request. 
  • Representing a national online real estate marketplace company in obtaining property and tax records through various states’ freedom of information laws