 Frank H. Granito, III, the firm’s managing partner, received his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1981. From 1981 until his graduation from St. John's University School of Law in 1987, he was involved in managing Pilgrim Airlines, a regional air carrier that operated throughout the northeast and Canada. Mr. Granito was a member of the court-appointed Plaintiffs' Trial Committee in the multidistrict litigation arising out of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which obtained a jury verdict of willful misconduct against Pan Am after a 13 week trial on liability. Following the liability trial, Mr. Granito successfully litigated the damage phase of the Lockerbie litigation on behalf of the families of 60 victims of the disaster. In the aftermath of the Pan 103 litigation, the Speiser firm commenced an action against Libya on behalf of its Pan Am 103 clients pursuant to the anti-terrorism legislation that amended the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. As a member of the court appointed Plaintiffs' Committee, Mr. Granito met with representatives of the Libyan government in London, Paris and Tripoli and helped to negotiate the historic $2.7 billion settlement between the Pan Am 103 families and Libya. Frank and his father were awarded the 2009 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for their work on the Libya case.  Mr. Granito has served as a member of the Plaintiffs' Committee in the following multidistrict mass disaster litigations: Amtrak "Sunset Limited" Train Disaster, Mobile, Alabama (1993); TWA Flight 800, Long Island, New York (1996); Swiss Air Flight 111, Halifax, Nova Scotia (1998); Egyptair Flight 990, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (1999); Executive Airlines Jetstream Charter, Bear Creek, Pennsylvania (2000) and American Airlines Flight 587, Belle Harbor, New York (2001). Presently, Mr. Granito is a member of the Plaintiffs' Committee in the civil litigation arising out of the September 11, 2001 hijackings of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 that crashed into the World Trade Center Towers. He was an integral part of the litigation team that recovered $1.2 billion from American Airlines and United Airlines on behalf of certain insurance companies and business owners who suffered financial damages as consequence of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. He is currently involved in a number of high profile general aviation matters and rail disasters.
Mr. Granito is a frequent guest speaker at aviation conferences and has written numerous articles dealing with litigation issues pertaining to air law. He is also a guest lecturer at Fordham University School of Law and St. John's University School of Law and is frequently called upon by the print media and local and national television stations to offer his commentary on aviation matters. He serves on the Leadership Council of Franklin & Marshall College and the Parents Council at Drexel University. In addition, he serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council at St. John’s School of Law. Mr. Granito resides in New Canaan, Connecticut with his wife Monica and their five children. f3g@speiserkrause.com RYE BROOK OFFICE
800 Westchester Ave, Ste. S-608
Rye Brook, NY 10573 Telephone: 914.220.5333
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