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Reform
Lawsuit: Kickstand deployed on e-bike, causing crash in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH - A sudden jolt from a kickstand sent an e-bike and its rider into a curb, an Allegheny County lawsuit says.
Reform
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.
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PCCJR asks state Supreme Court committee for report on impact of med-mal venue rule change
HARRISBURG – A legal reform group has asked a Supreme Court of Pennsylvania committee to immediately issue a report on the impact of its decision to allow plaintiffs greater flexibility in where to file medical malpractice cases, nearly six months after the rule change went into effect.
Reform
Pa. Supreme Court: Only concealment of cause can toll statute of limitations in wrongful death suits
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act’s two-year statute of limitations for survival and wrongful death litigation against health care companies is now tougher to circumvent.
Reform
Pa. courts move up to No. 2 ranking on ATRA's 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 garnered the No. 2 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses – moving up two places from the fourth spot on the list, where they had been ranked last year.
Reform
Health care officials testify that med-mal venue rules rescission may cause another liability crisis
HARRISBURG – A group of health care officials testified before a complement of Republican state congressional representatives on Monday that a recent Supreme Court of Pennsylvania committee decision to allow plaintiffs greater flexibility in where to file medical malpractice cases, may have the ability to create another medical liability crisis statewide.
Reform
Pa. Supreme Court rolls back med-mal venue rules, allowing plaintiffs greater filing leeway
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Civil Procedural Rules Committee has green-lit standards allowing plaintiffs statewide greater leeway in where to file medical malpractice liability cases, a move cheered by personal injury attorneys and criticized by health care and business interests.
Reform
Policy group advocates Pa. Supreme Court to adopt 1:1 ratio cap on punitive damages
WASHINGTON – A nonprofit, public-interest law firm and policy center has suggested the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania follow the example of the U.S. Supreme Court, and adopt a proportional cap on the subject of punitive damages.
Reform
U.S. Supreme Court declines to review GOP challenge to recent selection of Pa. congressional map
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court has refuted a call from Pennsylvania Republicans to involve itself in the contested political battle surrounding the state’s newly selected congressional map.
Reform
Pa. courts drop from the top to No. 4 ranking on ATRA's annual 'Judicial Hellholes' list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released today by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have garnered the No. 4 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses – falling three places from the top spot on the report, where they had been listed for the preceding two years.
Reform
For-profit schools in FTC's crosshairs, but some wondering why
WASHINGTON – The Federal Trade Commission has announced a new initiative to penalize for-profit colleges and universities for making misleading claims about their graduates’ job placement and earning prospects with sizable sanctions - leading to concerns from the industry that no actual findings of wrongdoing have been alleged.
Reform
After limits to executive power, Gov. Wolf will have to work with lawmakers more
HARRISBURG – After Pennsylvania voters in last month’s primary election opted to amend the state constitution and limit emergency declaration powers for Gov. Tom Wolf and all future state governors, a Philadelphia attorney says that the move will compel cooperation between the executive and legislature branches.
Reform
Inspector General report says 'no executive oversight' led to failure of proposed amendment for sex abuse victims
HARRISBURG – A new report from the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) credits a “lack of executive oversight” as the chief reason why a state constitutional amendment which would have retroactively extended the timeline for victims to file civil actions against their abusers, stalled in a procedural snafu that won’t see it be considered as a ballot question until 2023 at the earliest.
Reform
After botching, constitutional amendment helping church sex abuse victims could have new path to law
HARRISBURG – A state constitutional amendment which would retroactively extend the timeline for victims to file civil actions against their abusers, stalled in a procedural snafu that cost the former Secretary of the Commonwealth her job, may see new life and its place on the May primary election ballot restored, as an emergency amendment.
Reform
'Beyond disappointing': Boockvar's error leads to her resignation, more delay for priest abuse victims
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar will resign her post this Friday, after Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration revealed that the Department of State failed to advertise a proposed constitutional amendment that would retroactively extend the timeline for victims to file civil actions against their abusers.
Reform
Plaintiffs lawyer rips colleagues over multidistrict litigation fees, pressure tactics
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - Federal multidistrict litigation, a procedure intended to resolve mass-tort lawsuits fairly and efficiently, has mutated into an unethical moneymaking machine for lawyers that is badly in need of reform, a prominent plaintiff attorney says as he prepares to lobby for changes.
Reform
Philadelphia remains the No. 1 'Judicial Hellhole,' now joined by Pa. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – In the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released today by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have taken the No. 1 ranking for the second consecutive year – due to high-dollar mass tort verdicts, expanding medical liability litigation and a lower reliability standard for expert witness evidence, among other issues.
Reform
Pa. groups call for protection from coronavirus lawsuits for health care, reopened businesses
HARRISBURG – Leaders of multiple entities representing legal reform, business and health care interests statewide are pushing for the provision of safe harbor professional liability protections from the state to individuals and businesses responding to the coronavirus pandemic, in order for the state economy to quicken its recovery once the state re-opens.
Reform
Pennsylvania leaders haven't protected health care providers from coronavirus lawsuits
HARRISBURG – As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Pennsylvania lawmakers are being called out by a civil justice reform group for not following the example of other states and providing legal immunity for those responding to the crisis.
Reform
A year of study and Senate still unsure about changing rules for medical-malpractice lawsuits
HARRISBURG – After nearly a full of year of study, a bipartisan Pennsylvania Senate Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) report released Monday on the effects of changing current medical malpractice litigation venue rules came to no specific conclusion on the potential impacts of such a proposal.