Mr. Pugh graduated from the Villanova University School of Law in 1991 and has spent his 20+ year legal career involved in all aspects of defense litigation. Robert’s legal practice consists of defending individuals and institutions in Montgomery County, Bradford County, Bucks County, Chester County, Columbia County, Delaware County, Northampton County, Lackawanna County, Lancaster County, Lehigh County, Montour County, Schuylkill County, and Philadelphia County. Robert defends physicians, pharmacists, hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacies and assisted living facilities in claims for professional malpractice. He also has vast experience representing a variety of areas including public and private transportation litigation, premises liability litigation, products liability litigation and toxic tort / environmental litigation, as well as an active appellate practice. He has taken over 50 cases to jury verdicts in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties and has argued in front of the Pennsylvania Superior Court as well as the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.  

Mr. Pugh is Past President of the Montgomery Trial Lawyers and former Chair of the Montgomery Bar Association Health and Fitness Committee.

Mr. Pugh holds an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubble. He was also selected by his peers as a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” as published in Philadelphia Magazine for the last twelve years. Five percent of all Pennsylvania lawyers qualify as “Super Lawyers”.

Important Trials: (Pre-COVID)

• Pugh obtained a defense verdict in Philadelphia in a slip and fall on ice claim where plaintiff alleged a closed head injury and other neurological damages.
• Pugh obtained a defense verdict where he represented a defendant who rear-ended the plaintiff while the defendant was driving a pick-up truck filled with bricks. Apparently, the jury found that the plaintiff exaggerated her injuries and, as a result, found the defendant not liable.
• Pugh successfully defended a prison medical director who was alleged to have acted negligently in the handing of an inmate with medical problems. The fact finder found that the medical director was not negligent.
• Pugh successfully defended a physician in Bucks County who was alleged to have delayed in diagnosing plaintiff’s prostate cancer. During the course of the trial it became apparent that the defendant physician, in fact, timely made the diagnosis of prostate cancer and the jury found in the physician’s favor.
• Pugh defended a surgeon in Philadelphia who, the plaintiffs contended, performed an unnecessary surgery. Mr. Pugh successfully defended the surgeon. After a two-week trial, the jury found in the defendant doctor’s favor.
• Pugh successfully defended the operator of a motor vehicle who, plaintiff contends, operated her vehicle in a negligent fashion causing the plaintiff to suffer an injured knee which led to a knee replacement. After a five-day trial, a Delaware County jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendant driver and against plaintiff.
• Pugh successfully defended a hospital where it was alleged that a resident misplaced a chest tube causing the death of the plaintiff. After initially resulting in a hung jury, Mr. Pugh re-tried the case which resulted in a unanimous defense verdict.
• Pugh successfully defended a radiologist in Philadelphia where plaintiff alleged the radiologist didn’t properly communicate a suspicious nodule on a patient’s lung resulting in a delay in diagnosing lung cancer. After obtaining a defense verdict for the radiologist (plaintiff obtained a verdict against the other defendants) the trial court ordered a new trial. In the second trial the radiologist was, again, found not negligent.
• Pugh successfully defended an Ob/Gyn physician who, plaintiffs allege, failed to properly communicate test results to a patient.  After a two week trial in Lehigh County, the jury returned a defense verdict.

In his spare time, Mr. Pugh likes to spend time with his wife and three children. Additionally, he likes to work out the stress of being a trial lawyer by participating in triathlons, open water swims, and the like, typically finishing in the back of the pack.

Pugh is admitted to the following:

• Supreme Court of Pennsylvania;
• Superior Court of Pennsylvania;
• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit;
• Supreme Court of the United States of America;
• Supreme Court of New Jersey;
• New York State Supreme Court;
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania;
• United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; and
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.