News from 2011
Federal judge in Phila. grants motion to suppress gun charge against city man
A federal judge in Philadelphia has upheld a motion to suppress an illegal gun charge that had been lodged against a city resident by police during a traffic stop earlier this year.
Accused pedophile Jerry Sandusky waives preliminary hearing; sets stage for 2012 trial
The much-anticipated preliminary hearing for accused pedophile Jerry Sandusky, set to be the biggest thing to occur in the tiny central Pennsylvania town of Bellefonte, population 6,000, in quite some time, ended almost as quickly as it started.
Philadelphia woman files job discrimination complaint against former employer
A native Liberian woman who alleges her termination last year from her job as a direct caregiver for an Arizona-based retirement community has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the company.
Pa. man sentenced in mortgage fraud scheme
Richard Woods, age 54, of Nanticoke, Pa. was sentenced Dec. 8 to spend 20 months in federal prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme.
Federal judge denies state prison inmate's petition for writ of habeas corpus
A federal judge has denied a pro se petition filed by a man serving a Pennsylvania state prison sentence for drug violations who had sought a writ of habeas corpus.
Pfizer abruptly settles with plaintiffs in Phila. HRT drug case that earlier ended with $72 million jury verdict
Drug manufacturer Pfizer announced it has agreed to settle a consolidated civil case involving three women, two from Pennsylvania and one former Keystone State resident, who allege they developed breast cancer after taking medication designed to control menopause symptoms.
Bernie Fine accuser files suit against former coach in western Pa. court
A 23-year-old Maine man who alleges he was sexually abused by fired Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine has filed a lawsuit against the accused molester in a Pennsylvania court.
Pa. Supreme Court upholds certification, but rules against fees in Kia Motors case
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Dec. 2 in the case of Samuel-Bassett v. Kia Motors America, Inc. that the class action certification would remain but that $4.1 million in attorneys’ fees were inappropriate.
Milton Hershey School sued over rejection of HIV-positive student
The mother of a young teenager from Delaware County, Pa. who alleges his HIV-positive status prevented him from being accepted into a Pennsylvania boarding school, filed a federal lawsuit against the institution last week, contending her son's civil rights were violated in his application denial.
Reverse bifurcation suspended in Philly mass torts
Mass tort cases originating from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Complex Litigation Center will be tried individually and without reverse bifurcation beginning in January, the court announced this week.
Phila. District Attorney opts not to seek new sentencing hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams has opted not to seek a new death sentencing hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal, the man convicted in the Dec. 9, 1981, murder of city police Officer Daniel Faulkner.
Phila. judge denies defendant's post-trial relief motion; Upholds $10 million-plus med mal verdict
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge last week upheld a $10 million-plus jury verdict in the case of a wheelchair-bound man who had sued the University of Pennsylvania Health System and related entities over what he contended was a misdiagnosis that ultimately led to his paralyzed condition.
New Phila. Bar Association chancellor outlines plans for upcoming term
John E. Savoth officially took over as the newest chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association Tuesday, and outlined his upcoming plans for what is recognized as the oldest association of lawyers in America.
Pa. DEP urges EPA to revise electric grid rules
The Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further revise its interstate “Transport Rule," involving cross state air pollution.
Sandusky faces two new charges in the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the state police have lodged additional charges against Jerry Sandusky, the former Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach who stands accused of sexually abusing young boys over the period of a decade.
Pittsburgh man indicted for computer hacking
Robert S. Toski, 47, of Pittsburgh has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on two counts of unauthorized computer access to a protected computer and computer damage.
Phila. jury awards $72.6 million to plaintiffs in Pfizer hormone replacement therapy case
Three plaintiffs in a consolidated mass tort trial who had alleged their respective breast cancer diagnoses were directly related to their ingestion of hormone therapy medications have won the first part of their quest to hold a pharmaceutical giant responsible for their conditions.
Jury awards $14 million in school bus accident; Judge likely to reduce award to $500K cap
A woman who was hit by a school bus in January 2007 when she was a high school student, was awarded $14 million by a Bucks County, Pa. jury Dec. 5 for pain and suffering that was the result of the accident that occurred outside Pennsbury High School. The victim, 21-year-old Ashley Zauflik, lost her leg and was in a medically induced coma for a month.
Decorum order outlining media rules issued for Sandusky hearing
Senior Judge John M. Cleland, the trial judge appointed to handle matters related to the sex abuse case against former Penn State assistant football coach Gerald A. Sandusky, has issued a decorum order outlining the rules of conduct for the media and public during the preliminary hearing.