Pennsylvania

Judge is accused of watching porn on his office computer, using court clerks to grade exams

A Pennsylvania judge is accused in an ethics complaint of watching pornography on his office computer and using his law clerks to do outside work for him. The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board filed formal charges on Wednesday against Magisterial District Judge Michael Muth of Monroe County, according to a press…

Jul 6, 2017 1:16 PM CDT

Philadelphia DA pleads guilty and resigns during corruption trial

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pleaded guilty to a single count related to accepting bribes on Thursday, putting an end to his federal corruption trial. Williams pleaded guilty in exchange for dismissal of 28 of the 29 charges against him, report the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) and Philly.com. He submitted…

Jun 30, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Suit claims Duane Morris blew estimate of expected case costs, highlighting projection difficulties

A former client’s suit claiming Duane Morris misrepresented the expected costs of representation highlights the problems that can arise as a result of cost projections. The suit by Edward Zaloga, a doctor from Moosic, Pennsylvania, claims the firm drafted a litigation budget estimating costs of $255,750 to handle a Section…

Jun 28, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Bill Cosby’s wife calls DA ‘heinously and exploitively ambitious’ after he announces retrial plans

Bill Cosby’s wife lashed out at Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Kevin Steele on Saturday after the prosecutor announced plans to retry the comedian for sexual assault.

Jun 19, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Bill Cosby’s accuser testifies he gave her three blue pills before sexual assault

Andrea Constand told jurors on Tuesday in a Pennsylvania courtroom that Bill Cosby gave her three blue pills, saying they would help her relax, before he sexually assaulted her in 2004 at his suburban Philadelphia home. Constand said she was “frozen” and unable to move her hands or legs as…

Jun 7, 2017 10:44 AM CDT

10 Questions: Judge and former NFL player Dwayne Woodruff

Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff, a former professional football player—and Super Bowl champion—Woodruff went to law school full-time while he played defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, after more than a decade on the court bench, Woodruff is running for a seat on the state supreme court.

Jun 1, 2017 4:00 AM CDT

Workers with gender dysphoria are entitled to protection under the ADA, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a transgender woman who claims discrimination by her former employer, Cabela’s Retail Inc., under the Americans with Disabilities Act. U.S. District Judge Joseph Leeson ruled (PDF) that the ADA protects people with gender dysphoria from discrimination,…

May 19, 2017 11:35 AM CDT

Cozen O’Connor adds 20 lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll

Cozen O’Connor is launching a Pittsburgh office and expanding its labor and employment practice with the addition of 20 lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. Cozen O’Connor announced Monday that it is adding 17 more lawyers from Buchanan Ingersoll, in addition to three Buchanan lawyers who joined the firm last…

May 8, 2017 12:32 PM CDT

DA plans to report judge for suggesting $1 fine for each inappropriate touch in harassment case

The district attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is criticizing a judge who suggested a $1 fine for each inappropriate touch in a juvenile’s harassment case. Mike Manko, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., says the judge will be brought to the attention of “the appropriate persons and, if…

May 5, 2017 10:13 AM CDT

Man accused of defrauding more than 100 lawyers is convicted of fraud

A federal judge in Pennsylvania has convicted a Toronto man accused of defrauding more than 100 lawyers out of $23 million. U.S. District Judge John Jones III convicted Henry Okpalefe, 49, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) reports.…

Mar 31, 2017 10:32 AM CDT

Missing federal judge is found alive in wooded area after teens discover his car nearby

A missing federal judge was found alive in a wooded area in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, Thursday evening after an intensive search by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI and state police. Judge Edwin Kosik, 91, was discovered after two teens told police they found Kosik’s Acura in the wooded area and…

Mar 31, 2017 9:43 AM CDT

Philadelphia district attorney indicted on bribery and corruption charges

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams is about to learn what life as a criminal defendant feels like. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the embattled prosecutor was indicted on more than 21 counts, including bribery, wire fraud and honest services fraud. According to the Inquirer, Williams is being accused…

Mar 21, 2017 4:01 PM CDT

Law firm reveals contract lawyer was actually disbarred; he had billed 6,900 hours in Sprint suit

A Pennsylvania law firm has suffered a second blow in a shareholder suit after a Kansas judge slashed its fee request from $4.25 million to $450,000. The Weiser Law Firm revealed in a February letter to the judge that it had learned a contract lawyer responsible for more than a…

Mar 15, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Lawyer who withdrew guilty plea is convicted in rape of unconscious client

A former Norristown, Pennsylvania, lawyer was convicted on Wednesday of raping an intoxicated client who passed out during his visit to her home. Vincent Cirillo Jr. of Norristown was convicted on charges of rape and sexual assault, despite his testimony that he did not have intercourse with the woman after…

Feb 15, 2017 12:25 PM CST

Judge is charged with money laundering in FBI sting operation

A magisterial district judge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted for alleged money laundering as a result of an FBI sting operation. Judge John Waltman was charged along with two others in an indictment (PDF) unsealed on Friday, report the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) and a press release. Waltman…

Dec 16, 2016 2:17 PM CST