In recent cases of note filed in Pennsylvania courts, America is fighting for the rights of Old Order Amish persons to use outhouses, while a woman is suing the maker of a candle that set her hair on fire.
United States of America v. Sugar Grove Township
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Jan. 30
Ordinances forcing Old Order Amish residents of Sugar Grove, in Warren County, to connect to its municipal sewer system, which requires an electric pump, and banning toilets in outhouses are subject to a challenge by the federal government.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Troy Rivetti and his staff claim Sugar Grove has violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. The ordinances substantially burden the sincerely held religious beliefs of Old Order Amish persons, the lawsuit says.
Their religious beliefs separate them from modern technology, but that is jeopardized by Sugar Grove forcing them to use an electric pump for their sewage. Approximately 25% of the town's population is Old Order Amish.
Privies, toilets in outhouses unconnected to the town's sewage system, are banned by the ordinances.
"Privies are the only feasible bodily waste disposal option that complies with the Old Order Amish's religious tenets requiring separation from modern technology," the suit says.
"The use of privies by the Old Order Amish in Sugar Grove poses no material threat to the health or safety of the Township or its groundwater."
Z.N., et al., v. Aiden and Karen Saber
Allegheny Court of Common Pleas, Jan.27
The lawsuit follows a fatal wreck in December 2023 that killed two teenagers on Irwin Road in McCandless Township. Aiden was the driver of a vehicle owned by Karen and allegedly kept speeding despite pleas from passengers to slow down.
Ultimately, he wrecked going 72 mph in a 25-mph zone, the suit says. Plaintiffs Z.N. and Matthew Nicely, brothers, survived the wreck but witnessed the horrors caused by it.
Aiden Saber apologized in December in court after agreeing to a plea deal that sends him to prison for up to five years, minus the 267 days he has already served since the wreck killed Jonathan Tourney, 14, and Taylor Orlowski, 18.
Those impacted by the crash showed little in the way of forgiveness at his sentencing, Triblive.com reported. Parents of those who died have already filed suit.
The Nicely lawsuit says Karen should have known Aiden was an unsafe and dangerous driver. It makes claims for negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent entrustment.
Ava Medic, et al., v. Bath & Body Works, et al.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Jan. 30
An aromatherapy candle made by Mayfield Consumer Products and sold by Bath & Body Works was gifted to Medic in November 2022 as a housewarming present.
Six weeks later in February 2023, Medic lit the candle for a second time while her children and their puppy were in the house. She laid down to rest.
"Within an hour, she awoke to the sound of crackling coming from the dresser top area," the suit says.
The candle's glass container cracked, then exploded in her face. Photos in the lawsuit show Medic in her hallway with her hair on fire.
One of her children tried to put out the fire on her with their hands, causing burns.
"Finally, noticing a mop bucket miraculously nearby, Ava dunked her head in the bucket of water, putting out the fire in her hair and likely saving her life," the suit says.
The mop bucket water was used to put the fire out in Medic's bedroom too, the suit says.
Nicole and Thaddaeus Dachille v. Sky Zone LLC, et al.
Allegheny Court of Common Pleas, Feb. 3
Nicole says she was at a Sky Zone in Monroeville a year ago with her husband and children when her leg crumbled while bouncing on a trampoline.
She tore her ACL and meniscus in her left leg and suffered nondisplaced fractures of the tibia and femur, the suit says.
The complaint cites dangers associated with trampoline parks. When she canceled her membership and sought a $94 refund, she signed a general release that was actually a confidential settlement agreement that keeps her from suing over her injuries, the suit says.
"Essentially, to dupe Nicole into releasing all of her claims against Defendants, Defendants offer Nicole a refund for money paid for prepaid access to the facility," the suit says.
J.C. and P.C. v. Delaware Valley School District
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Feb. 8
J.C. alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in her lawsuit, filed after she was punished for being found with a nicotine vape pen in her backpack in December. Her disability is mental health concerns that lead to suicidal tendencies, the suit says.
The vape pen was found on Dec. 3 but she was not punished until after her parent filed a special education due process complaint against the school district, she says.
It was the very next day after her complaint was filed that a school resource officer submitted a written allegation against her over the vape pen in Pike County court.
"The school district's conduct has significantly exacerbated the student's mental disorders to the point that she is suffering emotional distress and harm," the suit says.