News from March 2012
City petitions to have suit against DHS removed to federal court
Attorneys for the City of Philadelphia have petitioned the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to transfer a lawsuit filed against the city’s Department of Human Services from state court to the federal venue, arguing that the civil rights violations alleged in the lawsuit must be heard out in a federal jurisdiction.
Judge tosses suit alleging HIV-positive man was denied prison kitchen job
A federal judge has granted a motion for summary judgment that had been filed by Chester County Prison stemming from a lawsuit the corrections institution was facing by a former inmate who alleged he was prevented from working in the prison kitchen because of his HIV-positive status.
ACLU preparing to challenge newly signed Pa. Voter ID law
Less than 24 hours after the new Voter ID law passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was signed by Gov. Tom Corbett, the American Liberties Union of Pennsylvania announced it is preparing to challenge the measure in court.
Prosecutors in Sandusky case need not turn over more specific timeline of alleged crimes, judge rules
Prosecutors working the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse case are not required to turn over specific information with regard to the timeline in which each of Sandusky’s alleged victims were molested, the judge presiding over the case stated in an order released Tuesday.
Woman forced to show breasts and genitals to male police officers sues City of Phila.
A Philadelphia woman who alleges two city police officers forced her to remove clothing so they could take cellphone photographs of parts of her body for their own personal amusement has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia and the cops involved in the alleged incident.
Judge dismisses suit against Berks County prison system
A federal judge in Philadelphia has dismissed a lawsuit against the Berks County, Pa. prison system that had been filed by a former inmate who claimed that his time in jail was marked by poor treatment and shoddy living conditions.
Judge grants in part, denies in part motion to dismiss filed by Chester, Pa. police
A federal judge has granted in part, and denied in part a motion to dismiss filed by the City of Chester in a case in which a Chester woman sued three police officers for unlawfully beating and berating her.
DUI arrestee allegedly forced to urinate on self sues Phila. police
A Philadelphia woman who claims she was forced to urinate on herself after officers who arrested her for DUI refused to let her use the bathroom during booking has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia and the individual officers involved in her arrest.
Veteran suburban Pa. schoolteacher files suit over disparate scrutiny, alleges retaliation over complaint
A suburban Philadelphia teacher who alleges she has been put under “improper and disparate scrutiny” because she filed a complaint against her employer with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has now filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the school district where she has worked as an educator since the early 1980s.
Judge denies convicted bank robber's motion for a new trial
A man who was convicted in the June 21, 2010 robbery of the Citizen’s Bank branch at 6201 N. 5th St. in Philadelphia will not be entitled to a new trial, a federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled.
Product liability claim against penile implant manufacturer can proceed, judge rules
A federal judge in Philadelphia has allowed a strict liability claim over an alleged defective penile implant to proceed against the device’s manufacturer, while simultaneously dismissing a negligence claim against the company.
Judge grants partial class certification in case against courier service
A federal judge in Philadelphia has granted partial class certification for plaintiffs in a civil suit alleging the courier service they work or worked for improperly classified them as independent contractors and not employees.
City attorneys seek to transfer Phila. police abuse case to federal court
Attorneys 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 lawsuit filed by a man who alleges his civil rights were violated during a police encounter transferred from state court to federal court.
Fired Phila. Housing Authority worker files discrimination suit against agency
A former facilities manager at the Philadelphia Housing Authority who claims she was fired because of her gender has filed a federal discrimination complaint against the municipal housing agency.
Gun rights advocate accepts $25K settlement in Phila. 'open carry' case
The gun rights advocate who sued the City of Philadelphia and a handful of police officials for violating his civil rights during incidents in which officers allegedly harassed him for openly carrying his firearm has agreed to accept a cash settlement from the defendants.
Pa. lawmaker unveils judicial merit selection bills, seeks to move away from elected judiciary
When two Luzerne County judges were sent to prison last year for a combined total of nearly five decades stemming from their respective roles in a judicial scandal that came to be known as “Kids for Cash,” some observers lost their faith in Pennsylvania jurisprudence.
Walgreens attorneys seek to transfer medical malpractice suit to federal court
Lawyers for pharmaceutical retailer Walgreens have filed a removal notice at the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia seeking to remove a medical malpractice suit initiated by a Pennsylvania man who alleges he was given the wrong medication.
Fired door finisher sues former employer for retaliation and discrimination
A Philadelphia man who alleges he was fired from the job where he worked at for more than two-and-a-half years in retaliation for speaking out about discrimination at the workplace has filed a federal complaint against the city-based company.
Pa. constable charged with indecent assault for allegedly fondling female prisoner
A Pennsylvania constable stands accused of indecent assault stemming from an incident in which the man allegedly forced a female prisoner he was transporting to show him her bare chest.
Prosecutors file motion objecting to release of discovery materials in Penn State sex-abuse case
In court papers that were filed March 5, state prosecutors say they object to a defense request to review certain juvenile records belonging to the alleged victims in the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse case.