News from January 2012
Pa. Banking Secretary hit with discrimination charge
A suburban Philadelphia man has filed a federal complaint against Pennsylvania’s banking secretary alleging the government agent has failed on numerous times to hire the plaintiff for an investigator position due to discriminatory reasons.
Former private school employee sues for discriminatory firing
A former private school employee who claims she was terminated from her position for discriminatory and retaliatory reasons has filed a federal complaint against her former employer.
Pa. Sen. Rafferty suspends campaign for state attorney general
Pennsylvania state Sen. John Rafferty, a Republican lawmaker from suburban Philadelphia who had his sights set on the commonwealth’s top law enforcement position, has announced that he has suspended his race for attorney general, citing a failure to obtain Gov. Tom Corbett’s endorsement.
Pittsburgh settles 11 claims tied to mass arrests following '09 G-20 Summit
Nearly half of the plaintiffs who sued the City of Pittsburgh following their arrests tied to the G-20 Summit back in 2009 have agreed to settle with the city, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
Chester Upland School Dist. sues Pa. for lack of education funding, claims it's on brink of financial collapse
The Chester-Upland School District and a class of taxpaying parents have filed a federal lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, its education department and various other state officials for failing to provide adequate state funding to the economically depressed school district through the end of the current school year.
Judge grants summary judgment to two Temple cops and two Philly detectives sued for false arrest
Two Temple University police officers are covered by qualified immunity related to their job and cannot be sued by a North Philadelphia man who alleges he spent five months incarcerated in what he claimed was a case of mistaken identity, a federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled.
Judge dismisses Lower Merion webcam suit at plaintiff's request
The sister of Lower Merion School District student Blake Robbins, who secured a $175,000 settlement from the ritzy suburban Philadelphia school district last year over its so-called webcam spying scandal, has had her own lawsuit dismissed in federal court.
Donald Martin to be named new president of Montgomery Bar Association
Norristown, Pa. lawyer Donald J. Martin will be named the 88th president of the Montgomery Bar Association during the group’s annual business luncheon today, the association announced in a news release posted on its website.
Woman who wore fake penis at work sues company for retaliatory discharge
A Northeastern Pennsylvania woman who wore a prosthetic device to prepare her for a gender change procedure has filed a lawsuit against her former employer in federal court, alleging the company illegally terminated her because of her forthcoming operation.
Negligence claim filed against Philadelphia-based nursing care facility
The daughter of a woman who sustained a hip fracture after she fell out of a wheelchair at the residential treatment facility she had been confined to while recovering from a previous hip ailment has filed a civil claim against the medical facility, alleging the company didn’t do a proper job of keeping watch over the woman at the time of the alleged incident two years ago.
Lawsuit filed against makers of Gianvi birth control drug by Texas woman
A 27-year-old Texas woman who claims that she suffered a pulmonary embolism this past summer after taking the birth control drug Gianvi for less than a year, has filed a mass tort claim against the drug’s manufacturers in Pennsylvania state court.
Legal malpractice suit filed against Jenkintown, Pa. attorney
A Philadelphia man is suing an attorney he had hired to represent him in a previous drug liability case, alleging the lawyer failed to bring a timely claim on the plaintiff’s behalf.
Credit union and repo service sued by Pa. woman, blamed for husband's suicide
A Huntingdon Valley, Pa. woman has filed a lawsuit against a local credit union and an automobile repossession service company, alleging a string of actions that began with allegations of fraud, and ended with the taking of the family vehicle, led to the suicide death of her husband in the summer of 2010.
Lawyers for SEPTA cops accused in beating seek to transfer suit to federal court
Legal counsel for two SEPTA police officers being sued for allegedly beating and unlawfully arresting a train passenger in the spring of 2008 has filed a request to have the case transferred from state court to federal court in Philadelphia.
Judge: No sovereign immunity for Pa. troopers accused of pepper spraying, urinating on arrestee
A Pennsylvania woman can move forward with her claim against five state police troopers who allegedly sprayed her with pepper spray and urine after she was already handcuffed and subdued, after a federal judge in western Pennsylvania ruled the officers cannot be covered by sovereign immunity for acts done outside the scope of their employment.
Evidence suppression motion by criminal defendant in gun possession case is denied by judge
A suppression motion by a Philadelphia man who had been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm has been denied by a federal judge.
Former nurse sues Hahnemann University Hospital for discriminatory firing
A Philadelphia woman who worked as a certified nursing assistant for Hahnemann University Hospital before her firing has filed a job discrimination lawsuit against her former employer in federal court, alleging her termination was unlawful.
NFL seeks to consolidate brain injury class action litigation in Philadelphia
The National Football League (NFL) has filed papers in federal court in Philadelphia seeking to consolidate multiple lawsuits brought on by former players who claim to have suffered brain injuries relating to concussions developed during game play.
Judge closes book on class action filed against Pepsi by merchandisers
A federal judge in western Pennsylvania appears to be closing a case in which Pepsi merchandisers were suing the soda retailer for allegedly not paying overtime compensation.
Fired employee sues food additive company for racial discrimination
A former employee for a food additive company who alleges his firing last fall was related to his complaints of racial discrimination has filed a federal job discrimination lawsuit against the Philadelphia-based company.