By Tony Farina
Like just about all of us, Ross Cellino has had his share of ups and downs but the personal injury law firm he oversees with a staff of 100 including 29 lawyers is still thriving, returning big numbers to clients, and Cellino Law has rebounded from the Covid-19 slowdown and, as Ross puts it, “is going well now,” with offices across the state and in Connecticut.
![Judge skerda said she had no jurisdictionjudge skerda said she had no jurisdiction artvoice <p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">warren County Pa in Part 1 of This Series We Reported That Senior Judge Maureen Skerda Dismissed Jerry Sanduskys Pcra Petition on February 27 2026 Without Issuing the Rule 907 Notice That Pennsylvania Law Requires Before a Petition Can Be Dismissed Without a Hearing That Violation Alone Will Likely Result in a Remand and a Delay of One to Two Years Before Any Court Hears the Merits</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">the Rule 907 Violation is Not the Only Issue with Skerdas Eleven page Order the Substance of the Ruling is As Lawless As the Procedure</p>
<h2 Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">she Declared It Untimely then Ruled on the Merits Anyway</h2>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">ethically challenged Judge Skerda Ruled the Petition Was Filed Too Late She Set the Deadline at 2022 the Defense Filed in 2026 That Gave Her the Excuse to Refuse to Hear It</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">having Declared She Lacked Jurisdiction She then Spent Seven Pages Ruling on Every Claim Substantively a Judge Who Believes She Has No Jurisdiction Does Not Write Seven Pages of Merits Analysis She Does So Because She Wants to Foreclose the Arguments on Both Procedural and Substantive Grounds Simultaneously So That if the Superior Court Disagrees on Timeliness Her Merits Rulings Are Already in the Record</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">it is a Form of Sandbagging She Built a Fallback Position into a Ruling Premised on the Claim That She Had No Authority to Rule</p>
<h2 Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">she Dismissed a Recantation She Never Heard</h2>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">ryan Rittmeyer Identified in the Ruling As rr and Known at Trial As Victim 10 Signed <a Href="https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/a-ryan-rittmeyer-affidavit-june-30-2025.pdf">an Affidavit Under Penalty of Perjury</a> on June 30 2025 He Stated That His Trial Testimony Was Shaped by Prosecutors Influences Rather Than Personal Experience He Described Six hour Preparation Sessions in Which Prosecutors Asked Him to Reframe His Account Until It Aligned with What They Wanted He Said He Was Told a Civil Settlement Would Enrich Him</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">for Once the Prosecutors Frank Fina and the Late Joseph Mcgettigan Did Not Lie Rittmeyer Received Million</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">skerda Ruled That the Defense Failed to Exercise Due Diligence Because Rittmeyer was Involved After the Criminal Trial with Civil Litigation Which Resulted in a Substantial Settlement in This Matter Her Reasoning Because Rittmeyer Had Received Money the Defense Should Have Obtained His Recantation Sooner</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">this is the Absurdity That is Maureen Skerda One of the Most Incompetent and Dishonest Judges on the Bench</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">the Defense Cannot Compel a Witness to Recant Rittmeyer Recanted when Rittmeyer Was Ready to Recant Skerdas Ruling Treats a Witnesss Moral Decision As a Failure of the Defenses Legal Diligence</p>
<img Class="size-medium Wp-image-263186 Aligncenter" Src="https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/83823a8b-1119-45fd-ab93-5c41b0046d8b-300x215.jpeg" Alt="" Width="300" Height="215" />
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">second She Wrote That the Result of the Trial Was Based on Overwhelming Evidence and Thus the Newly Discovered Evidence Would Most Likely Not Change the Outcome of the Trial</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">she Made That Determination Without Hearing from Rittmeyer Without Hearing from His Wife She Evaluated the Weight of Testimony She Refused to Receive Assessed the Credibility of a Witness She Declined to See and Concluded It Would Not Matter</p>
<p Class="font-claude-response-body Break-words Whitespace-normal Leading-[1.7]">she Ruled His Testimony Would Not Have Changed the Verdict She Never Heard His Testimony</p>
<img Class="size-medium Wp-image-263187" Src="https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/8d089779-6a43-4017-a2ff-ed31f16b6f89-300x206.jpeg" Alt="" Width="300" Height="206" />
<a Href="https://frankreport.com/2026/03/03/judge-skerdas-lawless-dismissal-of-sandusky-pcra-a-ruling-designed-to-run-out-the-clock-on-a-man-she-hopes-will-die-in-prison/">see Part 1 </a> <a Href="https://frankreport.com/2026/03/03/judge-skerdas-lawless-dismissal-of-sandusky-pcra-a-ruling-designed-to-run-out-the-clock-on-a-man-she-hopes-will-die-in-prison/"><strong>judge Skerdas Lawless Dismissal of Sandusky Pcra a Ruling Designed to Run out the Clock on a Man She Hopes Will Die in Prison</strong></a>
see Also
<p Id="_axqoabkhjokcm9cpn5ffsam_48" Class="lc20lb Mbeuo Dkv0md"><a Href="https://artvoice.com/2025/10/10/jerry-sandusky-a-man-still-walking-the-second-mile/">jerry Sandusky a Man Still Walking the Second Mile</a></p>
<a Href="https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/a-ryan-rittmeyer-affidavit-june-30-2025.pdf">ryan Rittmeyer Affidavit June 30 2025</a>
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Ross Cellino is slowly maturing into senior citizen status but he is still youthful and fit as he welcomes this interviewer into Cellino Law headquarters located in the more than 100-year-old Knox Mansion at 800 Delaware Ave. that Ross purchased from CTG (formerly Computer Task Group) in 2020 for $2.5 million and invested another $2-plus million to fully restore the French Renaissance mansion. I guess things are going well, Ross.

“I’m a Buffalo guy,” Cellino said, about the purchase of 48,000-square-foot marvel built for the widow of Seymour H. Knox, the owner and founder of the S. H. Knox Co. 5 and 10 Cent Stores, and completed in 1918. “I know how much this incredible, historic building means to the people of Buffalo and I thought it would be perfect in all respects for our corporate headquarters and we have tours on weekends so folks can see just how spectacular the building still is.” Ross’s brother, retired doctor Michael Cellino, conducts the tours and does a fantastic job with all the history. I’ve seen it firsthand and give it five stars out of five.
Of course, everyone knows the financial success of Cellino and his late former partner, Steve Barnes, that began with Cellino and Barnes in 1995 and their incredible marketing jingle strategy which poured most of their returns into advertising, keeping only $500 a week for salary for many, many years.
Inspired by inspirational speaker Tony Robbins on the radio while on driving trips to Hilton Head, S. C. with his wife and six children, four of them now with the firm, Ross believed from listening to Robbins that he didn’t need years of experience to find the right path to success, just a model, and he found just the right model in New Orleans personal injury lawyer Morris Bart who started the television ads for lawyers that were hugely successful.

Cellino and Barnes followed Bart’s marketing strategy and built a personal injury juggernaut firm that earned millions before their eventual and much-publicized breakup in 2020.
“I believe in jury verdicts,” says Ross today, recalling a case where the insurance company offered $50,000 and he persuaded his client to take his case to a jury where he was awarded $1.1 million. In another case
In another case, a young man in a rental car suffered brain damage and was awarded close to $50 million after a two-week trial by a jury before the law was changed limiting rental car liability to New York State’s ridiculously low liability insurance of $25,000. Under current law a person with the same insurance would be limited to 25,000 which would not cover more than a few days in the hospital. “Largest ever,” Ross recalls, a small victory smile lighting up his face.

The testimonials for Cellino Law tell the story of a firm that gets huge results for its clients.
Here’s a small sample of reviews: Maddie Boudreau says Cellino Law worked hard to get her the settlement she deserved as quickly as possible. Hula Hugg says firm took time to know her and make her feel comfortable. Another review says the firm cares about their clients and gets the job done. There are many more positive reviews available for Cellino Law, certainly something to consider in researching what law firm can give you the best results.
Here’s something else to consider when looking for a personal injury attorney: Ross Cellino and his team have recovered over $2 billion dollars for clients. That’s perhaps the best testimonial of all in looking for a lawyer to help you recover what you deserve.
Calls to Cellino Law at 888-888-8888 get case by case review by legal staff and Ross personally oversee the potentially biggest cases to make sure things move in the right direction for the clients.
If you are injured it makes sense to make the right call to get an experienced firm that has been hugely successful in winning verdicts and settlements for their clients over a number of years.
You can go to the website to arrange a free tour of the magnificent Knox Mansion and see where Cellino Law is based. Seems like Cellino Law has the experienced staff and lawyers to give your case a thorough and free evaluation and let you take it from there.

