Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Frank Hastings III GRIFFIN
Frank Hastings "Terry" Griffin III, 62, of Devon, a lawyer who argued a landmark patent case before the U.S. Supreme Court, died Dec. 31 of heart failure at Paoli Hospital.
Mr. Griffin earned a law degree in 1974 from Villanova University, where he was editor of the law review. He then joined his father, F. Hastings Griffin Jr., at the law firm of Dechert, Price & Rhoads in Philadelphia and eventually became a partner. In 1987 he was founding partner of Gollatz, Griffin & Ewing. The firm has offices in West Chester and Philadelphia.
Mr. Griffin, whose practice included commercial and intellectual property law, served as national trial counsel and national defense counsel for companies involved in litigation involving asbestos and other toxic substances. "He was a brilliant trial lawyer," said his son Frank Hastings "T.J." Griffin IV, a lawyer.
In 1996, Mr. Griffin successfully argued a case, Markman v. Westview Instruments, before the Supreme Court. He represented Westview Instruments in a dispute involving interpretation of patents. The case was resolved when the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of a lower court, which had ruled that judges, not juries, would evaluate and decide the meaning of the words used in patent claims.
Mr. Griffin was an author and lecturer, taught continuing professional education courses, and coauthored a civil trial manual for the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Defense Research Institute and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.
A native of Wayne, Mr. Griffin was a graduate of Episcopal Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree from Washington & Lee University, where he was a member of the varsity football, wrestling and lacrosse teams. He received the school's most valuable athlete award in 1968.
During the Vietnam War, Mr. Griffin served in the Marine Corps as an artillery officer in the States and in the Middle East. He never forgot his beloved corps, his son said.
Mr. Griffin was an active member of the Radnor Hunt Club and for 18 years was the club's Master of the Hounds. His passions were horses and hounds, and though he stopped riding when he became ill, he continued to follow the hunt by car, his son said.
In addition to his father and son, Mr. Griffin is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jeffory Horning Griffin; a son James, a brother; and two sisters.
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