Karen Kidd News
Superior Court reverses ruling in long-running lawsuit between North Wales senior center, rabbi's estate
PHILADELPHIA – A seven-year-long legal battle between a North Wales senior medical care provider and the estate of a long-serving northwest Philadelphia rabbi is on its way back to common pleas court after a higher court ruling earlier in August.
Pittsburgh teacher's defamation suit says colleague's sexual harassment claim is made up; Defendant's response says it happened
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh kindergarten teacher who finds herself a defendant in a defamation lawsuit for alleging sexual harassment against a fellow educator says the unwelcome smacking, grabbing and other inappropriate conduct really did happen, according to her counterclaim filed earlier this summer.
Health care facility files objections to lawsuit over choking-related death of 81-year-old woman
LANCASTER – Attorneys for a Neffsville long-term care facility and its corporate owner say agents described as acting on its behalf in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in the 2016 death of an 81-year-old resident have not been properly identified, according to objections filed in the case.
Inmate's religious freedom allegation over less choir practice thrown out; Dissenting judge says case not frivolous
HARRISBURG — A prison inmate's allegations that Pennsylvania Department of Correction officials are infringing on his religious practices were upheld as frivolous by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in a 2-1 ruling handed down May 1.
Superior Court: Jury must decide questions in 2006 slip-and-fall incident
A jury needs to decide whether Maytag is liable for injuries suffered by a truck driver when he slipped and fell in a trailer drop at a Pittston industrial park more than a decade ago, Pennsylvania's Superior Court ruled in March.
Fracking counties experience more prosperity and violent crime, study says
MONTOURSVILLE – Pennsylvania counties experiencing a boom in fracking also see increases in employment, salaries and violent crime, a shale networking organization said in a recent newsletter.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, bodies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh make 'Judicial Hellholes' watch list
WASHINGTON – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas made the watch list of American Tort Reform Association's 2016-17 Judicial Hellholes list, issued earlier today.
Judge: Harassment of gay man 'exactly the evil' a federal law should address
PITTSBURGH – A federal judge provided a "solid foundation" for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's lawsuit regarding a gay man allegedly harassed by his manager at a Pittsburgh-area health care center, an employment litigator said during a recent interview.
Attorney: Bill increasing police body cams shouldn't limit access to records
HARRISBURG – The state Legislature will need to walk a fine line in a controversial measure that would have more police officers wear body cams but would sharply reduce public access to the resulting video, a government transparency expert says.
Anxiety not a claim for damages in data breach case
PITTSBURGH – Plaintiffs in a data breach class action lawsuit against Barnes & Nobles fixed their standing problem but still couldn't adequately allege damages, a Pittsburgh attorney says.
Third Circuit decision in product-hopping case may be at odds with prior case, attorney says
PHILADELPHIA – A decision out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit earlier this fall that a pharmaceutical company in a Pennsylvania product-hopping case did not violate the Sherman Antitrust Act seems to be at odds with a prior precedent-setting case, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney says.
Wage and labor agencies hoping to reduce duplicate efforts, attorney says
HARRISBURG – Reducing duplicate effort is among the benefits that government wage and hour officials hope will result from a recent partnership between federal and state agencies, a Philadelphia labor and employment attorney says.
Change in Pa. unclaimed property law coming, leaves Delaware on its own
HARRISBURG – Provisions in Pennsylvania's new budget will make Delaware the odd state out when it comes to notifying property owners prior to the Department of Treasury taking over unclaimed property, an administrative law attorney said during a recent interview.
New common pleas judge on public service: Do it for the right reasons
PHILADELPHIA – Up-and-coming attorneys considering a career that includes public service should do it for all the right reasons, one of the newest judges on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas said during a recent interview.
Third Circuit consistent with other courts in pro-employer ruling, attorney says
PITTSBURGH — A recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decision regarding employment references is in line with previous rulings, an employment law attorney says.
Court decision in 'take-home toxic-tort' case more subtle than widely reported, attorney says
TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey Supreme Court decision reported to extend company responsibility for employees exposed to potentially hazardous material to include their housemates is more subtle than has been widely reported, an insurance attorney says.
Attorney: Extra $5M law enforcement policy for DNC could come in handy
PHILADELPHIA – City officials took out $250 million in insurance coverage ahead of the 2016 Democratic National Convention currently running in Philadelphia, and an attorney says it is probably a good thing the City took out an extra $5 million for coverage in lawsuits against law enforcement.
Justice Thomas not on board with majority's ruling in case of Pa. man sentenced to death
WASHINGTON – Dissent in a capital murder case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that prosecutors can't judge actions they've prosecuted, is as instructive as the majority ruling, an expert in said during a recent interview.
Pittsburgh judge in polypropylene mesh case 'followed well-settled law,' attorney says
PITTSBURGH – A decision handed down by a federal judge in the state's western district, dismissing most claims but allowing others to proceed against polypropylene mesh manufacturers and providers, is unique perhaps only in its normalcy, a Philadelphia attorney said during a recent interview.
Union president having 'crisis of confidence' over governor's signing of Pa. liquor modernization bill
HARRISBURG – A union local president said he was perplexed that Pennsylvania's governor earlier this week signed a Republican-sponsored liquor reform bill to allow beer and wine sales in state-licensed grocery stores, restaurants and hotels into law.