Lawsuits
Teacher with MS says school failed to accommodate her condition, then forced her to resign
PITTSBURGH – A Western Pennsylvania educator claims the school which employed her both failed to accommodate her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and then forced her to resign from her position.
State AG
Mariner Finance, targeted by AGs, says lawsuit is 'a misunderstanding of the law'
Lawsuits
Mom says Dover Area school staff affirmed her daughter’s gender without telling her
HARRISBURG – A Dover Area School District parent alleges that District personnel affirmed her 14-year-old daughter as a boy and referred to her by another name, without notifying the plaintiff.
Federal Court
City of Philadelphia wants to dismiss 'vague' civil rights lawsuit from transgender firefighter
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia is looking to dismiss litigation from a transgender Philadelphia firefighter, who said she was blocked from gaining insurance benefits to pay for her gender-affirmation surgeries and subsequently became suicidal.
Today, the Fair Share Act’s name is a misnomer
State Court
Company named in propane tank explosion case rejects cross-claims from co-defendants
PITTSBURGH – One company named in a product liability action by a group of plaintiffs severely burned in a propane tank explosion and two of their spouses, have denied claims from their co-defendants that they were liable for the incident.
Federal Court
Philly man allegedly burned by exploding candle settles personal injury lawsuit
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia man’s lawsuit claiming that a candle he had lit nearly three years ago caught fire and ignited in an explosive fashion – causing him to suffer severe burns to his fingers, hands and arms – has been settled, after a successful arbitration session.
Federal Court
Wind Creek Bethlehem looking to strike negligence and punitive damages from excessive force case
ALLENTOWN – After the father of an intoxicated man trying to find their hotel room claimed Bethlehem Police Department officers assaulted him when they confronted the duo, Wind Creek Bethlehem Hotel & Casino counters that the plaintiff had not properly pled allegations of negligence or to support a request for punitive damages.
State Court
Parents of girl who broke wrist and forearm at camp settle claims for $100K
SCRANTON – The parents of a 12-year-old girl who suffered a broken wrist and forearm due to a fall on the uneven bars at a Pennsylvania camp, have settled their injury-related damages with the camp for $100,000.
Lawsuits
Suit: Philadelphia police officers failed to prevent man's death from overdose in custody
PHILADELPHIA – The widow of a 44-year-old man who died of a drug overdose while in custody of the Philadelphia Police Department two-and-a-half years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two Department officers, charging they failed to take procedural steps which may have saved her late husband’s life.
Lawsuits
Class action complaint alleges GM, OnStar and LexisNexis sold driver data to third parties
SCRANTON – A Pennsylvania man alleges that collective conduct between General Motors, OnStar and LexisNexis resulted in driver behavior data being collected without drivers’ knowledge, consent or compensation – data which is then allegedly sold to automobile insurers, who in turn will set or increase drivers’ quotes or premiums based on the data.
State Court
Man who fell through Giant Eagle store floor wants Court to transfer his case to arbitration
PITTSBURGH – Counsel for a local man is seeking a state court to transfer to arbitration its case against a Giant Eagle supermarket in Export, where their client alleged he fell through an exposed section of the store flooring during a shopping trip.
State Court
Nursing care facility death case defendants called upon to participate in discovery
LANCASTER – After a woman who was a resident of the Hamilton Arms Center skilled nursing facility for two months died in June of last year, her daughter has argued the facility is directly responsible for the events in question and is now seeking to compel it to fully participate in case discovery.
State Court
Rhonda Wright sues Trinity Health Mid Atlantic Medical Group and others for alleged negligence in medical care
Rhonda Wright, represented by attorney Piayon Lassanah of Kannah & Lassanah LLC, has filed a lawsuit against Trinity Health Mid Atlantic Medical Group d/b/a Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Statesman Health and Rehabilitation Center, LLC, Saber Healthcare Group, Saber Healthcare Holdings, LLC, Delaware County and John/Jane Does 1 through 10.
Teacher with MS says school failed to accommodate her condition, then forced her to resign
PITTSBURGH – A Western Pennsylvania educator claims the school which employed her both failed to accommodate her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis and then forced her to resign from her position.
Police tased and permanently blinded toddler, lawsuit claims
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia woman alleges that a pair of Philadelphia police officers who were investigating a domestic incident in the vicinity of her apartment, indiscriminately fired their energy weapons and struck her two-year-old son in the chest and eye, causing him permanent blindness and other injuries.
Suit: Philadelphia police officers failed to prevent man's death from overdose in custody
PHILADELPHIA – The widow of a 44-year-old man who died of a drug overdose while in custody of the Philadelphia Police Department two-and-a-half years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two Department officers, charging they failed to take procedural steps which may have saved her late husband’s life.
Class action complaint alleges GM, OnStar and LexisNexis sold driver data to third parties
SCRANTON – A Pennsylvania man alleges that collective conduct between General Motors, OnStar and LexisNexis resulted in driver behavior data being collected without drivers’ knowledge, consent or compensation – data which is then allegedly sold to automobile insurers, who in turn will set or increase drivers’ quotes or premiums based on the data.
Former Yeadon councilwoman files defamation lawsuit versus the borough, mayor and council members
MEDIA – A former Yeadon Borough councilwoman has sued the Borough’s current leadership, alleging that the defendants repeatedly defamed her in both public and private settings, causing harm to her reputation and standing in the community.
Allegheny County Sheriff's Office employee loses religious exemption case over COVID vax
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County and its Sheriff’s Office have won dismissal of litigation which alleged that they failed to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs of one of its employees, when it mandated obtaining vaccination against COVID-19.
Fired Union County library employee settles case over religious exemption from wearing masks
WILLIAMSPORT – A former public library employee in Lewisburg who alleged her Christian beliefs were the determinative factor in the library’s decision to terminate her employment, when she sought a religious exemption to its mandatory mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, has settled her claims.
Family of inmate about to be released after 45 years only to die of COVID-19 drops case
PHILADELPHIA – The family of a man who died from COVID-19 shortly before he was to be released from prison after more than four decades and sued state officials for not approving the decedent’s pardon in a timely manner, allegedly leaving him at greater risk for contracting the virus and causing his death, have voluntarily and mutually dismissed their case alongside the defendants.
AG Michelle Henry: ‘The FTC and Congress must act to ensure fulsome regulation of PBMs nationwide’
State Attorney General Michelle Henry (D-Pennsylvania) sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership this week saying Congress should “act to ensure fulsome regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Philly wins dismissal of RFK Jr.-chaired nonprofit's case against COVID child vax measures
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has won dismissal of litigation from a California nonprofit group chaired by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. concerning allegations that the City was vaccinating young children against COVID-19 without parental consent, for a lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
Registered trademark litigation continues to have education law-based firms at odds
PHILADELPHIA – A local law firm continues to seek review of an order which struck down its attempt to cancel a Bucks County-based firm’s trademark surrounding the phrase “Education Lawyers," in reference to both of their areas of legal expertise.
Pa. state senator Boscola appeals judge's ruling in defamation suit
PITTSBURGH – A Pennsylvania state senator facing defamation allegations from an energy company president has appealed a judge’s denial of her preliminary objections to the Commonwealth Court.
Third Circuit cites no jurisdiction for insurer's appeal over asbestos litigation costs
PHILADELPHIA – Citing a lack of jurisdiction, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against an insurance company’s appeal connected to the costs it incurred in asbestos litigation from one of its customers.
Company named in propane tank explosion case rejects cross-claims from co-defendants
PITTSBURGH – One company named in a product liability action by a group of plaintiffs severely burned in a propane tank explosion and two of their spouses, have denied claims from their co-defendants that they were liable for the incident.
Postal worker holds true to claims that multi-unit mailbox fell and hit her in the chest
PITTSBURGH – A Western Pennsylvania woman has reiterated claims that she was injured during her postal rounds, when an unsecured multi-unit mailbox fell and struck her in the chest.
Wind Creek Bethlehem looking to strike negligence and punitive damages from excessive force case
ALLENTOWN – After the father of an intoxicated man trying to find their hotel room claimed Bethlehem Police Department officers assaulted him when they confronted the duo, Wind Creek Bethlehem Hotel & Casino counters that the plaintiff had not properly pled allegations of negligence or to support a request for punitive damages.
Pa. courts tie for No. 1 ranking on annual 'Judicial Hellholes' report list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have tied with Georgia for the No. 1 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses.
DOJ nets $28M financial penalty against Warren Buffett-owned mortgage lender for redlining
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has handed down a fine in excess of $28 million to a Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire Warren Buffet, which it says engaged in discriminatory lending practices to prospective homeowners who are Black and Latino.