News from February 2024
Sesame Place Philadelphia gets partial dismissal of expert testimony, in discrimination suit accusing it of racism
PHILADELPHIA – SeaWorld’s Sesame Place Philadelphia have received partial dismissal of opposing counsel’s expert witness, in litigation which charged that employees of the park discriminated against the plaintiff’s daughter, a Black child, during a meet-and-greet session with some costumed characters.
Parents who sued hospital over transport of fetus to funeral home discontinue their case
YORK – Parents who sued Wellspan York Hospital for not getting the remains of a fetus to their preferred funeral home in a timely fashion have discontinued their case, after one month of litigation.
Schuylkill County couple suing over AMC movie theater fall agree to $75K damages cap and remand
SCRANTON – A Schuylkill County couple and AMC Movie Theatres have mutually stipulated that a lawsuit claiming the wife-plaintiff suffered a broken right foot and other injuries, as a result of falling on an obscured hazard in a dimly lit AMC movie theater more than two years ago, would have its damages capped and be remanded to state court.
Voter rights group says Pennsylvania stonewalling it in quest for info
HARRISBURG - The Voter Reference Foundation has gone to federal court to sue Pennsylvania after it says the Commonwealth failed to disclose election information that should be open to the public.
Phila. says res judicata should dismiss federal case over warrant search for plaintiffs' deceased son
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has argued for dismissal of litigation alleging the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department violated the plaintiffs’ civil rights when they conducted a warrant search for their deceased son, on the grounds of res judicata and failure to state claims upon which relief could be granted.
Lawyer sues Blank Rome, former client for allegedly trying to ruin her reputation
PHILADELPHIA - An attorney who represented Avco in aircraft crash legislation is now suing the company and others, including the firm Blank Rome, for pursuing an injunction she says would have ruined her career.
Lawsuit follows now-deceased man's fall and injuries at Tafton post office
SCRANTON - Property owners and the United States are named as defendants in a lawsuit over injuries a man who has since decease suffered in a fall at a post office.
Dental practice sues over bad reviews and Facebook posts, claiming defamation
BUTLER - A Western Pennsylvania dental practice has gone to court to sue a man who has bashed it online, claiming he has defamed the business.
Third Circuit sends privacy class action against Penn Medicine back to state court
PHILADELPHIA – A federal appellate court has ruled that a class action case alleging the University of Pennsylvania Health System violated a Pennsylvania privacy law by installing a Facebook Pixel on its patient portal – allowing the social media company to access personal health information of its users – will be heard in state court.
Federal judge orders case alleging Starbucks coffee scalded plaintiff remanded to state court
PHILADELPHIA – Due to a lack of diversity of citizenship between the parties, a federal judge has remanded to state court litigation brought by a Northeastern Pennsylvania man, who claimed he received first and second-degree burns from Starbucks-brand coffee which spilled onto his lap.
Philadelphia law firm denies it wrongfully terminated its former library and research manager
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia law firm has denied allegations from one of its former employees, a Florida man, in failing to accommodate his psychological medical conditions and terminated him in violation of both state and federal law.
Family of inmate about to be released after 45 years only to die of COVID-19 drops case
PHILADELPHIA – The family of a man who died from COVID-19 shortly before he was to be released from prison after more than four decades and sued state officials for not approving the decedent’s pardon in a timely manner, allegedly leaving him at greater risk for contracting the virus and causing his death, have voluntarily and mutually dismissed their case alongside the defendants.
Walking the Legal Higher Ed Tightrope: The Delicate Balance Between Lawsuits vs. Care & Support on March 1, 2024
Maureen Holland will present “Walking the Legal Higher Ed Tightrope: The Delicate Balance Between Lawsuits vs. Care & Support” at the Delaware Valley Student Affairs Conference.
Complying with ESG Laws for Accountants and Lawyers on February 29, 2024
Corporate attorney Robin Feiner and Tax attorney Kerry Halpern and will speak at an LA&CCA event titled "Complying with ESG Laws for Accountants and Lawyers."
Scandal at Harvard: Organ-harvesting suits against school fail, wife of 'Grim Reaper' pleads guilty
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - The wife of a former morgue manager at Harvard Medical School caught in an organ-harvesting scandal has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges, while civil lawsuits against the school are crumbling.
Judge dismisses lawsuit over man killed on Amtrak train tracks in Northeast Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – A federal judge has dismissed without prejudice litigation from the sister of a man killed by a passing SEPTA train in Northeast Philadelphia nearly two years ago, a suit which contended that the Amtrak train company had a responsibility to construct protective fencing around the tracks it owned, where the incident occurred.
Federal court enters default against Colwyn and police officials, in false arrest and malicious prosecution suit
PHILADELPHIA – A Delaware County man who alleged that a member of the Colwyn Police Department – after unsuccessfully attempting to sanction him with a trio of motor vehicle tickets – later arrested him on fabricated charges of marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, has received a default judgment.
Hidden Valley Mountain Resort wants to transfer injury suit to Somerset County court
PITTSBURGH – On the grounds of improper venue, Hidden Valley Mountain Resort has objected to litigation from the parents of a young man injured at its resort, when he dropped to the ground to escape a non-functioning chairlift.
City of Philadelphia wants to dismiss federal suit over 2022 fatal apartment house fire
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia is seeking to dismiss a federal lawsuit spawning from a fatal apartment house fire in Philadelphia, which took place in January 2022 and caused the deaths of 12 people, for failure to state claims upon which relief could be granted.
Wrongful death lawsuit filed after man crushed by steel plates
PITTSBURGH - A recent lawsuit says a worker "on loan" at a McKees Rocks steel plant died cleaning a coil when he was crushed by two steel plates.