Pennsylvania

Denied new counsel, defendant uses profanity, but judge doesn’t take it personally

Denied new counsel by a Pennsylvania judge, defendant Jeffrey Knoble Jr. used an unprintable word at the conclusion of a Friday hearing. “Go [expletive] yourself,” he called towards Judge Emil Giordano, as he was being taken from the Easton courtroom, reports the Allentown Morning Call. The newspaper did not report…

Feb 12, 2016 1:00 PM CST

Blank Rome announces Dickstein Shapiro acquisition; over 100 remaining lawyers will make the move

Over 100 lawyers are exiting Dickstein Shapiro and joining Blank Rome, in a move that will more than double the attorney headcount in Blank Rome’s Washington, D.C., office and establish new government contracts and insurance-coverage practice groups. Described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “essentially” a dissolution of Dickstein Shapiro, the…

Feb 11, 2016 4:10 PM CST

Ex-BigLaw partner is convicted of insider trading; feds say he misused deal info overheard at firm

After four days of trial and less than four hours of deliberation, a former real estate partner of Fox Rothschild was convicted of insider trading Friday by a federal jury in Philadelphia. Herbert Sudfeld Jr. was also convicted of making false statements to the FBI, reports the Legal Intelligencer (sub.…

Feb 8, 2016 2:20 PM CST

Pennsylvania AG fails to get her law license reinstated; state senate to consider her removal

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday refused to reinstate the law license of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, saying she waited too long to seek its reinstatement. The Feb. 5 order said Kane did not seek recusal of now-suspended Justice J. Michael Eakin “at the earliest possible time” and her…

Feb 8, 2016 9:11 AM CST

Judge OKs criminal case against Bill Cosby, rejects immunity argument

Rejecting arguments by lawyers for Bill Cosby and testimony by a former Pennsylvania district attorney, a Montgomery County judge on Wednesday said a sexual assault prosecution against the entertainer will go forward despite claims that testimony on which it is based was given under a grant of immunity. Cosby, who…

Feb 3, 2016 5:40 PM CST

Man is charged with filing appeal on behalf of woman he didn’t know

A Pittsburgh man has been charged with making false statements for filing a habeas petition on behalf of a woman he didn’t know. Grand jurors on Tuesday added the charge against 48-year-old Frederick Banks, the Associated Press reports. Banks is already accused of stalking an FBI agent by using his…

Jan 14, 2016 10:35 AM CST

Bill Cosby filing says former DA made binding agreement not to prosecute

Lawyers for Bill Cosby claim the indecent assault charges against him in Pennsylvania should be tossed because a former district attorney made a binding promise in 2005 not to prosecute. In a habeas petition (PDF), the lawyers say former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor agreed not to prosecute Cosby…

Jan 13, 2016 7:22 AM CST

Lawyer told police of client’s alleged plot after speaking with ethics hotline

A Pennsylvania lawyer revealed his client’s alleged plot “take back” the home of his ex-girlfriend using an AR-15 rifle and body armor after consulting with the state bar’s ethics hotline, police say. Revelations by the lawyer, Seamus Dubbs of York, likely saved lives, police say. The York Daily Record has…

Jan 12, 2016 6:15 AM CST

Embattled AG Kathleen Kane seeks return of law license, points to suspended supreme court judge

The day before a scheduled state senate committee hearing on whether she should be removed from office, Pennsylvania’s embattled attorney general asked the state supreme court on an emergency basis to restore her license to practice law. The Monday filing by AG Kathleen Kane’s lawyer, James Mundy, seeks a ruling…

Jan 11, 2016 4:55 PM CST

Demolition contractor and excavator operator are sentenced to prison in building collapse

A demolition contractor and excavator operator were sentenced to prison on Friday in cases stemming from a 2013 building collapse in Philadelphia that killed six people and injured 13 others. The building contractor, Griffin Campbell, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison, below the 25 to 50 years…

Jan 11, 2016 9:49 AM CST

Pennsylvania justice is suspended for ‘insensitive and inappropriate’ emails in interim order

Pennsylvania’s Court of Judicial Discipline has issued an interim order suspending Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin for “insensitive and inappropriate” emails. Eakin, a Republican, will receive pay and benefits during the suspension, which remains in effect pending an ethics trial, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. How Appealing links to…

Dec 23, 2015 8:29 AM CST

Pennsylvania Supreme Court upholds governor’s authority to postpone executions

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has affirmed Gov. Tom Wolf’s constitutional authority to postpone executions. The court, in a unanimous decision (PDF) Monday, said Wolf had the power to delay the execution of a convicted murderer until a legislative task force issues a report on the future of capital punishment in…

Dec 22, 2015 12:20 PM CST

FBI wiretap showed judge promoted ex parte communications, legal ethics complaint says

A FBI sting of a Philadelphia municipal judge has previously put at least two fellow jurists on the hot seat. They are now joined by a third colleague. Based on alleged conversations with convicted former Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Waters, two fellow jurists, Judges Joseph O’Neill and Dawn…

Dec 21, 2015 11:25 AM CST

Judge who warned lawyer about ‘witless observations’ fines him for failing to excise tossed counts

A federal judge in Pennsylvania has fined a Mechanicsburg lawyer $5,000, saying he included tossed counts in an amended complaint “for reasons the court cannot comprehend.” U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann ordered lawyer Devon Jacob to pay that amount to cover the opposing parties’ legal fees. Brann said Jacob could…

Dec 17, 2015 9:15 AM CST

Fox Rothschild to acquire 82-attorney Oppenheimer firm

As of Jan. 1, the 82 lawyers at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly will be operating under a new banner. The Minneapolis-based firm is being acquired by 700-attorney Fox Rothschild, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports. “Establishing a strong presence in the upper Midwest is an important component in Fox’s overall…

Dec 14, 2015 4:30 PM CST