Matthew J. Siegel focuses his practice in the areas of cyber and technology risks, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage. He also co-chairs the firm’s Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Industry Team and is a member of the Technology Committee.
Matt has represented a wide variety of clients, including insurers, contractors, product manufacturers, and individuals, and concentrates his practice on complex litigation matters, including prosecuting and defending first- and third-party insurance coverage claims, construction claims, and commercial disputes. Matt has also counseled clients on the evaluation of data privacy risks, responses and solutions, and he serves as a breach coach, providing analysis and advice to address data breach events, including forensics, notification pursuant to federal and state laws, credit monitoring, and public relations issues. In addition to breach response, Matt has counseled insurers on the underwriting and coverage issues arising under cyber-risk policies.
Outside of the office, Matt is an active member of the community. He is the former vice president of the board of the Support Center for Child Advocates, a nonprofit organization that represents abused and neglected children in Philadelphia. He also serves as chair of the firm's child advocacy practice group and handles several cases for the Support Center. He has lectured at the center’s training program on several occasions, co-chairs the agency’s Volunteer Committee, and was named one of its Distinguished Advocates in 2006. Matt is also a former member of the board of directors of the Jewish Relief Agency, a nonprofit agency that provides food relief to thousands of local citizens in need.
Matt received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Colgate University in 1995. He earned his law degree, cum laude, at Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1998, where he served as an articles editor for the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review and was awarded the Barrister Award for achievement in the field of trial advocacy.
News
April 24, 2017
Joseph Gerber and Matthew Siegel were invited to present to two Insurance Contact classes at Temple on Cyber Security.
October 29, 2015
The judges of the First Judicial Distrct of PA will present pro bono service awards to 17 Cozen O'Connor attorneys who have handled pro bono matters this year in FJD courts.
February 17, 2015
In the article titled "The Cost of Cybersecurity: Risks and Responses on the Rise" in The Legal Intelligencer, Matthew Siegel of the Gloabl Insurance Department discusses the increased need for cyberinsurance. Matthew said, "said some insurance policies will provide for lawyers to serve as data breach coaches. Lawyers, he said, can play a lead role in assessing companies' incident response plans and helping put policies in place."
November 04, 2014
Sixteen Cozen O'Connor attorneys have been named to the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania's 2014 Pro Bono Roll of Honor. Each year, the pro bono committee of the First Judicial Court recognizes attorneys who have provided pro bono services to litigants in the Philadephia Courts. In order to be named to the Roll of Honor, an attorney must practice in Philadelphia County, must have provided services to a client in a case before the FJD, must not be employed by an organization whose primary purpose is the provision of free legal services to the underprivileged, and must have provided legal services with no expectation of receiving a fee.
May 09, 2013
In an article titled, "FBI: Delete Passwords of Ex-Employees," The Wall Street Journal highlights the firm's Cybersecurity Conference, held on Wednesday, May 8, at the W Hotel. Trevor Cloak, Joe Dever, Greg Fliszar, Brian Gillam, Steven Haas, Mike Schmidt, Stuart Shorenstein, Matthew Siegel, Ahren Tryon and Dave Walton presented during the seminar, along with Richard Aborn, President, Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and Austin P. Berglas, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Cyber, FBI New York Field Office. To read the WSJ article, click here.
April 16, 2012
Cozen O'Connor Joins Support Center for Child Advocates to Celebrate 35 Years of Child Advocacy
December 01, 2008
Nine attorneys from the firm’s Philadelphia office and two from the West Conshohocken office were named 2008 Pennsylvania ''Rising Stars'' by Law & Politics.
Publications
October 23, 2018
A California federal court recently held in Rushing v. Viacom, Inc. that an arbitration provision in Viacom’s End User License Agreement (“EULA”) was one click shy of enforceability, and denied the company’s motion to dismiss claims against it pending arbitration. Plaintiffs did not receive...
October 16, 2018
In the wake of the largest U.S. health care data breach in history, Anthem, Inc., has agreed to pay $16 million to the Office for Civil Rights, which is a record settlement for alleged HIPAA violations. According to the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS"), the previous high was a...
October 16, 2018
In the wake of the largest U.S. health care data breach in history, Anthem, Inc., has agreed to pay $16 million to the Office for Civil Rights, which is a record settlement for alleged HIPAA violations. According to the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS"), the previous high was a $5.55...
April 05, 2018
A federal court in Texas cut short a putative class action alleging violation of the truncation requirement under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), sending a clear message to plaintiffs that minor inconvenience flowing from a procedural violation of FACTA does not establish...
March 16, 2018
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) has given public companies a heads up on where the Commission is setting its sights in the ever-developing world of cybersecurity. Here’s what you need to know, and what you need to do, to stay on the right side of the SEC.
Public...
December 08, 2017
The European Union (EU) Parliament’s new data privacy law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is set to become enforceable in all EU member states on May 25, 2018, just six months from now. The GDPR replaces the former Data Protection Directive.
Among other things, the...
November 06, 2017
Take note GCs: The question is not if you will have to respond to a cybersecurity incident—the question is when. That was the message from speakers and panelists at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s annual meeting this year.
Indeed, the majority of all U.S. businesses have experienced at...
August 30, 2017
We recently wrote about a decision in Attias v. CareFirst, Inc., holding that a class of plaintiffs whose information was compromised in a cyberattack had sufficiently demonstrated standing to survive a motion to dismiss. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit now has added to the toolbox...
August 17, 2017
A recent federal appellate decision suggests that it might be getting easier for cyberattack plaintiffs to establish standing in a manner sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss. According to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, people whose personal information was...
April 12, 2017
Coca-Cola won big last month when it secured summary judgment in a privacy class action brought by a former bottling plant employee concerning compromised personal information. Hon. Joseph Leeson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found that Coca-Cola was not under any contractual...
March 31, 2017
Computers are involved at some point in almost every business transaction—that is the reality of life in the digital age. The implications of that fact are still being worked out with respect to the interpretation of insurance contract computer fraud provisions. This month, a judge in the...
March 15, 2017
A split continued to develop in the federal courts last month as the Fourth Circuit denied Article III standing to the plaintiffs in a data breach case whose alleged injuries were limited to the increased risk of future identity theft and the cost of measures to protect against it. The Fourth...
December 16, 2016
No business is too small to be the victim of a cyberattack. In fact, as larger companies invest more resources in cybersecurity, attackers are beginning to target smaller, less secure businesses. It is important for every small business to understand the risks and be prepared. To help, the...
November 17, 2016
A new federal mandate requires most commercial truck drivers to “go green” by trading in their old paper logs for electronic logging devices (ELDs) by December 18, 2017. Thought to affect roughly 3.5 million truck drivers, the new mandate is intended to increase driver compliance with federal...
August 26, 2016
On July 29, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”) reversed an FTC administrative law judge’s (“ALJ”) opinion which had ruled against the FTC, finding that the Commission had failed to show that LabMD’s conduct caused harm to consumers to satisfy requirements under Section 5 of...
August 18, 2016
Standing remains a high hurdle for individuals whose personal information is compromised as a result of a data breach but who cannot establish that the stolen information was actually used improperly. Class action claims against CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield related to a 2014 breach were...
June 16, 2016
In what is thought to be the first published decision in a cyber insurance coverage case, popular Chinese restaurant chain, P.F. Chang’s, was denied coverage for certain costs incurred as a result of a 2014 data breach. Unfortunate as it may be for P.F. Chang’s, this court ruling offers a...
May 18, 2016
Whether a plaintiff has standing to sue is a wellspring of dispute in the context of data breach cases, and in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, the U.S. Supreme Court recently made clear that the battle must be fought on two fronts. Whether suing individually or on behalf of a class, a plaintiff must...
April 13, 2016
On Monday, the Fourth Circuit held that Travelers must defend Portal Healthcare in a class action claim arising out of an alleged medical records data breach.
The class action, filed in New York state court in April 2013, alleges that Portal negligently failed to secure its server containing...
March 08, 2016
In what is quickly becoming one of the closest-watched cases in the country, Apple is now at loggerheads with the Department of Justice and FBI over its refusal to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.
The government has demanded that Apple provide technical assistance to...
October 08, 2013
The Property Adjuster’s Toolbox is a three-part webinar series presented by members of the firm’s Global Insurance Department. The presentations discuss the nuts and bolts of investigating and adjusting a claim under a first-party property insurance policy.
September 14, 2012
Sixth Circuit Confirms that Cybercrime is Crime... and Finds Coverage - Global Insurance Alert - On August 28, 2012, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a groundbreaking decision that sent shock waves through the world of cyber-risk insurance.
August 01, 2010
SHARING RISK: Indemnification can be a valuable tool for builders - Construction Today - a familiar scenario – you are the general contractor on a large commercial project; the cast of characters working with you is huge,
the relationships complex. As the general contractor, your primary responsibility is the coordination of the construction, including scheduling and logistics so the work of your subcontractors is carried out as efficiently and smoothly as possible
January 28, 2009
Dangerous Liaisons: What to Do Before Things Go Wrong - Constructor Magazine - An indemnification or hold- harmless clause in a construction contract shifts liability and protects parties involved in the agreement.
Take a typical scenario: an owner hires an architect and a general contractor to design and build an addition. The general contractor hires various subcontractors. During construction, a collapse occurs, causing extensive damage and injuries. The injured workers file lawsuits against the owner, architect, GC and various subs.
December 01, 2007
Are You Really Covered By Your Insurance? - STRUCTURE - Engineers and other entities in the construction industry must understand their policies, the extent of the coverage provided, the effects of various exclusions in the polices and the duties arising under the policies and applicable contracts (in terms of defending or indemnifying another contractor or subcontractor) in order to adequately protect themselves when a catastrophic event occurs during construction.
Events & Seminars
Past Events
October 10, 2017 - Indianapolis, IN
October 27, 2016 - Philadelphia, PA
October 06, 2016 - Philadelphia, PA
March 22, 2016 - Philadelphia, PA
November 19, 2015 - New York, NY
October 02, 2015 - New York, NY
July 23, 2015 - Philadelphia, PA
May 07, 2015 - West Conshohocken, PA
November 13, 2014 - Philadelphia, PA
October 23, 2014 - New York, NY
October 09, 2014 - Webinar
April 17, 2014 - New York, NY
February 27, 2014 - New York, NY
January 15, 2014 - Philadelphia, PA
November 22, 2013 - Florham Park, NJ
October 09, 2013 - New York, NY
October 01, 2013 - Webinar
June 20, 2013 - New York, NY
May 08, 2013 - New York, NY
February 12, 2013 - New York, NY