Pennsylvania

Trial lawyer David Bernick exits Boies Schiller after one year for Dechert

A little over a year after he resigned as general counsel of Philip Morris and joined Boies Schller & Flexner, high-profile partner David M. Bernick is exiting for Dechert. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he expects to start Monday at the New York office of the 950-attorney Philadelphia-based law…

Aug 26, 2013 4:45 PM CDT

Widow who lost $280K home over $6 tax penalty wins court hearing

A Pennsylvania woman who lost her $280,000 home at an auction over $6.30 in unpaid interest has won a chance to keep her home. The Commonwealth Court ruled Monday that it was a mistake for a judge in Beaver County to rule against Eileen Battisti without first holding an evidentiary…

Aug 19, 2013 8:22 PM CDT

Gunman fired over 20 rounds at municipal meeting, killing 3; police say he hoped to slay lawyer, too

Updated: A 59-year-old man who had recently been evicted from his home after it was condemned for code violations reportedly opened fire at a Pennsylvania municipal meeting on Monday night, killing three and injuring at least three others. The alleged killing spree by Rockne Warren Newell at the Ross Township…

Aug 6, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

Photographer sues Philadelphia DA, says he used copyrighted picture as Twitter wallpaper

When photographer R. Bradley Maule saw one of his pictures on the personal Twitter page for Philadelphia’s district attorney, R. Seth Williams, he says, his first move was simply to complain. But after Williams repeatedly failed to take down the copyrighted image, a 2005 skyline photo of the city that…

Aug 1, 2013 7:05 PM CDT

Lawyer suspended for violating no-sex-with-client rule; he admits oral sex was DUI case fee

Applying a new Pennsylvania legal ethics rule for the first time, the state’s supreme court has OK’d a one-year law license suspension for a suburban Philadelphia lawyer who admitted he accepted oral sex as a fee for representing a client in a driving-under-the-influence case. David H. Knight agreed to the…

Aug 1, 2013 6:35 PM CDT

‘Tragic day for Penn State,’ judge says as he OKs criminal trial for ex-prez, other former officials

A state court judge called Tuesday “a tragic day for Penn State,” as he gave the green light for a criminal trial to proceed against its former president and two other former top officials concerning charges related to the child-sex-abuse scandal in which onetime assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is…

Jul 30, 2013 8:30 PM CDT

Cozen partner’s surviving same-sex spouse gets her law firm profit-sharing fund, federal judge rules

The surviving same-sex spouse of a deceased Cozen O’Connor partner is entitled to receive the attorney’s $49,000 law firm profit-sharing balance, a federal judge has ruled. Last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking the federal Defense of Marriage Act paved the way for Monday’s decision in favor of Jennifer Tobits,…

Jul 30, 2013 4:45 PM CDT

Two top partners lead 7-lawyer team from Christie Pabarue to new office of Carroll McNulty

The managing partner, a name partner and five other lawyers are leaving Christie Pabarue Mortensen & Young to open a new Philadelphia office for Carroll, McNulty & Kull, a New Jersey law firm based in the outskirts of suburban New York City. In addition to managing partner Ralph Luongo, name…

Jul 29, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Juror who cursed at being selected is axed from panel and fined $500, despite apology

There was good news and bad this week for a woman who used what a local Pennsylvania newspaper describes as “the worst curse word of them all” when she was selected for jury duty on Tuesday. Kathleen Port was axed from the panel, after Judge Ernest DiSantis was told by…

Jul 25, 2013 6:30 PM CDT

Penn State OK’d $60M settlement with two dozen claimed Sandusky abuse victims, WSJ says

The trustees of Pennsylvania State University have OK’d a settlement of approximately $60 million with about two dozen claimed victims of sexual abuse by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The university announced a settlement on Friday, but not the amount or the number of victims, and declined to comment…

Jul 18, 2013 3:30 PM CDT

Lawyer decked at court hearing is still unable to work 6 weeks later; client charged in assault

Ordered to rest as he recuperates from being struck in the head during a May 13 court hearing, Ebensburg, Pa., attorney Tim Burns was not present Tuesday at a preliminary hearing on new charges now faced by death-row inmate Andre Staton over the incident. But Blair County District Attorney Richard…

Jun 26, 2013 5:39 PM CDT

Fox Rothschild to acquire 16-attorney Denver firm

Less than a year after Fox Rothschild entered the Denver market, the Philadelphia-based law firm has announced that it is acquiring a 16-attorney legal shop in the mile-high city. The 10 partners, five associates and one counsel from Lottner Rubin Fishman Saul are expected to join 550-attorney Fox Rothschild on…

Jun 25, 2013 7:27 PM CDT

Defendant judges say ticket-fix prosecution should be dismissed because no money changed hands

Helping a friend get a ticket dismissed may violate the code of ethics for judges. But it doesn’t violate federal criminal law, because no money changed hands, contend a group of current and former Philadelphia traffic court judges in a motion to dismissed their federal mail and wire fraud prosecution,…

Jun 24, 2013 4:35 PM CDT

Judges’ mandatory-retirement challenge fails in Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Pennsylvania judges challenging the state’s mandatory retirement age have failed to persuade the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that the state constitutional provision is invalid. The court rejected the judges’ challenge on Monday, saying they should pursue a constitutional amendment if they dislike the provision requiring retirement at age 70, according to…

Jun 18, 2013 2:49 PM CDT

Is a fee-laden debit card ‘lawful money’ for worker pay purposes? Class action seeks court ruling

A worker at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s who says she was told she would not be paid unless she accepted her money in the form of a debit card that carried hefty charges for virtually every transaction has filed suit against her employers. Natalie Gunshannon, a single mom who was to…

Jun 17, 2013 7:09 PM CDT