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Pennsylvania
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April 10, 2024
Emissions Rules' Foes May Be Forced To Yield To Automakers
Potential challengers of vehicle emissions rules were shown they're not necessarily in the drivers' seat on the issue when the D.C. Circuit upheld California's authority to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards and run a zero-emission vehicles program while citing the auto industry's peace with the regulations.
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April 10, 2024
3rd Circ. Skeptical Of Challenge To NLRB Bonuses Ruling
A Third Circuit panel appeared skeptical Wednesday of a nursing home's challenge to a National Labor Relations Board decision finding it unlawfully altered bonus pay it issued during the pandemic without bargaining, as judges questioned the company's argument that the bonuses were allowable under an expired contract.
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April 10, 2024
3rd Circ. Revives Retaliation Suit Against Pa. House GOP
The Third Circuit breathed new life Wednesday into a former district office manager's lawsuit alleging she was fired by the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus for reporting she had discovered mold in a state representative's office, finding she was acting outside her job duties when she spoke up.
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April 10, 2024
Honeywell Sues Insurer For $8.75M Performance Bond
A company that issued a $8.75 million performance bond is refusing to honor its deal with Honeywell International Inc. after a subcontractor declared bankruptcy and didn't finish its work at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, Honeywell claims in a suit filed Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court.
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April 10, 2024
'Let's Get Physical': Pa. Justices Tune In To COVID-19 Coverage
One of late singer Olivia Newton-John's greatest hits struck a chord with a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice Wednesday as he considered whether insurers should cover business losses stemming from government shutdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic
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April 10, 2024
Talc Death Liability Should Have Been Even Split, Panel Finds
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday partially reversed a $400,000 verdict in a mesothelioma suit against American International Industries, with a panel finding the trial court should have split the verdict in even thirds, rather than putting 50% of it on AII.
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April 10, 2024
DA Says SEPTA Prosecutor Law Unfairly Singles Out Philly
An attorney for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told a Pennsylvania appellate court Wednesday that a law mandating a "special prosecutor" within the Attorney General's Office to handle crimes within the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority had unfairly and unconstitutionally singled out Philadelphia and his office.
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April 10, 2024
Chase, Zelle Can Arbitrate Stolen-Funds Reimbursement Case
A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday granted Chase Bank and Zelle's request to arbitrate customer claims they acted negligently and violated consumer protection laws by refusing to refund stolen funds, with the judge saying that relevant virtual terms of service required by Chase are valid, and that Zelle may enforce the agreement as a third-party beneficiary.
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April 09, 2024
Philips, Feds Enter Consent Decree Over Sleep Apnea Devices
Philips Respironics can't make sleep apnea breathing machines until it hires an independent monitor, undergoes inspections and meets its obligations under a plan to remediate patients affected by a 2021 recall of such devices, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.
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April 09, 2024
What's In The Norfolk Southern $600M Derailment Deal
Last year's fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, reached a litigation milestone Tuesday with the disaster's first major settlement, a proposed $600 million deal with nearby residents and businesses, but the rail giant must still contend with a federal investigation and other lawsuits.
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April 09, 2024
Insurers Can Expect Scrutiny Over AI Use, Pa. Agency Says
Pennsylvania insurers can expect to receive scrutiny over their use of artificial intelligence tools, the state's insurance department said in guidance that urges companies to take measures to minimize discrimination, inaccuracies and potential harms to consumers.
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April 09, 2024
Equitrans Hit With $1.1M Pollution Penalties In Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection unveiled more than $1.1 million in civil penalties against Equitrans Midstream Partners LP on Tuesday for violations related to the company's uncontrolled gas release from its Rager Mountain natural gas storage field in Cambria County.
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April 09, 2024
Pa. Panel Won't Undo Town Election Due To Missed Deadline
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court said supporters of a candidate for the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors missed their deadline to challenge Montgomery County's decision to count contested mail-in ballots, which had turned the incumbent's narrow win last November into a tie that his opponent won in the tiebreaker.
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April 09, 2024
Gun Shield Law Constitutional, Arms Co. Tells Pa. High Court
Springfield Armory Inc. has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to undo a ruling that it was not immune from product defect claims filed by the family of a boy who was shot by a friend thinking one of the company's guns was unloaded, arguing that Congress intended to prevent such lawsuits with the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
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April 09, 2024
Spirit Flies Away From Wiretap Suit Over Site User Tracking
Spirit Airlines has beaten, for now, a consolidated proposed class action alleging that it flouted privacy and wiretapping laws by gathering its website users' communications after a Pennsylvania federal judge said the plaintiffs haven't responded to Spirit's argument that its software doesn't gather personal information and accordingly suffered no injury and lack standing.
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April 09, 2024
Pittsburgh Schools Sue To Force Countywide Reassessment
The school district serving the city of Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit in state court to compel Allegheny County to conduct a countywide reassessment of real estate values, arguing that taxation starting from a 12-year-old base level is putting homeowners in some neighborhoods at an unfair and unconstitutional disadvantage.
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April 09, 2024
'Education Lawyers' Challenge Isn't Over At TTAB, Firm Says
Jacobson & John LLP's claim that its use of the marketing phrase "The Education Lawyers" has gone unchallenged for five years blatantly misled a Pennsylvania federal court about the phrase's incontestability as a trademark, according to a rival firm's bid to keep its trademark challenge alive there.
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April 09, 2024
NJ Justices To Hear If Philly Archdiocese Subject To NJ Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court will determine whether the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is subject to Garden State courts in a lawsuit alleging a former priest sexually abused a teenager at the former priest's Jersey Shore house decades ago.
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April 09, 2024
16 States Seek To Defend EPA Particulate Matter Rule
A coalition of 16 states, New York City and Washington, D.C., has pushed to intervene before the D.C. Circuit in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final rule tightening federal standards for fine particulate matter pollution, as it faces challenges from industry groups and Republican-led states.
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April 09, 2024
California Can Set Own Emissions Standards, DC Circ. Says
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program, rejecting challenges filed by red states and industry groups.
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April 08, 2024
Feds Say Philly Clinics Billed For 'Impossible' No. Of Visits
The head psychiatrist at a group of Philadelphia mental health clinics allegedly billed Medicaid for enough "med check" patient visits that he would have exceeded the hours in a day if he had taken the state-mandated minimum of 15 minutes per patient, according to a federal False Claims Act suit filed Monday.
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April 08, 2024
Drexel Didn't Accommodate Exec's Disability, Suit Claims
Drexel University was accused Monday of discrimination by an administrator, who claimed its chief operating officer refused her request to meet one-on-one ahead of a group meeting with a subordinate and that the group meeting be held via telephone instead of video.
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April 08, 2024
GOP Candidates Jump Into NJ Ballot Design Fray
Four Republicans running for Congress in New Jersey filed a state lawsuit Monday seeking to compel the state's 21 county clerks to discard the "county line" ballot and use the "office block" ballot that a federal judge has mandated for Democrats in the June 4 primary.
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April 08, 2024
Insurer Fights 3rd Circ. Bid To Revive Crash Coverage Suit
An insurer has urged the Third Circuit to affirm that a Pennsylvania couple couldn't claim it had acted in bad faith by failing to immediately cover the husband's brain injuries from a crash with an underinsured motorist.
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April 08, 2024
Hotel Co. Comes Out On Top In Passover Fiasco Row
A bench trial over a "Passover celebration gone wrong" at a Pennsylvania hotel ended Friday largely in favor of the hotel operator, with $1,447.60 in contract damages for the caterer plaintiff offset by a $5,164.28 judgment in the hotel's favor for damages allegedly caused by guests who created plumbing issues.
Expert Analysis
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Autonomous Vehicles Must Navigate Patchwork Of State Regs
With only modest action by the federal government on the autonomous vehicle regulatory front in 2023, states and localities remain the predominant source of new regulations affecting AVs — but the result is a mix of rules that both help and hinder AV development and adoption, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Federal Policies Keeping Autonomous Vehicles In Slow Lane
In the first installment of this two-part article, attorneys at Faegre Drinker examine recent federal regulations and programs related to autonomous vehicles — and how the federal government's failure to implement a more comprehensive AV regulatory scheme may be slowing the progress of the industry.
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FLSA Ruling Highlights Time Compensability Under State Law
While the Third Circuit's August decision in Tyger v. Precision Drilling endorsed the prevailing standard among federal courts regarding time compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act, it also serves as a reminder that state laws will often find a broader range of activities to be compensable, say Ryan Warden and Craig Long at White and Williams.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Appellate Rulings Highlight Telecom Standard Uncertainties
Two recent contrasting appellate opinions in Cellco v. White Deer Township and NMSurf v. Webber — interpreting Sections 332 and 253 of the Communications Act, respectively — demonstrate the continuing uncertainty carriers face when challenging state and local requirements that may impede their provision of telecommunications services, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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And Now A Word From The Panel: A One-State MDL?
As the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation prepares for its September hearing session where it will consider a petition in which the two constituent actions are both pending in Pennsylvania, but in different districts, Alan Rothman at Sidley points out that the presence of actions in a single state does not preclude the filing of an MDL petition.
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2 Cases May Expand CFPB's Reach On Deceptive Practices
In two separate cases, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is asserting a broad interpretation of who is subject to the Consumer Financial Protection Act's prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices, raising questions about what an expansion of its authority might mean for consumer credit markets, say John Coleman and Leslie Meredith at Orrick.
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Exclusivity Loss Holds Power In Trade Secret Damages Claims
A Pennsylvania federal court's recent decision in Elite Transit v. Cunningham adds to a growing body of case law that illustrates how the loss of trade secret exclusivity alone may be sufficient for claiming damages, even when commercialization of a trade secret has not occurred, say Christopher DeBaere and Julia Bloch at Archway Research.
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Section 363 Ruling Lines Up With Avoidance Action Precedent
While it is safe to say that avoidance actions in bankruptcy cases are the exception, not the rule, when selling assets in a Section 363 sale, the Eighth Circuit’s recent ruling in Simply Essentials’ Chapter 5 case reveals uniformity among courts that have considered the issue, says Daniel Lowenthal at Patterson Belknap.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Checking In On How SuperValu Has Altered FCA Litigation
Four months after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. ex rel. Chutte v. SuperValu, the decision's reach may be more limited than initially anticipated, with the expansion of the scienter standard counterbalanced by some potential defense tools for defendants, say Elena Quattrone and Olivia Plinio at Epstein Becker.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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Opinion
Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues
Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.