The New Year is barely underway, but partisan disagreements stemming from the 2022 General Election continue to hinder operations in the state House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, members gathered on the first Tuesday of January to be sworn into office and to vote on a Speaker – something that politicos throughout the state were…
Coalition Updates
“60 Minutes” Segment Examines Third-Party Litigation Funding
An emerging industry of investment firms that are providing the funds for civil litigation is quietly changing the United States’ legal landscape. Television news program “60 Minutes” recently took a look into the rising trend of third-party investors helping to fund lawsuits. As noted in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, litigation financing has led to a significant increase in tort…
Pennsylvanians Bear the Cost of Overly Litigious Legal Climate
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted the personal costs associated with our country’s lawsuit-friendly legal environment. In an editorial printed earlier this month, the news outlet referenced a recent study by the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform that analyzed the economic costs – and the costs to taxpayers – of America’s tort system. As PCCJR noted in a previous newsletter, the…
Dog Bite Attorney Sued… When His Dog Attacks!
A well-known plaintiffs’ attorney in the Philadelphia region is getting an expensive lesson in becoming the target of civil litigation. Personal injury attorney Dean Weitzman, aka “MyPhillyLawyer,” and his wife are on the hook for a more than $3.1 million verdict in a case involving the family dog. A woman filed suit against Weitzman last January claiming she…
Pennsylvania Courts Ranked Second on National Judicial Hellholes List
Report cites negative impact of the Supreme Court’s recent medical liability venue rule change Pennsylvania’s notoriously litigious civil justice climate continues to rank as one of the nation’s worst judicial hellholes. This year, the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania together rose to the second worst judicial hellhole in the country…
State Legislative Caucuses Select Leadership Teams as Control of the House Remains Up in the Air
The four legislative caucuses have selected their leadership teams for the upcoming 2023-24 legislative session, however which party will control the state House at the beginning of the new year has yet to be determined. In the November General Election, Democrats won a 102 to 101 majority in the House. However, that number will drop to…