John O'Brien News
Reform package targets perception of Pennsylvania courts as pro-plaintiff lawyer
HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania lawmakers are addressing the state's reputation as a haven for personal injury lawyers by introducing legislation that would reform issues like contingency fees and outside funding for lawsuits.
Labor Department refutes fraud allegations by company nailed with $22M verdict
PHILADELPHIA - Even though he was assigned to a desk in D.C. at the time, a high-ranking official at the Department of Labor did not mislead a Philadelphia court when he presented himself as a regional solicitor, the agency says in court documents.
Laid-off minorities can't add class action to attack on child development company
ERIE - Nine non-white workers who were laid off by Child Development Centers during the COVID pandemic have lost one of their discrimination lawsuits.
Lawyers make $433K for getting $250K for Kings Family Restaurant servers
PITTSBURGH - Lawyers will take nearly $200,000 more in fees than they scored for 400 Pittsburgh-area restaurant servers in a class action lawsuit.
Comments while laying off 60-year-old man keep age discrimination case going
PITTSBURGH - Be careful what you say at work, is a major lesson learned in a recent ruling by a federal judge in an age discrimination lawsuit.
Should convicted murderer ever get to have sex with his wife? Court says Pennsylvania hasn't shown why not
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A Muslim man's decade-long quest to have sex with his wife has been given a small measure of new life by a federal appeals court that says Pennsylvania must prove it would be a bad idea.
Ghosts of Schnader Harrison must battle class action over 401(k) money
PHILADELPHIA - The former Philadelphia firm Schnader Harrison will face a class action lawsuit from a former employee who says her retirement money was used to dissolve the firm in 2023.
U.S. Labor Dept. accused of fraud; Banished lawyer lied to jury, timeline suspicious, company says
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A high-ranking U.S. Department of Labor attorney in Pennsylvania was actually exiled to D.C. as he was simultaneously disparaging opposing counsel as "Washington lawyers" in a $22 million case in Philadelphia.
Biden-appointed judge rejects claims Biden Admin has overstepped authority
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge won't block new rules from the administration that appointed her to the bench, affirming a ban on noncompete clauses in employment contracts and rejecting claims the Federal Trade Commission was acting outside its authority.
Massive penalty hits troubled Pa. nursing home chain
PITTSBURGH (Legal Newsline) - It's a worst-case scenario for a now-bankrupt Pennsylvania health care company accused by the Department of Labor of not fairly paying its employees.
Is life slavery? A win in court would help this Philadelphia man die
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - Death comes quickly for some, but not soon enough for others.
Showdown in Philadelphia over FTC's ban on noncompete clauses
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - The company challenging new rules from the federal government banning noncompete clauses is headed to court today to argue for an injunction stopping them.
'Poorly reasoned' and 'self-serving': Industry groups attack FTC's ban of noncompete clauses
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - The Federal Trade Commission's conclusion that noncompete agreements harms employees was no surprise, industry groups are telling the Philadelphia federal judge who has a chance to block the FTC's new rule banning them.
Philadelphia judge has chance to block FTC's new ban on noncompete agreements
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - The company challenging the Biden Administration's new rule banning noncompete clauses in employment contracts is asking a federal judge to stay its implementation and issue a preliminary injunction.
Feds, states refuse to join drug-testing lab's whistleblower lawsuit over Zantac
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - The federal government and more than two dozen states won't help a drug-testing lab whose research has jumpstarted mass torts and is purporting to represent their interests over Zantac paid for by their health care programs.
Pa. company sues FTC over noncompete ban as Biden admin continues to make rules without lawmakers' approval
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A Pennsylvania tree service company with a history of using noncompete agreements for its employees is suing the Federal Trade Commission over its new rule banning them.
Mariner Finance, targeted by AGs, says lawsuit is 'a misunderstanding of the law'
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A lending company facing federal action by state officials continues to stand by its business practices as more states attack them - despite the federal government's own investigation finding no wrongdoing.
CFPB defeats challenges, free to take on student loan trusts
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A federal appeals court will not stand in the way of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as it targets student loan trusts.
Scandal at Harvard: Organ-harvesting suits against school fail, wife of 'Grim Reaper' pleads guilty
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - The wife of a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School caught in an organ-harvesting scandal has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges, while civil lawsuits against the school are crumbling.
Lawsuit alleges ADA class action lawyers froze partner out of FedEx fees
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - Class action lawyers who hit FedEx with a lawsuit over whether the company's drop boxes could be accessed by wheelchair-bound individuals are now fighting over nearly $1 million in fees.