Pennsylvania

Single Mom at 14, Law Grad at 24

Rasheedah Phillips was a single mom at 14. She dropped out of school for six months, and her grades plummeted. But, unlike nearly 70 percent of the teens who become mothers within four years of starting high school, she went back, even as she worked part-time to support her daughter,…

May 22, 2008 3:25 PM CDT

Former Pa. Chief Justice Says Lawsuit is ‘Preposterous’

Former Pennsylvania Chief Justice Ralph Cappy labels as “preposterous” a lawsuit that accuses him of leading legislators to believe that the court would issue a favorable ruling on a gambling law in exchange for judicial pay raises. Cappy issued a statement saying the charges in the suit filed by the…

May 21, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

NYC Seeks to Discipline 7 Cops in Bell Police Shooting Case

Officials have filed administrative discipline charges against seven New York City police officers, including several who were not indicted in a separate criminal case, over the death of Sean Bell. Three detectives were acquitted last month in a controversial criminal case over the death of the unarmed Bell in a…

May 20, 2008 9:34 PM CDT

Suit Claims Pa. Ex-Chief Justice Traded Favorable Ruling for Judicial Pay Raises

A lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters contends Pennsylvania’s former chief justice held secret meetings with legislators in which he promised a favorable ruling on a gambling law in exchange for judicial pay raises. The suit (PDF posted by How Appealing) claims former Chief Justice Ralph Cappy told…

May 20, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Text-Only Obscenity Issue Won’t Be Litigated Due to Guilty Plea

A case that raises the issue of whether text alone can justify a federal obscenity charge won’t be decided by a court on First Amendment grounds. Karen Fletcher, charged with distributing obscenity online, has decided to plead guilty, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. She was accused of violating the law by…

May 20, 2008 12:42 PM CDT

Promise Kept: Lawyer Quits Firm to Continue Juvenile Client’s Defense

After a conflict arose that made a Pittsburgh lawyer have to choose between his six-figure law firm salary or keeping a promise to a juvenile he was defending, Keenan Holmes says the choice became clear. “How can I tell my kids to do the right thing if I don’t? A…

May 16, 2008 7:28 PM CDT

Akerman to Merge With WolfBlock?

Two well-known law firms based in Florida and Philadelphia are reportedly getting serious about a proposal to combine forces to create a national platform and join the BigLaw ranks. Akerman Senterfitt and WolfBlock are in advanced merger discussions, according to unnamed sources. And the talks have already resolved the issue…

May 16, 2008 6:17 PM CDT

Bank Said $280,000 Deposit was Valid, But Now Wants It Back

When $280,000 was mistakenly deposited in October into the bank account of a retired couple in midstate Pennsylvania, they did the right thing, according to their lawyer, and notified the bank. But when First Commonwealth Bank representatives repeatedly assured them that the deposit was correct, they did the natural thing…

May 15, 2008 7:51 PM CDT

Jury Rules Lawyer Must Return Half of $200K Bonus Paid by Client

Updated: A Philadelphia jury has ruled a lawyer who helped a client negotiate a $4.9 million post-nuptial settlement must repay half of a $200,000 bonus she paid him. The jury ruled lawyer Charles Shainberg breached his contract with the client, Junko Schubert, when he sought payment of the bonus, the…

May 15, 2008 11:55 AM CDT

Court Tosses Arbitrator’s Suit Against Law Firm That Sought His Recusal

A federal judge has ruled a private arbitrator has no standing to sue a law firm based on allegations it made false charges in court papers that sought to disqualify him. Arbitrator Edwin Naythons, a former federal magistrate, had sued the Philadelphia-based law firm Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young for…

May 13, 2008 12:59 PM CDT

Lawyer Fined for Client’s F-Bombs Wants Sanction Lifted

A lawyer fined more than $29,000 for failing to stop his client from dropping variants of the F-word 73 times in a deposition is asking a federal judge to lift the sanction. Lawyer Joseph Ziccardi of Chicago is also asking for permission to drop the client, Aaron Wider, who is…

May 7, 2008 11:27 AM CDT

Phila. Judge Booted from Bench Over 24-Year-Old Use of Bogus SS#

A Philadelphia municipal judge can no longer serve on the bench because she pleaded guilty to two federal felony counts related to her use of a bogus social security number on credit applications 24 years ago, Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled. Deborah Griffin is banned from being a judge by…

May 6, 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Restaurant Sex Violated Permit, Pa. Appeals Court Says

Live sex between patrons is not an accessory use permitted under a Philadelphia restaurant permit, a divided Pennsylvania appeals court has ruled. “The majority said sexual activity was not subordinate to dining at Club Kama Sutra because the establishment’s pricing structure seemed more in keeping with that of a sex…

May 6, 2008 6:50 PM CDT

Stoneridge Ruling Protects Clifford Chance in Shareholder Action

A federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled that Clifford Chance cannot be sued in a shareholders suit for advice the law firm gave to a health care finance company. The suit had claimed Clifford Chance helped executives at DVI Inc. hide financial problems. But U.S. District Judge Legrome Davis said…

May 1, 2008 3:16 PM CDT

Facing Retirement, Fox Rothschild Leader Jumps Ship

A former managing partner and chair of Fox Rothschild is leaving for a litigation boutique so that he can continue to practice law. Louis Fryman, who has been with the 425-lawyer Philadelphia-based law firm for 26 years, is 72 years old and facing mandatory retirement at his soon-to-be-former firm, reports…

Apr 29, 2008 7:30 PM CDT