We mourn the loss of our dear friend and founding partners, Angelo L. Scaricamazza, Jr., (1950-2020)

Angelo L. Scaricamazza, Jr., (1950-2020) passed away at the age of 70 on December 2, 2020. He was a beloved son, husband, father, brother and uncle to his family, a kind and generous leader to his fellow attorneys and a dear friend to many more.

Angelo was raised in South Philadelphia where his parents Angelo and Victoria met and married. Growing up, Angelo spent his summers at the Jersey Shore with his family, and in his teenage years, he was a lifeguard on the beaches of Wildwood, NJ. In the years that followed, Angelo loved hosting get-togethers in Longport, NJ with his family and friends.

In 1972, Angelo graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts, and he subsequently earned his Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in 1975. Angelo began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable James C. Crumlish, Jr., President Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1976. He next served as law clerk for the Honorable James R. Cavanaugh, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County from 1976 to 1977.

In 1977, Angelo joined what was then known as the Law Offices of John F. Naulty, Esquire where he began his life-long career in civil litigation defense. In 1979, His long-time partner and friend Francis T. McDevitt joined him at Naulty – Angelo and Frank having both clerked for Judge Cavanaugh. In 1982, Mr. Naulty, Angelo and Frank formed the partnership of Naulty, Scaricamazza & McDevitt, LLC – a name which has remained ever since. Through the 1980s, Angelo’s long-time colleagues and friends William G. Cilingin and Gerard X. Smith joined the partnership.

In the decades that followed, Angelo led his firm to growth and prosperity. The attorneys that joined the firm over the years all benefitted from Angelo’s guidance and leadership. He was a great friend to his partners and a great mentor to the younger attorneys. Angelo was well loved by all his staff who knew him as a generous and considerate man who would always listen to their concerns. The firm was filled with love from the atmosphere he created.

In the courtroom, Angelo was at the forefront of several key legal opinions and verdicts in Pennsylvania. In 1993, he obtained the first judgment in favor of a defendant involving a special issue of spoliation. He established a new precedent in products liability law for modifications of a product by a plaintiff’s employer. Angelo obtained one of the first verdicts on the statute of repose for products liability in Pennsylvania, and he served as counsel for the New York Post in the Jessica Savitch wrongful death lawsuit.

Angelo was also an active leader in many legal organizations. He served as a Member, Vice-Chair and Chair of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1996 through 2002. Angelo was a member of the House of Delegates for the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and he served as President for the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (PADC). Angelo served as an elected member on the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association from 1996 to 2000. He served six years as a member on the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, and he was an active member of the Defense Research Institute.

Angelo was well-known and respected in the legal community at large, and he was a regular presence in the courthouses of the greater Philadelphia area. He frequently lectured for the Philadelphia Claims Association, the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He was recognized by his peers with commendations in Super Lawyers magazine on many occasions. Angelo also provided pro bono service for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Volunteers for the Indigent (VIP) program.

In his personal life, Angelo was an avid Philadelphia sports fan. He was ecstatic to have been at the 2008 Phillies World Series victory, and he and his colleagues and friends shared a great time at the victory parade outside the office not long thereafter. Angelo also coached both baseball and basketball youth leagues in Radnor Township. When his son Scotty took-up lacrosse in high school, Angelo became an expert on the sport and enjoyed attending all of his son’s games.

He will be missed and remembered always.

Angelo is survived by his beloved wife Lorraine Scaricamazza (née Connell), his son Angelo L. Scaricamazza III, his sister Victoria Celotto, his sister-in-law Gale DeRubeis, his nieces Christine Celotto, Christine (Jacobus) Van Zyl and Angela DeRubeis, his great-niece Gianna Pilotti and his great-nephew Ethan Van Zyl.