Jeremy K. Knaebel

Mr. Knaebel concentrates his practice in the area of complex commercial litigation with a focus on construction, engineering and design disputes. Mr. Knaebel’s practice includes industrial, public infrastructure, commercial and residential projects and spans multiple sectors including energy, transportation and hospitality. Mr. Knaebel has represented and advised national and multi-national companies on a variety of legal, regulatory and compliance issues and has experience drafting, negotiating and litigating project development, construction management, design-build, GMP and EPC agreements on behalf of owners, developers, and contractors. Mr. Knaebel has significant experience at all stages of the litigation process and has successfully tried cases at the state and federal level. Mr. Knaebel also has significant alternative dispute resolution experience under the AAA (American Arbitration Association) as well as UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) rules of arbitration.

In additional to representing the construction industry, Mr. Knaebel’s practice also includes general commercial litigation, commercial transactions, business and corporate law, transportation law and insurance coverage.

Mr. Knaebel is member of the Pennsylvania, Ohio and American Bar Associations. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Pennsylvania, Ohio and the United States District Courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the Northern District of Ohio. Mr. Knaebel has also presented appellate arguments before the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and litigated cases in New York, Texas, West Virginia, Mississippi, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Professional Background

• Dingess, Foster, Luciana, Davidson & Chleboski, Pittsburgh, PA, 2017 – Present
• Pion, Nerone, Girman, Winslow & Smith, P.C., Pittsburgh, PA, 2010 – 2017
• McKenna & Associates, P.C., Pittsburgh, PA, 2008 – 2010

Professional/Civic Activities

• Allegheny County Bar Association, Construction Law Section- Council Member
• Allegheny County Bar Association, Construction Law Section-  and Civil Litigation Section
• Society of Construction Law North America
• American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law and Section of Litigation
• Pennsylvania Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section
• Ohio Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section

Honors

Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Edition 2015-2022.
* No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state receive the Rising Stars designation.

Representative Engagements

• Counsel for owner developer of a sodium hypochlorite (brine to bleach) manufacturing plant in obtaining an $18 million judgment in the Superior Court of Hudson County, New Jersey against a defaulting turnkey EPC contractor.
• Counsel for project manager in the drafting, negotiation and execution of master service, preferred vendor, project management, project planning and project development agreements for renovations, remodeling and ground up construction of full-service hotels, select service hotels, resorts, and adaptive reuse properties in excess of $100 million.
• Counsel for public entity during the performance of contract with design-build contractor for the implementation, integration, design and testing of a Positive Train Control (“PTC”) system in accordance with Federal Rail Administration commuter rail mandates.
• Counsel for a prime HVAC subcontractor pursuing a $20 million cumulative impact and delay claims against a construction manager and governmental organization in an international arbitration under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.
• First chair litigation counsel for design builder of multi-unit residential retail building in litigation arising out of bid contest and breach of contract claims filed by subcontractor.
• Counsel for JV contractor involving litigation for excess costs arising out of the construction of an 81-ft diameter and 115-ft deep unreinforced secant pile access shaft to remove and repair the cutter assembly of a disabled Tunnel Boring Machine.
• Counsel for a public entity negotiating takeover agreements with a surety for a defaulting contractor on capital infrastructure projects totaling $118 million.
• Counsel on a $3 million arbitration award including all attorney’s fees and costs on behalf of a design build subcontractor against the general contractor of a data center Project.
• Counsel for general prime contractor on multiple multi million-dollar middle school and high school renovation and ground up construction projects.
• Counsel for piping and maintenance services contractor in the drafting, negotiation and execution of master service agreement and Guaranteed Maximum Price contract with multiple commercial airlines for fuel hydrant relocation line construction at multiple international airports.
• Counsel for piping and maintenance services contractor in the drafting, negotiation and execution of construction and maintenance agreement with a midstream natural gas energy company for pipeline construction and storage facilities.
• Counsel for contractor in the drafting, negotiation and execution of construction contract for the expansion of the aircraft ramp and associated support facilities, including a fueling facility, a lavatory dump station, and ground equipment fueling facility at CLT International Airport.