State Court
Former Leet Township police chief loses breach of contract lawsuit against the municipality
PITTSBURGH – The former chief of police in Leet Township has lost his breach of contract suit, which had alleged he was unlawfully fired four years before his contract expired.
Hot Topics
Allegheny County denies violating religious liberty of corrections officer who objected to COVID vax mandate
Federal Gov
Pa. company sues FTC over noncompete ban as Biden admin continues to make rules without lawmakers' approval
PHILADELPHIA (Legal Newsline) - A Pennsylvania tree service company with a history of using noncompete agreements for its employees is suing the Federal Trade Commission over its new rule banning them.
Lawsuits
Following dismissal of gun and drug charges, man sues police officers who made alleged false arrest
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County man has alleged that a group of local law enforcement officers violated his constitutional rights when they arrested him on gun and drug charges, offenses which were later dismissed in a criminal court.
Today, the Fair Share Act’s name is a misnomer
Federal Court
N.J. man who said Pa. athletic commission authorities sabotaged his pro boxing event loses case
HARRISBURG – A New Jersey man who launched legal action against the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and its personnel – alleging they conspired against him to prevent him from holding a professional boxing card in Harrisburg – has had his case dismissed.
Federal Court
Harrisburg Parking Authority dismissed from litigation over truck which received 94 tickets
HARRISBURG – The Harrisburg Parking Authority has been dismissed from a lawsuit brought by Santander Bank, which argued it should not have to pay nearly $13,000 to repossess a 2019 Dodge Ram vehicle it financed the purchase of and was later impounded by the parking agency for racking up 94 parking tickets, while the company who towed it claims otherwise.
Lawsuits
Norfolk Southern violated ADA when seeking candidate for signalman role, suit alleges
JOHNSTOWN – A Western Pennsylvania man claims that the Norfolk Southern Railway Company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, when it did not hire him for a signalman position it was looking to fill.
Lawsuits
Lawsuit: Pittsburgh School District and bus company are liable for autistic student's injuries
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh parent alleges that her non-verbal and autistic daughter sustained a concussion and other injuries when she fell from her seat, and argues that the local school district and a bus company were responsible for the incident.
Attorneys & Judges
Plaintiff in class action against Gannon University now seeks $371K award in extra costs
ERIE – An undergraduate student who filed a class action lawsuit against Gannon University claiming that he and others were deprived of the on-campus education and experience they paid for when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and learning shifted to remote status – and then settled the case for $1.1 million - now seeks an award of attorney’s fees, costs and other expenses in excess of $371,000.
Lawsuits
Man says bouncers of Scranton pub wrongly assaulted and maced him in parking lot
SCRANTON – A Lackawanna County man alleges that subsequent to an altercation outside of a local pub, the establishment’s bouncers assaulted him, handcuffed him and maced him at close range.
Lawsuits
After DA's Office drops drug charges, man sues Philly police officers he alleges falsely arrested him
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia man contends that he was maliciously prosecuted on drug possession charges despite police officers knowing he was innocent, leading those charges to later be dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office and him to subsequently file a civil lawsuit against the officers who arrested him.
Federal Court
Lawsuit of exonerated man imprisoned 33 years for murder sent back to state court
PHILADELPHIA – A man who spent 33 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit before being exonerated, has won remand of his case against the City of Philadelphia and police officials, who the plaintiff alleged falsified evidence and perjured themselves at trial.
Federal Court
Bucks County plaintiffs oppose JCPenney's attempt at obtaining summary judgment in injury suit
PHILADELPHIA – A Bucks County man and his wife have responded in opposition to JCPenney’s motion for summary judgment, in litigation where the husband-plaintiff alleged he suffered an injurious fall at the retailer’s store in Langhorne’s Oxford Valley Mall more than three-and-a-half years ago.
Norfolk Southern violated ADA when seeking candidate for signalman role, suit alleges
JOHNSTOWN – A Western Pennsylvania man claims that the Norfolk Southern Railway Company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, when it did not hire him for a signalman position it was looking to fill.
Lawsuit: Pittsburgh School District and bus company are liable for autistic student's injuries
PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh parent alleges that her non-verbal and autistic daughter sustained a concussion and other injuries when she fell from her seat, and argues that the local school district and a bus company were responsible for the incident.
Firm says U.S. Coast Guard hasn't responded to its FOIA request over Port of Wilmington expansion
PHILADELPHIA – A Bala Cynwyd law firm and two of its attorneys allege that the U.S. Coast Guard have declined to answer its Freedom of Information Act request concerning records related to a proposed expansion of the Port of Wilmington, Delaware.
Man says bouncers of Scranton pub wrongly assaulted and maced him in parking lot
SCRANTON – A Lackawanna County man alleges that subsequent to an altercation outside of a local pub, the establishment’s bouncers assaulted him, handcuffed him and maced him at close range.
After DA's Office drops drug charges, man sues Philly police officers he alleges falsely arrested him
PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia man contends that he was maliciously prosecuted on drug possession charges despite police officers knowing he was innocent, leading those charges to later be dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office and him to subsequently file a civil lawsuit against the officers who arrested him.
Allegheny County denies violating religious liberty of corrections officer who objected to COVID vax mandate
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County has denied violating the religious liberty of one of its corrections officers, in a lawsuit over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate allegedly running afoul of that same plaintiff’s objections.
Allegheny County Sheriff's Office employee loses religious exemption case over COVID vax
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County and its Sheriff’s Office have won dismissal of litigation which alleged that they failed to reasonably accommodate the religious beliefs of one of its employees, when it mandated obtaining vaccination against COVID-19.
Fired Union County library employee settles case over religious exemption from wearing masks
WILLIAMSPORT – A former public library employee in Lewisburg who alleged her Christian beliefs were the determinative factor in the library’s decision to terminate her employment, when she sought a religious exemption to its mandatory mask policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, has settled her claims.
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.
AG Michelle Henry: ‘The FTC and Congress must act to ensure fulsome regulation of PBMs nationwide’
State Attorney General Michelle Henry (D-Pennsylvania) sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership this week saying Congress should “act to ensure fulsome regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Plaintiff in class action against Gannon University now seeks $371K award in extra costs
ERIE – An undergraduate student who filed a class action lawsuit against Gannon University claiming that he and others were deprived of the on-campus education and experience they paid for when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and learning shifted to remote status – and then settled the case for $1.1 million - now seeks an award of attorney’s fees, costs and other expenses in excess of $371,000.
Pa. state senator Boscola appeals judge's ruling in defamation suit
PITTSBURGH – A Pennsylvania state senator facing defamation allegations from an energy company president has appealed a judge’s denial of her preliminary objections to the Commonwealth Court.
Third Circuit cites no jurisdiction for insurer's appeal over asbestos litigation costs
PHILADELPHIA – Citing a lack of jurisdiction, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled against an insurance company’s appeal connected to the costs it incurred in asbestos litigation from one of its customers.
Former Leet Township police chief loses breach of contract lawsuit against the municipality
PITTSBURGH – The former chief of police in Leet Township has lost his breach of contract suit, which had alleged he was unlawfully fired four years before his contract expired.
Najee McDonald sues Sirrieah Jhaiquil for car accident resulting in personal injury
In the Court of Common Pleas, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Najee McDonald has filed a lawsuit against Sirrieah Jhaiquil and Soncera Lamar.
Harrisburg Parking Authority dismissed from litigation over truck which received 94 tickets
HARRISBURG – The Harrisburg Parking Authority has been dismissed from a lawsuit brought by Santander Bank, which argued it should not have to pay nearly $13,000 to repossess a 2019 Dodge Ram vehicle it financed the purchase of and was later impounded by the parking agency for racking up 94 parking tickets, while the company who towed it claims otherwise.
Pa. courts tie for No. 1 ranking on annual 'Judicial Hellholes' report list
WASHINGTON – According to the latest annual report of “Judicial Hellholes” released Tuesday by the American Tort Reform Association, Pennsylvania courts have tied with Georgia for the No. 1 ranking for jurisdictions considered unfriendly to businesses.
DOJ nets $28M financial penalty against Warren Buffett-owned mortgage lender for redlining
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has handed down a fine in excess of $28 million to a Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire Warren Buffet, which it says engaged in discriminatory lending practices to prospective homeowners who are Black and Latino.