John O'Brien News
School district fights case over transgender runner
PHILADELPHIA - A Pennsylvania school district says the female high school athlete that sued it after losing two races to a transgender female hasn't shown her constitutional rights were violated.
Bisexual man taking PennDOT to trial on hostile work environment claim
WILKES-BARRE - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation can't escape a lawsuit filed by a bisexual former employee who claimed harassment like co-workers placing a tampon on his chair.
Lawyers ask for $414K in Upper Darby parking ticket settlement
PHILADELPHIA - Lawyers who took on Upper Darby's parking-ticket enforcement are asking for more than $400,000 from a settlement they call an "excellent result."
Bill that keeps transgender athletes out of female sports passes Senate committee
HARRISBURG - The Save Women's Sports Act, which would keep transgender females out of female sporting events and also provides new means to file lawsuits, has advanced out of a Pennsylvania legislative committee.
$12M settlement in lawsuit over father-of-two's fatal fall
PHILADELPHIA - The family of a 33-year-old man who fell to his death while working in a Pennsylvania mine has obtained a $12 million settlement with a cement company.
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.