News from November 2011
Laceration from loose screw at Sugar House slots chair leads to suit
A Glenside, Pa. woman who claims the back of her leg was sliced open by a screw protruding from a chair at a Philadelphia casino is suing the gaming hall in state court.
Woman who suffered head injury at law firm files suit
A Chester County, Pa. woman who claims she lost consciousness after falling down a set of stairs and hitting her head at a local law firm is suing the company for injuries she claims to have sustained as a result of the incident.
Pittsburg, Pa. lawyer named president of defense bar organization
Henry M. Sneath, a Pittsburg, Pa.-based trial attorney, was recently installed as the new president of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, a 22,000-member national lawyer association, the group announced in a Nov. 7 news release.
All Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judges on Tuesday's ballot secure retention votes
All Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judges up for retention overwhelmingly secured ‘yes’ votes during Tuesday’s general election, a review of the commonwealth’s Department of State website shows.
New Jersey woman files Yasmin mass tort claim
A New Jersey woman is suing the makers of the Yasmin birth control pill, alleging she sustained physical injury after taking the prescription medication for a four-year period.
Phila. School District faces lawsuit over claims 13-year-old was fondled during contraband search
The father of a Philadelphia middle school student has filed a federal complaint against the School District of Philadelphia, its chief inspector and a handful of individual school police officers, alleging a strip search performed on his daughter during school hours violated her civil rights.
Alleged punch by cop leads to assault claim against city and police officers
A Philadelphia man is suing the City of Philadelphia and two municipal police officers for what he claims was an unprovoked assault by the two cops and the subsequent filing of false criminal charges against him.
Debt collection agency faces federal complaint over collection practices
A New Jersey woman has filed a federal complaint against a debt collection agency, alleging the defendant repeatedly harassed her in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Pepsi Bottling Group faces wrongful termination complaint
A near 20-year employee of Pepsi Bottling Group has filed a federal complaint against his former employer, alleging he was terminated after a comment he made during working hours was taken out of context.
PA GOP chair claims Wecht is 'owned' by trial lawyers
Rob Gleason, Pennsylvania’s GOP Chairman issued a statement that Pennsylvania Superior Court candidate David Wecht, a Democrat, is indebted to trial lawyers because he has received a $300,000 donation from the Committee for a Better Tomorrow, a political action committee financed by the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association.
Former SEPTA bus operator sues over alleged wrongful termination
A former bus driver for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is suing the state agency in federal court amidst allegations of gender discrimination.
City lawyers seek venue transfer in claim against Phila. Police Dept.
Lawyers for the City of Philadelphia have filed a Notice of Removal with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, seeking to have a civil complaint served last month against the police department in state court transferred to federal court.
SEPTA faces retaliatory discharge claim over firing of former police officer
A former transit police officer with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is suing the agency in federal court, alleging she was terminated in retaliation for reporting incidents of pervasive sexual harassment.
First Judicial District of Pa. files suit over botched Family Court deal
The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the entire First Judicial District of Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit over the botched plan for a new Family Court facility in Philadelphia.
Judge orders losing plaintiff to pay $6.5 million in fees, costs
U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered Checkpoint Systems, the losing plaintiff in a patent infringement lawsuit, to pay the two defendants, Sensormatic Electronics Corp. and All-Tag Security, a total of $6.5 million in attorney fees and costs.
Kohl's hit with wrongful termination claim over firing of minority worker
A Pottstown, Pa. woman who claims the harassment she endured at her retail job eventually drove her into an “emotionally deteriorated” state requiring hospitalization has filed a federal employment discrimination complaint against her former company.
Wrongful death claim filed by mother whose son was killed by cops removed to U.S. District Court
The mother of a 19-year-old Philadelphia man shot and killed by city police officers, allegedly while he was unarmed, will have her civil case heard in federal, not state, court after city lawyers filed a removal notice Nov. 3 with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of the defendants.
Former Wawa general counsel joins Phila. law firm as partner
The former general counsel and corporate secretary with Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa Inc. has joined the ranks of a Philadelphia law firm.
Judge rules defendants in civil priest sex abuse case cannot question accuser until after criminal case wraps up
A Catholic priest and a religious school teacher accused in a civil suit of molesting a former Philadelphia altar boy cannot question their accuser until after the criminal court proceeding against them is complete, a Philadelphia judge has ruled.
Pa. Supreme Court rules former CBS 3 news anchor Alycia Lane's civil case can be heard in Philly courts
The long-awaited civil trial involving former KYW CBS 3 news anchor Alycia Lane can finally move forward after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the litigation against Lane’s former co-anchor Larry Mendte can be played out in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas.