Pennsylvania

Reward increased in unsolved slaying of Pennsylvania lawyer

Nearly five years ago, attorney Eric Birnbaum was shot to death at point-blank range in the back of the head as he was walking from his car across the parking lot of his suburban Philadelphia law office toward work one morning, talking with a co-worker. No one could imagine what…

Oct 15, 2013 9:20 PM CDT

Private law firm to handle city’s court-appointed indigent cases; will this improve current ‘mess’?

In a controversial plan, the city of Philadelphia is planning to retain a private law firm to handle all court-appointed defense work for indigent individuals at an expected savings of $1 million annually. But will this be an improvement on an indigent-defense system that many see as flawed? The issue…

Oct 8, 2013 7:15 PM CDT

Ex-CEO blames lawyer for 20-year prison term in $800M fraud case, seeks do-over

Saying his lawyer misled him about the terms of a potential plea deal, the former CEO of LeNature’s Inc. has moved to vacate his 20-year federal prison term and is seeking to unseal the transcript of a sidebar hearing at sentencing in the Pittsburgh case that he says will prove…

Oct 8, 2013 5:20 PM CDT

Lawyer who criticized federal judges loses license for 5 years, calls state’s top court ‘corrupt’

Defiant at the news Wednesday that his law license had been suspended for five years, a longtime Pennsylvania attorney and former state auditor general and lawmaker vowed to appeal in federal court what he called a violation of his civil rights and described the state’s supreme court as “corrupt.” Don…

Oct 2, 2013 11:20 PM CDT

Law firm can read ex-partner’s incoming email, opinion says, but must forward email about his cases

A dispute over a law firm’s handling of email sent to the account of a former partner resulted in a legal ethics roadmap that may help others faced with the same situation. The partner had no right to insist that the account simply be closed and set to send a…

Sep 25, 2013 8:50 PM CDT

Lawyer wins latest round in dog rescue dispute; federal judge awards $50K in attorney fees

A lawyer who oversees a dog shelter in Pennsylvania has won the latest round in a dispute over conditions at the Sixth Angel Shepherd Rescue Inc. A federal judge in Philadelphia has awarded attorney Terry Silva over $50,000 in attorney fees and costs in the successful civil rights suit she…

Sep 25, 2013 4:05 PM CDT

Do laws that encourage eviction for repeated 911 calls violate First Amendment? ACLU presses case

A law that pressures landlords to evict tenants for repeated 911 calls violates the First Amendment rights of renters, lawyers will argue in Philadelphia federal court on Thursday. Lawyers from the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union are arguing on behalf of Lakisha Briggs of Norristown, Pa.,…

Sep 19, 2013 1:26 PM CDT

Judge nixed new lawyer, so robbery suspect gets new trial

A convicted robbery suspect has been granted a new trial because of the way a Pennsylvania judge handled his request for a new attorney. Nelson Alvarado-Lenhart, 35, had asked in December 2011 that his court-appointed defense attorney be replaced, explaining that he was not satisfied with the way the lawyer…

Sep 18, 2013 5:35 PM CDT

Pa. court orders county clerk to stop issuing same-sex marriage licences

A Pennsylvania court has ordered a county clerk to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Commonwealth Court President Judge Dan Pellegrini ruled Thursday that Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes lacked the authority to ignore state law, which defines marriage as a contract between one man and…

Sep 13, 2013 4:02 PM CDT

Lawyer who used shoe-mounted video camera to film up women’s skirts gets 6-month suspension

A Pennsylvania lawyer who used a shoe-mounted video camera to film up women’s skirts has been suspended for six months, followed by three years of probation. Clayton William Boulware of Lafayette Hill had already pleaded guilty to two counts of invasion of privacy, for which he had been placed on…

Sep 12, 2013 6:21 PM CDT

Man accused of scamming attorneys out of $70M gets over eight years in prison

A Nigerian man accused of acting as the ringleader in a scheme that scammed lawyers in the U.S. and Canada out of $70 million has been sentenced to 100 months in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Harrisburg, Pa., earlier this year. That translates to a prison term…

Sep 5, 2013 7:49 PM CDT

Death suit says thrift store struck by falling debris failed to cooperate with demolition

The first wrongful death suit has been filed after the partial collapse of a building under demolition in Philadelphia earlier this year, pointing the finger not only at those responsible for the demolition but the adjacent shop in which multiple people were killed after a wall fell onto its roof.…

Sep 3, 2013 10:45 PM CDT

NFL to pay $765M to settle concussion cases brought by 4,500 former players

In a surprise settlement of a major case that had been expected to be in litigation for years, the National Football League has agreed to pay $765 million to resolve multidistrict litigation being overseen by a federal judge in Philadelphia over brain injuries players say were caused by repeated concussions…

Aug 29, 2013 6:05 PM CDT

Law firm’s exclusive ads on Philly buses violated antitrust law, competitor’s suit alleges

A personal injury law firm in Philadelphia claims in a lawsuit that a competitor violated antitrust law with exclusive advertising contracts for ads on the exterior of Philadelphia buses. The suit by Larry Pitt & Associates claims Lundy Law also locked up advertising at the Wells Fargo Center and on…

Aug 29, 2013 2:20 PM CDT

Gay couples, like 12-year-olds, can’t marry, Pennsylvania brief says

Lawyers for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett are seeking to block same-sex marriages in a brief that equates gay and lesbian couples with 12-year-olds who can’t marry. The suit by the state Health Department is seeking to stop a suburban Philadelphia official from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, report the…

Aug 29, 2013 1:32 PM CDT