News from May 2024
Delco judge OKs consolidation for suits over fall injuries at Pa. Institute of Technology house
MEDIA – A woman seriously injured in a fall at a home owned by the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology and who sued the institution for the injuries she received, has been granted consolidation of her original suit with more recent litigation brought over the same events.
Philadelphia points to U.S. government for liability of plaintiff's injuries incurred at Independence Hall
PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has countered a local woman’s claims that she suffered a variety of injuries due to a sidewalk fall which took place in front of Independence Hall, by redirecting cross-claim liability for the incident to the federal government.
Mars Chocolate receives partial summary judgment against claims of worker trapped in tank
ALLENTOWN – A federal judge has partially granted and partially denied the Mars Chocolate company’s attempt to obtain summary judgment, in a lawsuit filed by a man tasked with cleaning a chocolate batching tank at its facility and who claimed he became trapped in the machinery for more than six hours.
16-year-old says he was refused residency at Pa. youth facilities due to his Type I diabetes
PHILADELPHIA – A 16-year-old dependent minor alleges that several Montgomery County youth residential facilities have refused to admit him solely on the basis of his Type I diabetes diagnosis, which an accompanying lawsuit argues is disability discrimination and a violation of federal law.
Wilkes-Barre school police officer says she was suspended and dismissed without due process
SCRANTON – A Wilkes-Barre school police officer contends that after defusing an incident with a violent student who was attempting to strangle her, she was later suspended and dismissed from her duties by the school district without a hearing, an opportunity to respond or any type of proper due process.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas: Actions Taken on May 1
The Delaware County Court of Common Pleas reported the following activity on May 1 in the suits below:
Philadelphia Housing Authority wants discovery in suit over fire that killed 12 people
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Housing Authority has motioned to compel reception of extensive discovery materials from the Philadelphia Fire Department, in wrongful death litigation connected to a January 2022 fatal apartment house fire in the city’s Fairmount neighborhood that caused the deaths of 12 people.
Former Philadelphia police officer alleges discrimination and retaliation preceded his firing
PHILADELPHIA – A former Philadelphia Police Department officer has alleged he faced unlawful workplace discrimination and retaliation over the course of his tenure, culminating in his termination from the Department.
Longtime Jenkintown girls basketball coach says age discrimination caused his firing
PHILADELPHIA – A former girls’ basketball coach of more than 40 years in the Jenkintown School District has alleged he was terminated based upon his advanced age, and that school officials unlawfully targeted him in looking for unrelated reasons to dismiss him.
Wilkes-Barre and police officers insist they are not liable for injuries of pedestrian and pursuit bystander
SCRANTON – The City of Wilkes-Barre, two of its police officers and other defendants have denied liability for a woman’s grievous injuries that she allegedly suffered, when, as a pedestrian crossing the street in that city, she was struck by a car driven by a suspect who was fleeing arrest from officers of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department.
UTV makers object to lawsuit over crash and fatal drowning
SCRANTON – A pair of Minnesota manufacturers of an off-road utility vehicle have disavowed liability for allegedly contributing to a fatal UTV accident two years ago, which took the life of the plaintiff’s wife by drowning in the aftermath of the crash.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas: Actions Taken on April 30
The Delaware County Court of Common Pleas reported the following activity on April 30 in the suits below:
York School District denies child's sexual assault took place and alleges parents made false report
YORK – York School District has denied charges from the mothers of a minor child which alleged he was the victim of a sexual assault at the hands of an older student in the restroom of his elementary school, and that the plaintiffs had supposedly made a false report with respect to that incident.
Black customer at Rite Aid alleges she faced racist treatment from white store employees
HARRISBURG – A Black customer of a Rite Aid pharmacy location in Lemoyne claims she was the target of harassment and racist behavior by the store’s white employees, during a visit to the store last year.
Security guard says school principal made unwelcome advances, then retaliated against her
ERIE – A Black security guard at a charter school in Erie alleges the school principal made unwelcome advances and then attempted to get her fired, after she reported his behavior.
Plaintiff disrupted by Pittsburgh pickleball court noise holds to claims made against City
PITTSBURGH – A local woman whose home is located adjacent to pickleball courts at Moore Park has restated claims against the City of Pittsburgh and that her quality of life has been negatively impacted by the noise of constant play at those same courts.
Colwyn denies account of Delco man who said he was targeted with fabricated criminal charges
PHILADELPHIA – The Borough of Colwyn has denied the core components of litigation brought by 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.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas: Actions Taken on April 29
The Delaware County Court of Common Pleas reported the following activity on April 29 in the suits below:
Sheetz's refusal to hire some criminals makes it racist, EEOC says
BALTIMORE – The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Sheetz, charging that the criminal background check in its hiring process has discriminated against job applicants of Black, American Indian/Alaska Native and/or multiracial origin.
Pa. Supreme Court: Nationwide Insurance not forced to defend homeowners where man's OD took place
HARRISBURG – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has overturned a lower court ruling which found Nationwide Insurance had a duty to defend a pair of homeowners in an underlying lawsuit surrounding a man’s fatal overdose which took place in their home.