Jessica Priselac

Partner

  • Jessica Priselac
  • Phone: +1 412 497 1046

    Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    625 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1000
    Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3112
    USA
  • Duane Morris LLP
    30 South 17th Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
    USA

Jessica Priselac is a trial lawyer who litigates complex disputes in state and federal courts as well as arbitral forums. She has tried numerous commercial disputes to verdict and has extensive experience defending clients in a variety of class, collective, and consolidated actions

As part of her trial practice, Jessica regularly advises a wide range of clients on all aspects of discovery strategy. She is co-chair of the firm’s Discovery Strategy and Data Analytics Working Group, and has led large-scale discovery projects in the United States, the European Union, and East Asia. Jessica regularly litigates complex data and technology issues in state and federal courts, including those related to the cross-border transfer of data and related privacy and blocking statutes.

Jessica is active in civic and charitable organizations throughout Pennsylvania, and currently serves as a Trustee and the Board Secretary of Carlow University in Pittsburgh. Jessica also maintains an active pro bono practice, and has served as an advocate for children in dependency proceedings for over a decade. In addition, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and the Juvenile Law Center, she has successfully secured the release of multiple clients who were wrongfully convicted or unlawfully sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Representative Matters

    Complex Commercial Litigation

  • Lead trial counsel for publicly-traded outdoor media company in a landmark consolidated action against the City of Philadelphia in which the city was found to have engaged in an unconstitutional commercial property tax scheme. Trial verdict affirmed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Duffield House Assocs., L.P. v. City of Phila., 279 A.3d 1185 (Pa. 2022).

  • Lead trial counsel for start-up food technology company defending against claims of waste and mismanagement brought by minority stockholder. Obtained judgment in favor of client.

  • Second-chaired defense in jury trial involving claims brought by distributor against publicly traded medical device manufacturer for fraud and breach of contract. Obtained jury verdict in favor of client on breach of contract claims and defeated fraud claims prior to trial.

  • Second-chaired three-day evidentiary hearing and successfully defeated motion for preliminary injunction brought by a client’s competitor based on allegations of violations of the Lanham Act (trade dress infringement) and the Copyright Act. Amid, Inc. v. Medic Alert Found. United States, Inc., 241 F. Supp. 3d 788 (S.D. Tex. 2017).

  • Obtained dismissal after successfully arguing the opposition of the certification of a proposed 180,000 person consumer class action, which accused client health system and its document processor of illegally overcharging patients millions of dollars for access to medical records.

  • Served as Defense Liaison Counsel in one of the country’s largest MDLs brought against a group of international pharmaceutical companies.

  • Represented client in bench trial involving merger-related fraud claims brought by the client, a publicly traded gaming technology company, against sellers of company that it acquired.

  • Represented private equity firms and venture capital firm in jury trial seeking $225 million in damages arising out of the breach of a merger agreement relating to the acquisition of a medical device company and regulatory approval of a medical device.

  • Represented investors of acquired pharmaceutical company seeking damages related to acquiring company’s failure to pay milestone payments in violation of the parties’ merger agreement.

  • Represented global chemical manufacturer and supplier against competitor and three former employees in connection with claims for unfair competition (raiding), misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract and tortious interference.

  • Represented private equity and venture capital firm sellers of start-up medical device company seeking $48 million in an action against publicly traded international medical device manufacturer buyer, alleging breach of contract in connection with acquiring company’s failure to make merger-related milestone payments.

  • Obtained judgment on the pleadings, on both affirmative breach of contract claim and defense of breach of contract counterclaim, on behalf of client in breach of contract dispute. IMAX Corp. v. Capital Ctr., 156 F. Supp. 3d 569 (M.D. Pa. 2016).

  • Obtained summary judgment on behalf of health system against competitor in federal antitrust litigation in which the court held that competitor failed to show any adverse effect on competition in the market. Affirmed on appeal. Deborah Heart & Lung Ctr. v. Virtua Health, Inc., 833 F.3d 399 (3d Cir. 2016).

    • State and Local Government Matters

  • Currently serve as Pennsylvania Counsel to the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA).

  • Represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Treasury, in defeating a putative class action brought by property owners seeking more than $50 million from the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office related to excess proceeds from property auctions. Denial of class certification affirmed on appeal.

  • Defended telecommunications company, as co-defendant with Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in bid protest initiated by unsuccessful bidder.

    • Pro Bono Representation

  • Obtained commutation of sentence from President Barack Obama and subsequent release from prison for client who had been sentenced to life without parole for a non-violent drug offense. Prior to his release, client had served 22 years in prison.

  • Obtained reduction of sentence and grant of parole for client who had been sentenced to life without parole as juvenile and served 36 years prior to his release.

  • Obtained reduction of sentence and grant of parole for client who had been sentenced to life without parole as juvenile and served more than 20 years prior to his release. Successfully preserved client’s innocence claims and client was later exonerated.

  • Represented children in dependency proceedings before the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Family Division, through the Support Center for Child Advocates.

  • Obtained lawful permanent residency for a domestic violence survivors, originally from Haiti and Jamaica, respectively, under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Education

  • Emory University School of Law, J.D., 2008
    - Notes and Comments Editor, Emory International Law Review
  • Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, M.A., 2005
  • Dickinson College, B.A., magna cum laude, 1999
    - Phi Beta Kappa

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2025-present
    - Special Counsel, 2018-2025
    - Associate, 2012-2018
  • Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC
    - Associate, 2010-2012
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
    - Law Clerk to the Hon. Nora Barry Fischer, 2008-2009

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Board of Trustees and Board Secretary, Carlow University
  • Board of Trustees and Board Secretary, Pittsburgh Public Theater

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, "Exporting Data From the People's Republic of China," The Sedona Conference Annual Meeting 2023, January 12, 2024
  • Speaker, "The Digital Great Wall: Data Protection in Today’s China," Lexology CLE, January 18, 2023
  • Speaker, "Discovery of Data in China for US Litigation and Government Investigations," Georgetown Law Advanced eDiscovery Institute, November 18, 2022