News from 2012
Judge to Sandusky prosecutors: provide defense with alleged victims' contact information
The judge presiding over the upcoming Jerry Sandusky child molestation trial granted a defense request to have certain information pertaining to the alleged victims turned over by the prosecution.
Pa. Superior Court Judge, area attorney to be honored at Bar Association awards banquet
Two area legal professionals will find themselves at the center of an upcoming awards ceremony designed to highlight the good deeds of women in the workplace.
Govt. seeks to transfer injury claim involving FBI agent to federal court
Justice Department lawyers have filed a removal notice in federal court in Philadelphia seeking to transfer a personal injury case arising from a motor vehicle accident involving an FBI agent from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where the suit was initially filed, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Regal Entertainment Group seeks venue transfer in personal injury case
Attorneys for a movie theater being sued by a Philadelphia woman who claims she broke her leg after slipping on the theater’s wet restroom floor are seeking to transfer venue from state to federal court.
Discrimination suit by former juvenile detention center officer can move forward, judge rules
A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that a former detention officer who worked for an area juvenile facility can move forward with his lawsuit against his former employer, which alleges that the man was fired from his job of six years for discriminatory reasons.
Pa. courts' website gets technological upgrades
Court-ordered fines, restitution, motor vehicle violations and other court related financial transactions in Pennsylvania can now be taken care of electronically via the state judiciary’s website, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts announced Monday.
Commonwealth Court rejects lawyer's attempt to remove Obama from Pa. primary election ballot
A state appellate court panel late last week rejected a request by a Philadelphia-area attorney to get President Obama kicked off the April primary election ballot.
Insurance company ordered to pay court costs to former lab technician
A former blood-taker at a local laboratory can collect attorney’s fees from the insurance company that provides coverage for workers at her former place of employment, which the woman had sued for denying her claim, a federal judge has ruled.
Pa. Dept. of Corrections properly deducted money from inmate's account, appellate court rules
A state appellate court panel has ruled in favor of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and others who were being sued by a prison inmate who claimed that officials were deducting money from his personal account without a court order.
Lawsuit claims harassment of lawful gun owners is turning Phila. into a 'police state'
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a Philadelphia man on March 15 alleges that the City of Philadelphia and its police department have been engaging in a widespread assault on citizens’ Second Amendment rights, specifically by unlawfully arresting people who are legally carrying firearms using gun licenses from reciprocal states.
Judge dismisses suit against McDonald's over slip-and-fall incident
A woman from Southeastern Pennsylvania who sued McDonald's last December over injuries she sustained in a slip-and-fall incident at a Maryland McDonald’s restaurant located a mere five miles from the plaintiff’s home cannot move forward with her suit, but not because the complaint was filed in an improper venue.
Pa. Attorney General's Office serves subpoenas on Penn State employees
State prosecutors have served subpoenas to an unknown number of Pennsylvania State University officials, presumably in relation to the ongoing child sex-abuse case against a former university assistant football coach, according to media reports and an announcement released by the university.
Pa. Superior Court: suit against Bucks County casino cannot be heard in Phila.
A state appellate court has affirmed a lower court’s ruling that a personal injury lawsuit against a Pennsylvania casino cannot be played out in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas.
Lawsuit over injuries from broken wine glass remanded back to state court
A federal judge in Philadelphia has granted a motion by a Holland, Pa. man to remand his lawsuit over a broken wine glass back to state court.
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.