John O'Brien News
Wrongful death case blames Johnstown fire on prosthetic arm's battery
PITTSBURGH - A house fire in Johnstown that claimed the lives of two is blamed on the charger for a prosthetic arm, in a recently filed lawsuit in Pittsburgh state court.
'Death trap': Morgan & Morgan adds stairs to list of dangers to health
PITTSBURGH - As the nation's largest personal injury firm sues the food industry for allegedly ruining the nation's health, it now blames a woman's heart attack on having to take the stairs to her apartment.
Phila. Roundup lawyers seek smoking guns from glyphosate group
PHILADELPHIA - Lawyers looking for jackpots in Philadelphia want information from a new group led by Bayer AG that advocates for the continued use of the herbicide glyphosate in weedkiller's like Roundup.
Judge strikes technicality that cost 10K Pennsylvanians their vote in 2022
ERIE - A slight inconvenience for mail-in voters is unconstitutional, a Pennsylvania federal judge has ruled in a win for Democrats that challenged it.
Millions on the way to lab that created controversial Zantac scare
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A drug-testing lab's war on Zantac, which spawned tens of thousands of lawsuits despite claims of "junk science," will earn it millions of dollars.
'Retire the Raider' ringleader can pursue lawsuit against Twin Valley School District
READING - Even though Twin Valley High School has recognized as official a student club hoping to change its mascot, it must still face a First Amendment lawsuit.
Judge to Wilkinsburg Massacre suspect: No wrongful arrest if you actually did it
PITTSBURGH - The man arrested for the murder of six people in a Western Pennsylvania shooting who was later acquitted won't get to take his malicious prosecution claim to trial, as a federal judge seems to think he did, in fact, pull the trigger.
Pa. Supreme Court rules federal law protects gun-maker in case of teen's accidental death
PITTSBURGH - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court won't let the parents of a teenager shot and killed accidentally to sue the gun's maker and seller.
Judge won't step in to give Pennsylvanians medical aid in dying
PHILADELPHIA - A Pennsylvania man who equated not being able to die with dignity with slavery has lost his argument in federal court, as a judge refused to bypass the General Assembly and institute medical aid in dying.
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.