Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Recent News About Pennsylvania Supreme Court
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Pa. Supreme Court tells lower court to decide whether Medicaid can cover abortions
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled that a lower appellate court will once again take up a case whose outcome will determine whether Medicaid funds will be permitted to cover the cost of abortions. -
Pa. courts tie for No. 1 ranking on annual 'Judicial Hellholes' report list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have tied with Georgia for the No. 1 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses. -
Pa. Supreme Court: Family of murderer Cosmo DiNardo cannot sue UPenn Hospital over his psychiatric care
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has decreed that litigation against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from the family of a convicted murderer over the psychiatric care he underwent prior to committing his crimes will not proceed, due to a state law which prevents felons from obtaining financial recovery connected to circumstances resulting from their crimes. -
Pa. Supreme Court regains 5-2 Democrat majority, with election of McCaffery to vacant seat
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has preserved its Democratic majority, as Superior Court Judge Dan McCaffery secured his bid for a vacancy on the Commonwealth’s top bench over Republican candidate and Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Carluccio. -
Pa. Supreme Court Advisory Council Hosts First Guardianship Justice Summit
Hosted by the Office of Elder Justice in the Courts (OEJC) and Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts, the first Pennsylvania Guardianship Justice Summit is being held on Sept. 20-22, 2023. -
Monroe County Courthouse Resumes Operations
Monroe County President Judge Margherita Patti Worthington has announced that the emergency circumstances at the Monroe County Courthouse have been resolved. -
Pa. Supreme Court: Those without liquor license aren't liable for conduct of intoxicated guests
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has upheld long-standing precedent that an organization which hosted an event at which alcohol was provided, but who was not a liquor licensee, could not be assigned liability for injuries caused by a guest who became intoxicated at the event. -
Pa. Supreme Court OKs $2.8M punitive damages award in case with $250K compensatory payout
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has upheld a lower court ruling and approved a calculation formula which resulted in a $2.8 million punitive damages award, in a case where compensatory damages only totaled $250,000. -
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. -
State Supreme Court: Fulton County, counsel sanctioned for disobeying its order in voting machine lawsuit
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has decided to sanction Fulton County and its counsel for engaging in what it referred to as “bad faith conduct” and disobeying a court order, in a legal dispute over the county granting access to its voting machines for an audit after the 2020 Presidential Election. -
Oral arguments held, fate of key product liability suit now in hands of Pa. Supreme Court
PHILADELPHIA – After hearing oral arguments, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is due to decide an action which will have great import for future product liability trials statewide, as it determines whether or not trial courts are permitted to prevent defendants from using evidence pertaining to industry standards. -
Pa. Supreme Court to determine key aspect of product liability cases
PHILADELPHIA – Today, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is due to hear oral arguments in an action which will have great import for future product liability trials statewide, as it determines whether or not trial courts are permitted to prevent defendants from using evidence pertaining to industry standards. -
Pa. Supreme Court approves fee reimbursement in environmental cases
HARRISBURG – Recently, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a decision approving a move from members of the public and environmental advocacy groups to seek legal costs reimbursement, in a pair of prominent ecological lawsuits. -
Pa. Supreme Court issues ruling with no uniform policy answer for mail-in ballots statewide
PHILADELPHIA – Despite a recent ruling from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth is no closer to having an undisputed answer on the validity of undated mail-in ballots. -
Pa. Supreme Court to consider contractual interference claim of former Drexel University accountant
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is set to decide whether a venerable tort law is applicable in the case of an at-will employee’s allegations that her supervisor at Drexel University acted against her out of personal bias and dislike. -
Cracking Down on Human Trafficking in Pennsylvania
Over the last five years, 1,096 human-trafficking offenses were charged statewide. -
Pa. Supreme Court: Only concealment of cause can toll statute of limitations in wrongful death suits
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act’s two-year statute of limitations for survival and wrongful death litigation against health care companies is now tougher to circumvent. -
Pa. courts move up to No. 2 ranking on ATRA's annual 'Judicial Hellholes' report list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have garnered the No. 2 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses – moving up two places from the fourth spot on the list, where they had been ranked last year. -
Pa. Supreme Court says Pittsburgh not on the hook to pay $235K civil judgment to man beaten by officer in 2012
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that, under the premise of statutory indemnification, the City of Pittsburgh cannot be compelled to pay a civil judgment to a local man beaten by an off-duty police officer a decade ago, as the officer was not acting within his official “scope of employment” when the assault transpired. -
Pennsylvania's Fair Share Act needs fixing
Today, the Fair Share Act’s name is a misnomer