Pennsylvania

  • March 27, 2024

    Justices Poised To Expand Repeat Offenders' Jury Trial Rights

    The U.S. Supreme Court appeared likely Wednesday to agree with the Biden administration and the criminal defense bar that repeat offenders have a constitutional right to let a jury decide if past offenses were sufficiently distinct to trigger lengthy prison terms under a prominent sentencing enhancement.

  • March 27, 2024

    Candy Co. Can Use Recipe Amid 'Chocolate Moonshine' Fight

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has refused to ban the candy maker Local Yokels Fudge from making or selling fudge, ruling the owner's ex-husband hadn't shown the company is still using his family's secret "Chocolate Moonshine" fudge recipe.

  • March 27, 2024

    Eastman Should Be Disbarred, Calif. State Bar Judge Rules

    A State Bar Court of California judge on Wednesday recommended disbarring Donald Trump's onetime attorney John Eastman, who helped plan and promote the former president's strategy to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

  • March 27, 2024

    Governor Directs Pa. To Use More Project Labor Agreements

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday that he is directing state agencies to consider including project labor agreements — pre-hiring collective bargaining agreements that can cover multiple contractors and labor unions — in all major capital projects.

  • March 27, 2024

    Bricklayer Seeks OT Pay For Time On 'Shuttle' To Worksites

    A bricklayer alleged that a California-based construction firm should have paid him and his fellow workers to ride a shuttle up to an hour each way to job sites, according to a proposed class action made public in Pennsylvania state court Wednesday.

  • March 27, 2024

    NY AG, Others Blast Sandoz Deal 'Tax' On Future Settlements

    New York's attorney general was one of three objectors Tuesday to a provision in Sandoz's proposed $265 million settlement with a class of drug wholesalers in Pennsylvania federal court that they say will delay any future generic-drug price-fixing litigation deals by taxing agreements over $119.25 million.

  • March 27, 2024

    Pittsburgh Aims To Ax $14M Of Nonprofits' Tax Waivers

    Officials with the city of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday that they will file challenges to tax exemptions for more than 100 properties within the city, claiming that they are no longer owned by nonprofits or serving a charitable function and should put up to $14 million back on local tax rolls.

  • March 27, 2024

    Illegally Stored Oil Waste Threatens Ohio River, AG Suit Says

    The Ohio attorney general wants a state court to force the removal of tons of oil and gas industry waste illegally stored near the Ohio River that threatens to contaminate nearby drinking water sources.

  • March 26, 2024

    Pennsylvania, Crypto Miner Sued Over Enviro Contamination

    A Pennsylvania environmental group sued the Keystone State and a crypto-mining company Tuesday in Philadelphia County Court accusing the state of failing to protect its residents from the company's purported six million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

  • March 26, 2024

    GOP Lawmakers Lose Pennsylvania Voter Registration Fight

    A group of Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania lack standing to challenge state and federal voter registration programs because they didn't sue on behalf of the whole legislature, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

  • March 26, 2024

    Feds Say Ruling Doesn't Back Court Review Of EB-5 Visa Denial

    The Biden administration has countered an argument from Chinese investors that courts can review the denial of their EB-5 visas, telling the D.C. Circuit that the unrelated case that the investors are relying on involves different facts and issues.

  • March 26, 2024

    Stakes High As Pa. Justices To Mull Gov't Suit Damages Cap

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent decision to review the constitutionality of the $250,000 damages cap for personal injury suits against state agencies sets the stage for two extremes: absolute immunity or limitless liability, experts say.

  • March 26, 2024

    3rd Circ. Says EMS Transport Without Consent Is Med Mal

    A patient who was transported to a Pennsylvania hospital against his will was effectively making a medical malpractice claim against the emergency medical services technicians and needed to file a "certificate of merit" to back up such a claim, a split Third Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.

  • March 26, 2024

    BP, Chevron And Others Hit With Climate Change Suit In Pa.

    Bucks County in Pennsylvania has sued BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and other major oil companies for allegedly deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuel pollution, claiming that climate change has caused increasingly severe weather leading to property damage in the county.

  • March 26, 2024

    Sony Ducks $500M PlayStation Patent Suit In Del.

    A Delaware federal court has sided with Sony in a $500 million patent infringement suit brought by Genuine Enabling Technology LLC over PlayStation consoles, marking a close to the case.

  • March 25, 2024

    J&J Exec 'Shocked' Over Atty's Ties With Talc Plaintiffs

    Johnson & Johnson's vice president of litigation said on Monday he was "utterly shocked and appalled" upon learning an attorney who served as the company's outside counsel was working with its adversary Beasley Allen Law Firm and one of its attorneys in litigation over the alleged link between the company's talcum powder products and ovarian cancer.

  • March 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Says NJ City Can't Stop Sale Of Failed Project's Sites

    The Third Circuit tossed a New Jersey city's challenge of a bankruptcy court ruling that allowed the two local properties of a failed affordable housing project to be sold to a third party, according to an unpublished opinion Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ownership Suit Over McCartney, Jagger Recordings Is Tossed

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Monday that no copyright dispute exists between the son of a music producer who recorded interviews with rock icons such as Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger and a man who sold the collection, reasoning that the son had no right to the recordings because they were never registered for copyrights with the federal government.

  • March 25, 2024

    No Coverage for Pa. ATV Accident, Insurer Says

    Truck Insurance Exchange has told a Pennsylvania state court it should owe no coverage to a policyholder facing a personal injury suit over an all-terrain vehicle accident, saying the policyholder's insurance agent "intentionally" failed to disclose the accident before Truck issued the policy.

  • March 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Rethink AbbVie Privilege Ruling

    The Third Circuit refused Monday to reconsider a ruling that found AbbVie was unable to show a lower court went against precedent or made errors when ordering the drugmaker to turn over attorney communications from a patent case allegedly meant to delay an AndroGel rival.

  • March 25, 2024

    Steelers Owner Says Partner's Silence Is Stalling TD Air Sale

    The majority owner and president of the Pittsburgh Steelers — who is also a consultant at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC — wants a Pennsylvania state court to make a purportedly nonresponsive business partner sell his one-third share of a company that formerly owned and operated private jets.

  • March 25, 2024

    Plaintiffs' Attys Found Not Violating Soliciting Rules In OT Suit

    Current and former employees of a Pennsylvania coal company earned conditional certification and did not violate soliciting rules for a collective action accusing management of violating overtime rules by not compensating time spent attending to gear before and after shifts, a federal judge ruled.

  • March 22, 2024

    Lutron Cleared On Shade Trade Dress Claims

    A New York federal judge has thrown out trade dress claims that GeigTech brought against home lighting fixtures company Lutron, writing that "there is no evidence that Lutron wanted members of the consuming public to think that it was selling J. Geiger shades."

  • March 22, 2024

    Final OK Sought For Economic Loss Deal In CPAP Recall MDL

    Users of Philips' recalled CPAP breathing machines have asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to give her final OK to their $467.5 million settlement with the company to cover economic loss claims, arguing only a few objections to the deal remain.

  • March 22, 2024

    Union Seeks Quick Win In Nuclear Plant Healthcare Row

    An IBEW local is urging a Pennsylvania federal judge to grant it a quick win in its fight to send to arbitration a grievance challenging a nuclear power plant operator's healthcare benefits contributions, arguing that the dispute falls within the parameters of the union's collective bargaining agreement.

Expert Analysis

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: Benefits Of MDL Transfers

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    A recent order from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation highlights a critical part of the panel's work — moving cases into an existing MDL — and serves as a reminder that common arguments against such transfers don't outweigh the benefits of coordinating discovery and utilizing lead counsel, says Alan Rothman at Sidley Austin.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

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    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • Md. May See Vigorous Resale Price Maintenance Enforcement

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    In Maryland, indications of a new focus on resale price maintenance agreements are significant because state prosecution in this area has been rare, particularly outside California, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks

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    Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.

  • 2026 World Cup: Companies Face Labor Challenges And More

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    Companies sponsoring or otherwise involved with the 2026 FIFA World Cup — hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — should be proactive in preparing to navigate many legal considerations in immigration, labor management and multijurisdictional workforces surrounding the event, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Insurance Industry Asbestos Reserve Estimates Are Unreliable

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    Insurance regulators rely on industry self-reporting in approving insurance company reorganizations, but AM Best data reveals that actuarial and audit estimates have been setting perniciously low levels of loss reserves for asbestos liabilities and thus should be treated with deep skepticism, says Jonathan Terrell at KCIC.

  • Employers Should Take Surgeon's Sex Bias Suit As A Warning

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    A Philadelphia federal jury's recent verdict in a sex bias suit over Thomas Jefferson University's inaction on a male plaintiff's sexual harassment complaint is a reminder to employers of all stripes about the importance of consistently applied protocols for handling complaints, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

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    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

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