Elizabeth Horneff

Elizabeth Horneff is a partner in the Philadelphia office. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Elizabeth took a position with a New York-based design team that worked with real estate developers who were creating food courts in shopping malls. The job introduced her to the world of construction, from conceptualization through operation. After several years of developing projects in the United States and Canada, Elizabeth went to law school, planning to apply what she had learned in the field to the practice of insurance defense.

When Elizabeth joined Margolis Edelstein, she was assigned to the Meridian Fire Litigation, which lasted almost two years. After that, she developed her practice with a concentration on fire-related claims and all things construction, including design and construction defects, OSHA compliance and defense of construction-related personal injury claims.

She successfully defended a mechanical contractor in litigation after a devastating fire during renovation of Central Synagogue in New York City, the nation’s oldest continuously operating synagogue. More recently, she defended a Canada-based curtain wall designer and fabricator in a case of alleged construction defect involving one of Philadelphia’s most prominent condominium conversion projects. She successfully defended a Delaware consulting firm accused of fraud and misrepresentation in evaluating and remediating mold in stucco-clad structures. Her practice also includes all aspects of premises liability, including security and liquor liability.

Honors

•AV Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated

Speaking Engagements

•“Finding Subrogation Potential in SIU Fire Investigations,” Inter-Market Training to Special Investigation Units
•“Protecting Legal Remedies and Preserving Evidence in Fire Scene Investigations,” Montgomery County Community College Fire School/Fire Origin & Cause Continuing Education
•“Finding Subrogation Potential in Arson Investigations,” PBI - Subrogation CLE Seminar
•“Developments in First-Party Property Litigation,” ACE/ESIS Continuing Education Seminar

News & Case Results

Preliminary Objections Sustained in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Dismissing Sixth Amended Complaint with Prejudice

Philadelphia Trial Court Dismisses Claims in Construction Site Fall Case

Elizabeth Horneff Secures Trial Victory For Scrap Contractor Accused Of Causing Industrial Fire

Defense Verdict for Elizabeth Horneff in Premises Liability Case