Pennsylvania

August 19, 2025
21 AGs Push DEA To Schedule 'Designer Xanax'

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and 20 other state attorneys general are urgently asking the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to schedule an unregulated substance known as "designer Xanax" under the Controlled Substances Act, saying it is contributing to overdose deaths and posing a growing threat to public health.
August 19, 2025
Prospect Medical Says Yale Deal Is Top Offer For Hospitals

Hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. has asked to assume a $435 million pre-bankruptcy agreement to sell its three Connecticut hospitals to Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., arguing it contains the "highest possible recovery" for its creditors.
August 19, 2025
Generic-Drug Makers To Pay $71M To End Price-Fixing Claims

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc. USA has offered to pay approximately $38 million, and Pfizer Inc. and its generic-drug unit Greenstone LLC have promised to pay roughly $33 million, to settle price-fixing claims by the direct purchasers of generic drugs.
August 19, 2025
Ex-Judge Gets Law License Back After Bribery Suspension

A former Philadelphia Municipal Court judge can practice law in Pennsylvania again following a split state Supreme Court decision to reinstate his license that had been suspended after he admitted to accepting $90,000 to drop out of a congressional election.
August 19, 2025
Pa. Justices OK Lower Court's Test For When Posts Are Public

A split Pennsylvania Supreme Court endorsed a lower court's proposed test for whether an elected official's personal social media messages are subject to the state's open records law, with the majority agreeing the posts should only be considered public if they have the "trappings" of a government record.
August 18, 2025
NJ Feds Say Habba's US Atty Role Unusual, But Not Unlawful

Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba on Monday doubled down on her argument that President Donald Trump legally appointed her New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, telling a federal judge that this is simply "an unusual situation" created when the district court last month refused to extend her interim tenure.
August 18, 2025
HHS Says Layoffs, Reorganization Are Within Its Authority

The Trump administration urged a Rhode Island federal judge to toss claims that massive cuts to the Health and Human Services Department violate the U.S. Constitution and usurp congressional authority, arguing the state plaintiffs don't have the authority to dictate how the executive branch manages its personnel.
August 18, 2025
Pharma Company Beats Investor Suit Over Drug Safety Claims

ChemoCentryx, a California-based pharmaceutical company, has secured summary judgment in shareholder litigation accusing it of overstating the efficacy of its newly developed treatment for an autoimmune disease called ANCA vasculitis, with a California court ruling that the ultimate regulatory approval of the drug may show that the company was not intentionally overhyping it.
August 18, 2025
Respecting Picket Wasn't A Strike, Teamsters Local Tells Court

Airgas' collective bargaining agreement with a Teamsters local in Allentown, Pennsylvania, protects its workers' right to respect picket lines, the local told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday, asking him to toss the gas supplier's claim that the workers' refusal to cross a picket line was a strike that violated the contract.
August 18, 2025
Pittsburgh Balks At Developer Joining Inclusive Zoning Fight

The city of Pittsburgh is urging a Pennsylvania federal court to reject a real estate trade association's bid to stop the city from enforcing an inclusionary zoning ordinance, arguing that the trade association is trying to block the ordinance on behalf of a private developer.
August 18, 2025
Pa. Court Affirms $7.3M Verdict To Man Hit By SEPTA Train

A split Pennsylvania appeals panel on Monday upheld a $7.3 million jury verdict in a suit accusing a construction company of negligently causing a subcontract worker to get hit by a SEPTA train while working, saying the company can't be considered the man's employer for purposes of workers compensation immunity.
August 18, 2025
Most Ozempic, Wegovy Claims Survive MDL Dismissal Bid

Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk will have to face most of a multidistrict litigation accusing them of misleading consumers over the risks and benefits of popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Trulicity, after a Pennsylvania federal judge only trimmed a few of the dozen claims the drugmakers tried to have tossed.
August 18, 2025
Ex-Conrail CEO Loses Bid To Overturn $11M Arbitration Award

A Pennsylvania federal judge has upheld an $11 million arbitration award against former Conrail CEO David LeVan over a failed Gettysburg casino project that later spurred a legal malpractice case against Saul Ewing LLP in which LeVan claimed he was poorly advised during the deal's fallout.
August 18, 2025
3rd Circ. Says IRS Can Pursue Taxes In Decades-Old Fraud

The IRS can go after a woman's unpaid taxes more than 20 years later because her return preparer committed fraud on her filings, even though the woman did not mean to evade taxes, the Third Circuit ruled Monday.
August 18, 2025
AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told

AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.
August 18, 2025
Progressive Must Cover $6M Title Insurer Judgment, Mall Says

Progressive must cover a more than $6 million judgment against a title insurance agency that Progressive insured, the owner of a New Jersey shopping center told a Pennsylvania state court, arguing that Progressive-appointed counsel rejected prior settlement opportunities in bad faith.
August 18, 2025
3rd Circ. Backs Pittsburgh In Row Over Zoning Board Conflict

The Third Circuit has backed the dismissal of a mixed-use project developer's million-dollar lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment over variance delays caused by a conflict of interest dispute, saying its due process rights weren't violated.
August 15, 2025
Nat'l Guard Deployment In States Won't Be As Easy As In DC

President Donald Trump's power to deploy the D.C. National Guard and federalize local police lays bare the unique vulnerability of the district, but that power may be more limited in states where Trump has threatened to take similar action.
August 15, 2025
Real Estate Recap: Water Law, Risky Debt, NYC Rezone

Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into coastal development, one bank's bullish outlook on construction financing, and Midtown Manhattan's greenlight for denser residential development.
August 15, 2025
Trans Track Athlete Sues NCAA, College For Discrimination

A transgender athlete has sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Swarthmore College after she was banned from the women's track team, following the NCAA's 2025 transgender exclusion policy, which the former student said caused "severe" emotional and financial harm before her eventual reinstatement.
August 15, 2025
Monsanto Asks Pa. Justices To Toss $175M Roundup Verdict

Bayer AG unit Monsanto has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to undo a $175 million verdict awarded to a man in a Roundup weedkiller cancer lawsuit, arguing federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims in products liability cases.
August 15, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Barring Testimony OK In Deportation Case

The Third Circuit ruled Friday that an immigration judge did not violate a Mexican man's due process rights by barring testimony from his wife and psychologist since the seriousness of multiple drunken driving convictions precluded a finding of good moral character.
August 15, 2025
'Creative' $2.5B DuPont Deal In NJ Is PFAS Road Map For AGs

After six years of litigation between New Jersey and E.I. du Pont de Nemours, including a series of bench trials, the chemical manufacturer agreed to a deal that committed more than $2 billion to cleaning up the Garden State from "forever chemical" contamination at four of its facilities, in the largest environmental settlement ever achieved by a single state.
August 15, 2025
3rd Circ. Won't Rehear Pa. County's Dominion Contract Suit

The Third Circuit has declined to revisit a ruling that a Pennsylvania county's commissioners lacked standing to sue Dominion Voting Systems over alleged security flaws during the 2020 election.
August 15, 2025
Judge Questions How New Jersey US Atty Ascended To Role

A federal judge tasked with deciding if acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba was legitimately serving as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor was curious about how she ascended to the role in the first place, suggesting at one point during a hearing Friday that the government proposed a game of "musical chairs" designed to "shoehorn" her into the position.

Expert Analysis

2025 May Be A Breakout Year For The Cannabis Industry

The cannabis industry faced a slow and frustrating 2024, but consumer trends continue to shift in favor of cannabis, and the new administration may provide the catalyst that the industry needs, says Lynn Gefen at TerrAscend.
Series

Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.
5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.
And Now A Word From The Panel: How MDLs Fared In 2024

A significant highlight of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's practice during 2024 was the increase in the percentage of new MDL petitions granted by the panel, with 25 granted and only eight denied — one of the highest grant rates in years, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.
4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.
Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2025

The critical policy milestones for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances expected in 2025 will not only shape the trajectory of PFAS regulation, but also set key precedents for environmental accountability, potentially reshaping the corporate approach to these "forever chemicals" for decades to come, say attorneys at MG+M.
Series

Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
Predicting Where State AGs Will Direct Their Attention In 2025

In 2025, we expect state attorneys general will navigate a new presidential administration while continuing to further regulate and police financial services, artificial intelligence, junk fees and antitrust, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
Issues To Watch In 2025's ERISA Litigation Landscape

Whether 2024’s uptick in new Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases will continue this year will likely depend on federal courts’ resolution of several issues, including those related to excessive fees, defined contribution plan forfeitures, and pleading standards for ERISA-prohibited transaction claims, say attorneys at Groom Law.
5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.
Series

Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.