Ronald J. Fonner

Partner

    Contact Information

  • Location: Greensburg
  • Office Phone: 888-534-6016
  • Fax: 724-837-1348
  • Email: rjf@qrlegal.com
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Biography

Ronald J. Fonner is a partner at the firm, concentrating his practice on Workers’ Compensation and exclusively representing injured workers. Ron is certified by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as a Workers’ Compensation Specialist, a distinction for attorneys who: devote at least 50% of their practice to Workers’ Compensation law; pass an examination; and re-certify every five years. He represents workers from a variety of industries. Their injuries range from one-time accidents, such as a crushed arm or back injury, to cumulative injuries like hearing loss and carpel tunnel.

Ron successfully argued that the worker’s wages should be calculated by pay at the time of injury, not at some other point during employment, establishing a higher average weekly wage (AWW) for his client in Lidey vs. WCAB, Tropical Amusements, Inc, 726 CD 2017 (Pa. Cmwlth.2017). In Helvetia Coal Co. v. WCAB (Learn), 913 A .2d 326 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006), Ron secured benefits for a client who suffered permanent hearing loss due to occupational noise.

Within one year of admission to the Pennsylvania Bar, Ron prepared the brief for, argued and won the Pennsylvania Supreme Court case of Lumax Industries v. Aultman. The case involved corporate issues and “piercing the corporate veil.” The plaintiff had entered into a business agreement with a corporation of which Ron’s client was the sole shareholder. Although the agreement was with the corporation, the plaintiff attempted to hold our client personally liable for debts of the corporation. The lower courts held that the plaintiff could hold our client liable for the debts of corporation.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the decision, holding that our client was entitled to immunity from liability since the agreement was with the corporation, and the client was merely a shareholder of the corporation. Ron convinced the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reverse the lower courts’ decisions involving shareholder liability of a corporation’s debts.

Ron received his B.A., in economics, magna cum laude, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and his J.D. from Duquesne University in 1994, where he was a contributor to the Duquesne Law Review.

A member of the Westmoreland Bar Association (WBA), Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA), and Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), Ron has held numerous leadership positions. He is a Council Member and Chair-Elect of the PBA Workers’ Compensation Section and a past Chair of the ACBA Workers’ Compensation Section. He serves as Province President (covering Western and Central Pennsylvania and West Virginia) for Phi Delta Phi, an international legal fraternity that promotes professional ethics in the field of law. He has been recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2011.

Born in Greensburg, Ron currently resides in Penn Township.

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania, 1994
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 1994
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 1998
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2005

Education

  • J.D., Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University (formerly Duquesne University School of Law), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1994
  • B.A., Economics, magna cum laude, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, 1989

Representative Cases

Honors and Awards

  • Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, 2011-present

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Westmoreland Bar Association
  • Allegheny County Bar Association
    • Workers’ Compensation Section Chair, 2020-2021
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
    • Workers’ Compensation Section, Council member & Chair-Elect, 2024
  • Phi Delta Phi
    • Providence President, 1996 – Present

Pro Bono and Community Activities

  • Westmoreland County Pro Bono, 1996
  • Fraternities/Sororities include Phi Delta Phi, Alpha Phi Omega, and Pi Gamma Mu