Nicholas Malfitano News
PCCJR asks state Supreme Court committee for report on impact of med-mal venue rule change
HARRISBURG – A legal reform group has asked a Supreme Court of Pennsylvania committee to immediately issue a report on the impact of its decision to allow plaintiffs greater flexibility in where to file medical malpractice cases, nearly six months after the rule change went into effect.
Upper Darby Township contests claims it failed to inform parking ticket recipients how to fight them
PHILADELPHIA – Upper Darby Township rejects allegations it violated state and federal laws over the past two years, by failing to notify hundreds and potentially thousands of drivers it issued parking tickets to of how they may contest those tickets.
Pittsburgh attorney holds onto breach of contract claim against his former firm
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh attorney maintains that his former law firm breached his employment contract and owes him thousands of dollars in unpaid wages, in violation of both state and federal law.
Scranton School District defends its discipline to elementary school paraprofessional
SCRANTON – The Scranton School District and an elementary school principal have defended their choice to put a paraprofessional on a personal safety plan in the course of her work, after they say the plaintiff had inappropriate physical contact with a student.
Construction inspector holds steady on claims he was improperly fired
PITTSBURGH – A construction inspector who reported that groundwater categorized as “contaminated” and slotted for removal from his job site was in fact not polluted, has restated claims that his voicing of this concern to management led to retaliation, culminating with his ultimately being fired from the company.
Retired Philadelphia Police lieutenant alleges his Sig Sauer P320 misfired and wounded him
SCRANTON – A retired Philadelphia Police Department lieutenant is suing firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer, alleging he was wounded by stray gunfire when his P320 handgun unexpectedly discharged and shot him in the right arm and shoulder.
Animal rescue says plaintiff was illegally in possession of rare-breed emotional support cat
WILLIAMSPORT – An animal rescue facility and its owners have denied allegations they illegally held a New Jersey woman’s exotic emotional support cat and assaulted her when she attempted to retrieve it, but rather, were holding onto the cat after state law prohibited the plaintiff from possessing it.
Former Allegheny County employee reiterates executive violated the law by instituting COVID-19 vaccine mandate
PITTSBURGH – A local man maintains that an Allegheny County official exceeded the bounds of his authority when he instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all county employees in the summer of 2021, in violation of his religious objections and exemption.
Man says truck driver's negligence caused his forklift accident and related injuries
PITTSBURGH – A local man alleges he suffered extensive injuries throughout his body in a forklift accident at work nearly two years ago, due to supposed negligence on the part of the driver of a nearby truck.
Private school wants dismissal of suit brought by student alleging unfair expulsion process
PHILADELPHIA – Litigation brought by a private school student from New Jersey – who claimed that he was unfairly expelled for his participation in an on-campus prank due to his disability – should be dismissed, say school authorities, for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
One officer dismissed from suit of Pittsburgh woman alleging arrest because she didn't support Trump
PITTSBURGH – Just prior to trial, one Pittsburgh police officer has been dismissed from a lawsuit brought by a woman who alleged she was unlawfully arrested because she didn’t support former President Donald Trump.
Greensburg Diocese says employing teacher in same-sex marriage would contradict Catholic doctrine
PITTSBURGH – The Diocese of Greensburg stands by its decision to fire a sixth-grade teacher from Aquinas Academy after learning of his same-sex marriage, arguing that to do otherwise would be contrary to Catholic values and an infringement upon its rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Voluntary dismissal for suit connected to fatal 2021 Johnstown house fire
PITTSBURGH – Litigation surrounding the death of a woman in a Johnstown electrical fire in September 2021, allegedly as a result of defects present in the home’s electricity systems, has been voluntarily dismissed for the moment.
Rivers Casino overserved man who drunkenly fell on plaintiff's right leg, suit says
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County man says he suffered a long list of injuries when an intoxicated fellow patron of Rivers Casino drunkenly fell on his right leg.
Wrongful death suit brought against landscaping, residential companies results in total $425K settlement
MEDIA – Landscaping services and retail management companies has settled a lawsuit brought by a Delaware County man, who alleged negligence on its part and others led to his mother suffering a fall and injuries that led to her death, for a total of $425,000.
Parties trade briefs over Luzerne County's attempt to dismiss election suit which said it ran out of ballots
SCRANTON – In response to litigation from two voters who alleged they were denied an opportunity to cast their votes in last November’s General Election on multiple occasions because the county had inexplicably run out of ballots, Luzerne County believes the plaintiffs have not adequately pled their claims.
Negligence and wrongful death suits filed in response to fatal incident with fallen tree limb in Boyce Mayview Park
PITTSBURGH – A pair of negligence and wrongful death lawsuits have been brought against Upper St. Clair Township a number of landscapers and a power company, over an incident that left one man paralyzed for life and killed his wife.
Judge allows plaintiff filing ADA suit against Law School Admission Council to proceed anonymously
PHILADELPHIA – A woman with vision impairment who alleged that a Pennsylvania group tasked with overseeing the Law School Admission Test has violated her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by not providing her with an accommodation for screen-reading software to take the test, will be allowed to pursue her case anonymously.
Phila. wants to dismiss counts from suit brought by woman who had seizure, after alleged false arrest
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia is seeking to dismiss multiple counts from litigation brought by a local woman, who alleged that she was wrongly arrested for a road rage incident involving her daughter, denied medical care and as a result, had a seizure while in custody.
Bucks County couple alleging husband's wrongful arrest on marijuana charge want claims retained
PHILADELPHIA – A Bucks County couple once again allege that the husband-plaintiff was mistakenly arrested for possession of marijuana and incarcerated for five hours before the authorities dropped all charges and released him, and that their claims should not be dismissed.