News from April 2023
PICC inmate says prison officials ignored past violent conduct of fellow inmates who attacked him
PHILADELPHIA – A man incarcerated at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center alleges that prison officials ignored the prior conduct of two fellow inmates with a propensity for violent behavior, who attacked the plaintiff with a homemade weapon last summer.
Glassport church and food bank deny liability for volunteers' alleged molestation by parishioner
PITTSBURGH – A Glassport church and its community food bank have denied responsibility for the alleged molestation of two young women volunteering for those groups by a fellow parishioner.
Medical diagnosis leads to dismissal of plaintiff from Park City Mall shooting case
LANCASTER – Litigation brought by two shoppers allegedly injured while escaping from a shooting incident at the Park City Mall a year and a half ago, has seen a stipulation approved whereby one of the plaintiffs will be dismissed from the case due to a past diagnosis of dementia.
George Junior Republic treatment center says man making sex abuse allegations hasn't pled claims
PITTSBURGH – The George Junior Republic rehabilitation and treatment center has argued that a man accusing its staff of sexually abusing him when he was just 16 years old, has not properly or sufficiently pled his claims under the law.
Philly jury hands down $182.7M med-mal verdict against UPenn Hospital, largest in Pa. history
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia jury has handed down the largest medical malpractice verdict in the history of Pennsylvania, in the form of a $182.7 million judgment to a five year-old boy born with cerebral palsy and his mother, against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Ballard Spahr LLP announces Kimberly Klayman Named to Lawyers on the Fast Track
Ballard Spahr Business and Transactions Partner Kimberly W. Klayman has been named to The Legal Intelligencer’s 2023 Lawyers on the Fast Track.
Bottling plant disclaims responsibility for operator's burn injuries from chemical exposure
PITTSBURGH – Counsel for a Pennsylvania bottling plant has denied liability for severe burn injuries sustained by one of its batching operators, who claimed that a hose attached to clean-in-place unit separated from its apparatus and sprayed a mixture of harmful chemicals on her body.
Elementary school professional claims she was wrongfully accused of grabbing student
SCRANTON – A paraprofessional at a local elementary school who assisted autistic children alleges that she was wrongly found to have inappropriate physical contact with a student, and put on a restrictive safety plan as a result.
North Braddock cemetery rejects allegations it conducted an improper burial
PITTSBURGH – A North Braddock cemetery holds that it conducted a proper burial for a plaintiff’s deceased wife, and did not fail to alleviate the plaintiff’s subsequent concerns and/or requests for correction in that regard.
Kohl's denies committing negligence, in case of woman who fell in Monroeville store
PITTSBURGH – A Kohl’s department store in Monroeville disavows all allegations of negligence leveled against it by an Allegheny County couple, who said the store failed to prevent the circumstances leading to the wife-plaintiff’s fall.
Delco volunteer who allegedly ingested toxic product through church's negligence, seeks default judgment
MEDIA – A Delaware County church volunteer who alleged she ingested a negligently placed and toxic cleaning supply product, located on the same table as refreshments offered to the public when she worked at an event to provide COVID-19 vaccinations two years ago, may receive a default judgment.
Blank Rome announces Blank Rome’s Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy Practice Group Recognized by M&A Advisor’s 17th Annual Turnaround Awards
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that our firm's Finance, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy practice group was presented with the "Restructuring of the Year ($100MM to $250MM)" award, as well as the "Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year ($100MM to $1B)" award in The M&A Advisor's 17th Annual Turnaround Awards.
Corrections entities get partial dismissal of counts in suit connected to death of pre-trial detainee
PHILADELPHIA – A trio of corrections defendants have won partial dismissal of counts from litigation brought by the parents of a pre-trial detainee, who was assaulted and killed by individuals he was incarcerated with more than two years ago.
Pastor sues Reading after demonstration outside high school leads to arrest
ALLENTOWN – A non-denominational Christian pastor has sued two Reading police officers, the Reading School District and the City of Reading, after he claims his constitutional rights were violated due to his being arrested from a demonstration held just outside Reading Senior High School this past January.
Plaintiff who suffered fractured vertebrae says apartment building owner's objections are groundless
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh man maintains that due to his apartment building owner’s negligence, he suffered a fall on an icy sidewalk and fractured one of his lumbar vertebrae – standing in opposition to the owner’s preliminary objections, which he says have no basis in law.
SEPTA says conductor's estate hasn't tied transit agency to his fatal case of COVID-19
PHILADELPHIA – The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has denied liability for the death of one of its former conductors from COVID-19, charging his estate has failed to properly plead such a claim.
Defense counsel seeking dismissal of sex abuse class action against The Summit Academy
PHILADELPHIA – Counsel for The Summit Academy say a class action, sexual abuse lawsuit brought by seven of its former residents should be dismissed in its entirety, by arguing the action fails to state claims upon which relief could be granted and is not contained in the proper venue, among other objections.
Fox Rothschild LLP announces The Legal Intelligencer Announces 2023 Professional Excellence Award Winners
Fox Rothschild LLP congratulates firm partners Terrence M. Kerwin and Jana Volante Walshak who were selected to The Legal Intelligencer’s 2023 list of Lawyers on the Fast Track, which celebrates the “next generation of legal leaders.” The firm also received recognition for its Diversity Initiative.
State Supreme Court: Fulton County, counsel sanctioned for disobeying its order in voting machine lawsuit
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has decided to sanction Fulton County and its counsel for engaging in what it referred to as “bad faith conduct” and disobeying a court order, in a legal dispute over the county granting access to its voting machines for an audit after the 2020 Presidential Election.
La. woman says sleep apnea device killed her husband, and learned afterwards it was recalled
PITTSBURGH – A Louisiana woman alleges that her late husband died as a result of a device the defendants manufactured and sold to treat sleep apnea, without being informed until after his passing that the device in question had been subject to a widespread recall.