News from November 2020
GOP candidate Barnette drops legal challenge against Montgomery County officials over voting
NORRISTOWN – Republican Congressional candidate Kathy Barnette has abandoned litigation against Montgomery County, which had alleged its Board of Elections illegally canvassed mail-in ballots received before Election Day and wrongly gave voters with defective ballots an opportunity to cure them.
Man says he cracked his tooth on foreign object found in his Frito-Lay potato chips
PHILADELPHIA – A Chester County man alleges that while at work last year, he both cracked his tooth and swallowed a foreign object he found in his package of Frito-Lay potato chips.
Christian literacy group says former employees, family of founder won't return privileged materials after their firing
PITTSBURGH – An organization promoting the teaching of Christianity through literacy has taken legal action against both its former President and Director of Children’s’ Literacy Ministry, claiming they have not returned essential materials to the group after their termination
Philly Police harassment update: Plaintiffs get access to internal investigation records
PHILADELPHIA – According to a federal judge’s ruling, a pair of female Philadelphia police officers who claim they were the longtime targets of harassment and discrimination will be permitted to examine documents relating to investigation of sexual harassment complaints within the Philadelphia Police Department.
Pa. opioid lawsuits plod along as companies demand 'critical information to defend themselves'
MEDIA (Legal Newsline) - Drug distributors facing about 50 opioid lawsuits in Pennsylvania have asked the judge overseeing the litigation to order sanctions against plaintiffs for repeatedly refusing to honor deadlines to turn over evidence including information about how state and local governments have handled the opioid crisis they blame on the drug industry.
GOP candidate Kathy Barnette contests Montgomery County's ballot canvassing process
NORRISTOWN – Republican Congressional candidate Kathy Barnette has filed litigation against Montgomery County, claiming its Board of Elections illegally canvassed mail-in ballots received before Election Day and wrongly gave voters with defective ballots an opportunity to cure them.
Giant Eagle injured shopper update: Supermarket says it's not at fault for fall in produce section
PITTSBURGH – The Giant Eagle grocery store chain has discounted claims that it is liable for various bodily injuries that a Pittsburgh woman says she suffered in the produce section of its store in Monroeville.
Pittsburgh woman says negligence by Primanti Brothers restaurant led her to tear ligaments in her hand
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh woman says she was seriously injured at a local sandwich restaurant because of the establishment’s negligence, when she fell down a set of stairs on the restaurant’s premises due to the presence of an unmarked step.
Family Dollar shopper says box or crate put in pedestrian right-of-way caused him to fall
PITTSBURGH – A personal injury plaintiff says the errant placement of a box or crate in a pedestrian pathway is the direct and proximate cause of his head, hand and leg injuries.
Trump lawsuit charges that Pa.'s 'two-track' ballot canvassing system is unconstitutional
WILLIAMSPORT – A new lawsuit from President Donald Trump’s campaign alleges that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did not use uniform election procedures statewide, thereby creating an unconstitutional and “two-track” ballot counting system that gave the win to President-Elect Joe Biden.
HP sued by investor over stock drop in 2016
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – The securities class action law firm Robbins Geller has filed suit against HP and its former leadership over the revenue generated by its supplies division.
Injured waterfront worker update: Rehabilitation company disclaims responsibility for plaintiff's damages
PHILADELPHIA – A Maryland-based rehabilitation company denies that it is in any way liable for the injuries and allegedly-deficient care received by a New Jersey man, after he fell and suffered a severe injury after striking his head on a steel beam.
Wrongful termination update: HIV-positive plaintiff's case proceeds as USPS loses dismissal argument
ALLENTOWN – A federal judge has denied the attempt of the U.S. Postal Service to dismiss an amended discrimination lawsuit brought by an anonymous gay man and former employee who is HIV-positive.
Mechanic's crush injury update: N.Y. railroad group says complaint should be thrown for lack of jurisdiction
SCRANTON – A New York railroad company says that a mechanic’s lawsuit filed after his right dominant hand and arm were pulled into an unguarded point on a piece of railroad equipment, should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Black Lives Matter masks update: Allegheny County Port Authority seeks to dismiss worker's suit
PITTSBURGH – The Port Authority of Allegheny County wants to dismiss a lawsuit brought by transit union members who say they were disciplined for wearing face masks bearing the name of the Black Lives Matter movement, as it says the policy in question was modified before the suit’s filing.
GOP state AGs urge SCOTUS to review Pennsylvania's mail-in ballot deadline
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Attorneys general from 10 states have filed an amici brief in litigation undertaken by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania against the Secretary of the Commonwealth, over the submission deadline of mail-in ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election.
Restaurant vs. Allegheny County Health Department update: Action might be sent to bankruptcy court
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh restaurant that sued Allegheny County and its Health Department for its enforcement of the emergency orders associated with the coronavirus pandemic, arguing it has been damaged by the allegedly-unconstitutional decrees, is asking for the federal action to be sent to bankruptcy court.
Dog park injury update: Center says woman injured by animal weight scale actually caused her own injuries
PITTSBURGH – A dog park and pet company has countered claims that it was responsible for a woman’s serious injuries when an improperly placed animal weight scale caused her to fall and break her right arm, a counter which she refutes.
Superior Court affirms dismissal of civil suit brought by man assaulted at East Stroudsburg house party
HARRISBURG – A trio of Superior Court judges found that a rule of state appellate procedure applied in finalizing the dismissal of a civil complaint brought by a man who claimed while attending a house party, he was beaten so badly that he was once in a coma for eight days as a result of the attack.
Transgender woman alleges years of discrimination at Lincoln University
WEST CHESTER – A transgender woman of color has filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against Lincoln University, leveling claims that transphobia prevented her from getting a proper education at the school and caused her to become suicidal.