John O'Brien News
Supreme Court says those with no biological link to child can show intent to be its parent
PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has added a new way to become a parent, in a case concerning divorced lesbians who, now, share a child.
States lose consumer protection claims in FTC's antitrust case against Amazon
SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - The federal judge handling the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Amazon won't let certain claims from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to continue.
Inquirer data breach settlement finalized; $175K for lawyers
PHILADELPHIA - A federal judge has given final approval to a $525,000 class action settlement in a lawsuit over a data breach at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hockey tournament company can't be sued after player walks into duck sign at hotel
PITTSBURGH - The organizer of youth hockey tournaments has defeated a lawsuit brought by a player injured at his hotel by a joke "Duck Crossing" sign.
Harvard morgue manager, charged with selling body parts, says they aren't 'merchandise'
WILLIAMSPORT - The criminal case of the former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School accused of selling pieces of dead bodies asks the question of whether human remains can be considered "goods."
Lawmaker wants climate cost study, while Big Oil preps for big hearing in Bucks County case
HARRISBURG - As the oil industry urges a Pennsylvania judge to toss a climate change lawsuit that Bucks County hopes will provide money for updates, one Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to commission a study on the costs associated with global warming.
Three sex-trafficking victims settle lawsuits against hotels for $17.5M
PHILADELPHIA - Victims of sex-trafficking at Philadelphia hotels have won $17.5 million in settlements after filing suit in 2022.
New Jersey agency can't be dragged into Pa. court, Supreme Court holds
PHILADELPHIA - Pennsylvania isn't the place for a lawsuit against a New Jersey agency, the state Supreme Court recently ruled.
Judge finds no sin in Villanova's firing of non-Catholic Black woman
PHILADELPHIA - Villanova University has defeated a discrimination lawsuit from a fired non-Catholic Black employee who, among her allegations, cried racism when discussing a painting it commissioned depicting Saint Augustine as Black.
Hundreds of employees at TEKsystems grouped into four overtime pay class actions
PITTSBURGH - A federal judge's ruling raises the stakes on a labor lawsuit against a global business and technology firm.
Plaintiff lawyers want judge off Zantac cases, but wife's job-switch could stonewall effort
PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia judge with a reputation for keeping "junk science" out of his court is resisting calls from plaintiff lawyers with questionable evidence in Zantac cases to step down.
Man beaten, paralyzed in prison loses lawsuit against Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - The City of Philadelphia won't be penalized for a prison attack that left one man paralyzed.
Columbia gas customers not on hook for the $300K it would cost to serve one customer
HARRISBURG - A Fayette County funeral home is losing its natural gas as it tries to expand its operation to include a crematory and heat for available apartments on the property.
'Historic' case over future of Pa. elections tossed
HARRISBURG - A group hoping to show Pennsylvania does not properly handle federal elections has failed in federal court, as a magistrate judge has found its plaintiffs lack standing to file suit.
Blowin' in the wind: Ex-PPD lieutenant accused of ignoring rape by detective can't ignore subpoena
PHILADLPHIA - A former Philadelphia Police Department lieutenant can't rely on the wind to blow her problems away, a judge has ruled in lawsuits over a disgraced detective found guilty of rape and other crimes.
Lackawanna Co. escapes liability for St. Patrick's Day assault on inmate
SCRANTON - A man arrested for public intoxication then tossed around a jail cell during Scranton's St. Patrick's Day celebration in 2023 has lost his lawsuit against the Lackawanna County Sheriff's Department.
Lab has 'whistleblower' settlement in place in Zantac case
PHILADELPHIA - The product-testing lab whose research has created tens of thousands of lawsuits still works to settle a case it brought itself and received no support from the federal government and more than two dozen states refusing to participate.
Animal rescue fails to show Rostraver Twp. took revenge on her
PITTSBURGH - A federal judge has tossed what's left of a lawsuit over a Westmoreland County neighborhood dispute, brought by a woman running an animal-and-people rescue in Rostraver Township.
Sextortion/suicide victim's case against Meta needs a home court
PHILADELPHIA - A social media giant says a wrongful death lawsuit against it and several others over the suicide of a sextortion victim will be grouped with others in California, while the plaintiff wants it sent back to the Philadelphia state court in which it was first filed.
Jurors should hear case of gay teacher fired by Catholics, judge says
PITTSBURGH - A federal magistrate judge says a gay teacher's discrimination lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg should head toward trial.