# Robert W. Munley Jr

Robert William Munley Jr. (November 22, 1930 – November 30, 2019) was an American personal injury lawyer and the founder of Munley Law.

## Early life and education

Born on November 22, 1930, Munley was the son of Pennsylvania state representatives Robert W. Munley and Marion L. Munley, the first female officer of the Pennsylvania State Legislature.
Munley served in the United States Army during the Korean War. Following his service, he attended the University of Scranton and Temple University of Law, where he was a member of the Temple Law Review.

## Career

Munley was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1959 and served as an assistant district attorney for Lackawanna County before opening Munley Law with his brother, James Martin Munley who was the former Senior U.S. District judge.
In 1969, Munley ran for Lackawanna County District Attorney as a Democrat. He lost the race to Attorney Paul R. Mazzoni.
Munley served as president of both the Lackawanna County Bar Association as well as the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. He also served on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice. He was a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Society of Barristers.

## Notable Cases
### The Mid Valley Eight

On March 6, 1981, eight teenagers from the Mid Valley High School in Throop, PA, were killed after the driver lost control of the car and struck the guardrail, causing the vehicle to go airborne and land upside down in a gully. It was later discovered that the driver and passengers had been drinking alcohol at a party before the accident.
Representing the victims' families, Munley had filed a civil lawsuit against the parents of the teenage driver. The case went to trial, and a jury awarded the families a total verdict of $17.5 million -- at that time, one of the largest verdicts ever for a single-vehicle accident.

### O'Malley v. Peerless Petroleum

In June 1973, a plumber suffered severe burn injuries following a gas explosion while he was installing a sewer line at a client's home. It was later learned that a leak in the pipe at a service station owned by Peerless Petroleum caused 12,000 gallons of gasoline to escape in a 10-week period. Much of the gas had got into the sewer lines, resulting in the explosion.
Munley represented the plaintiff against the oil company in a personal injury lawsuit. Munley was able to prove that Peerless did not keep accurate records to discover the loss of the gasoline which led to the explosion. The sewer authority was also blamed for not listening to customers' complaints that they could smell gasoline coming from the sewer lines.
The jury found the defendants to be responsible for O'Malley's injuries and awarded $400,000.

## Award and recognition

* 1993 – Listed in the Best Lawyers in America
* Received board certification from the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
* 2020 – The American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group renamed its annual award from the Chairman's Award to the Robert W. Munley Pursuit of Justice Award in recognition of his pioneering work in truck accident law.

## Charity work

Munley offered scholarships to students pursuing careers in law at the University of Scranton, Marywood University, Landmark College, and Temple University Beasley School of Law. He was a supporter of Lackawanna Pro Bono, a non-profit organization that established the Robert W. Munley Distinguished Service Award in his name.

## Death

Mr. Munley passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2019, at the age of 89.