The Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the LBFC’s medical liability venue report, originally scheduled for March 23, has been postponed. PCCJR will update you as soon as it is rescheduled. As Pennsylvania continues to deal with the threat posed by the COVID-19 virus, we will all be adjusting to the new reality of schedule disruption.…
Coalition Updates
PCCJR Addresses Business Community on Civil Justice Concerns
Cost of Lawsuits and Rule Change Proposal the focus of Live Monthly Business Brief PCCJR updated Pennsylvania’s business community during a Facebook Live Monthly Business Brief event hosted by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the PA Manufacturers’ Association. Click the photo above to watch a replay of the discussion, which includes the…
Amazon Liability Case Highlights Need for “Innocent Seller” Law
A recent federal court case in the Third Circuit highlighted the need for legislation to catch up with the realities of modern, internet-based commerce, including a product seller bill that would help brick-and-mortar retailers just as much as it would help e-commerce. “We can either move into these modern methods of commerce that the internet…
Supreme Court’s Decision Striking Down Statute of Repose Will Stand
We sure would have liked a second bite at this apple. Instead, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court gave trial lawyers an early Valentine’s Day gift on January 31 when it denied our requested re-argument in Yanakos v. UPMC. The high court refused to hear re-arguments on its earlier ruling which found the statute of repose in medical liability…
NEWS RELEASE: LBFC Report on Venue: Doesn’t Make Case for Return to Venue Shopping; Leave Well Enough Alone
HARRISBURG, PA — A coalition of stakeholders concerned about Pennsylvania’s health care and litigation climate said a report issuedtoday by the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) demonstrates no reason to change the venue rule. The medical liability climate has been stable since the venue rule went into effect in the early 2000s and the…
Philadelphia Judge Slashes $8 Billion Risperdal Verdict
There was a glimmer of light out of Philadelphia recently when Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Kenneth Powell reduced the $8 billion punitive damages verdict against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. The outrageous verdict shocked the country and helped the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas earn the dubious distinction as the #1…