Pennsylvania

A few DAs account for most death sentences, law prof finds; one calls for more ‘revenge’ executions

An outspoken Louisiana prosecutor is a prime example of what a law professor describes as “a personality-driven death penalty” in the United States. Caddo Parish, where acting district attorney Dale Cox works, has sentenced more convicted defendants to death, on a per-capita basis, than perhaps any other county in the…

Jul 7, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

Judge accused of stealing cocaine from evidence likely impaired, says lawyer in conviction challenge

A retired Pennsylvania judge accused of stealing cocaine from evidence and replacing it with baking soda while still on the bench likely was impaired when he decided a murder case four years ago, a defense lawyer says. So attorney Brian Zeiger is challenging the third-degree murder bench conviction of Robert…

Jul 2, 2015 5:00 PM CDT

Federal court partners with bank, college and drug treatment center to help felons

A federal court in Pennsylvania aims to help ex-convicts reintegrate into society by getting them loans, an education and drug treatment. The new initiative by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is part of a program established in 2009 to help former offenders adjust to life…

Jun 11, 2015 6:15 AM CDT

Pennsylvania AG sues firm, saying it misrepresented law in debt collection letters

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, firm and one of its lawyers is being sued by the state’s attorney general for allegedly misrepresenting the law to intimidate family members into paying off relatives’ medical debts. The suit, filed late last month by Attorney General Kathleen Kane, seeks a permanent injunction against James A.…

Jun 10, 2015 4:05 PM CDT

Final name partner leaves Nelson Brown; is firm ‘effectively dead’?

The Pennsylvania law firm Nelson Brown Hamilton & Krekstein has lost its last remaining name partner, spurring questions about its future. Name partner Michael Nelson has left the firm with four other Nelson Brown lawyers to join Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, report the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) and the Philadelphia…

Jun 2, 2015 9:59 AM CDT

Vintage store operator says threat of social-media shaming is best way to deter shoplifting

Some might think calling police on those who shoplift would be the best way to deter other potential thieves. But the operator of a Philadelphia vintage store says she has found a better way, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Betsy Bassel put up signs at Scout Salvage and Vintage Rescue warning…

May 29, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Former Drinker Biddle staff attorney is suspended for overbilling the firm for his work

A former staff attorney for Drinker Biddle & Reath has been suspended for overbilling the law firm on a document review project. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court suspended Philadelphia lawyer Benjamin Hart Perkel for two years, report the Legal Intelligencer and the Legal Profession Blog, which links to the decision and…

May 28, 2015 10:25 AM CDT

Led Zeppelin denies most allegations in ‘Stairway to Heaven’ suit, but admits ‘exceptional talent’

Led Zeppelin denied liability last week in its answer to a federal copyright infringement lawsuit that challenges the authorship of the group’s iconic “Stairway to Heaven” song. But a few basic facts are undisputed, TheWrap.com reports. “Answering paragraph 11 of the first amended complaint, including the first amended complaint’s footnote…

May 26, 2015 11:15 AM CDT

Law firm asks 3rd Circuit to block court-ordered interviews of over 30 clients

Facing sanctions over thalidomide birth-defect litigation that was determined to be either baseless or time-barred, did the plaintiffs’ law firm dismiss 27 cases for its own benefit? That is the question a federal judge in Philadelphia is asking and seeking to answer by having special master William Hangley interview more…

May 20, 2015 1:05 PM CDT

Injured Amtrak worker is among the first to file suit over Philadelphia train wreck

An injured Amtrak employee is among the first to sue over this week’s fatal train wreck in Philadelphia. Bruce Phillips filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. His lawyer, Michael Olley of Coffey Kaye Myers & Olley, said the suit is…

May 15, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Suits over fatal Philadelphia Amtrak crash will depend on what NTSB finds: Was train going too fast?

After a fatal Amtrak crash in Philadelphia on Tuesday, it is virtually a certainty that litigation is on the horizon concerning at least some of the seven people killed and over 200 injured. But until the National Transportation Safety Board completes an investigation, it won’t be clear what direction that…

May 14, 2015 10:00 AM CDT

Project attorney’s ADA suit says Pepper Hamilton didn’t accommodate his sleep disorder

A former project attorney for Pepper Hamilton has filed a pro se lawsuit (PDF) against the Philadelphia-based national law firm, contending that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to accommodate his sleep disorder. Andrew Fischer alleges that the law firm denied his repeated requests for a work…

May 8, 2015 1:35 PM CDT

Criminal record expunged? That doesn’t mean it’s not available on private sector databases

Just because an individual’s criminal record is expunged doesn’t necessarily eliminate it from credit reports. Helen Stokes found that out the hard way, when her rental application was rejected due to Pennsylvania arrests in 2008 and 2010 concerning disputes with her estranged husband, reports the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).…

May 7, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Flag desecration case nixed against man who wrote AIM on US stars and stripes

Two misdemeanor flag-desecration charges have been dropped against a Pennsylvania man who wrote AIM on the U.S. stars and stripes and hung the flag on his home upside-down. Allegheny Township cited Joshuaa Shane Brubaker last year and seized the flag. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania stepped in…

May 5, 2015 12:55 PM CDT

Judge won’t budge on $1M sanction against lawyer; discounts legal technician’s testimony

A Philadelphia judge on Monday rejected new evidence and kept in place a nearly $1 million sanction against a lawyer for allegedly eliciting banned testimony in a medical malpractice trial. Common Pleas Judge Paul Panepinto discounted testimony supporting med-mal defense lawyer Nancy Raynor, who claimed she had told her expert…

Apr 28, 2015 9:52 AM CDT