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Coalition Updates: Community

Striking a Blow Against Litigation Tourism

For many years, a business could be sued in Pennsylvania courts by the mere fact that the company registered to do business in Pennsylvania. In what is sure to strike a blow against “litigation tourism,” the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has declared that the Pennsylvania statute that allowed such expansive jurisdiction “clearly, palpably, and plainly violates the…

State Supreme Court Ruling Expands “Traveling Employee Doctrine” to Include Employer Sponsored Happy Hours

A recent ruling from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court significantly expands employers’ workers compensation liability. Will it mean the end of office happy hours and office holiday gatherings? The case, Peters v. Workers Compensation Appeals Board, centers on injuries sustained in a car crash by a traveling salesperson for Cintas Corporation following a work-sponsored happy hour. In a unanimous…

2021 Civil Justice Update From Mark Behrens

For the second year in a row, COVID-19 liability protection legislation dominated state civil justice landscapes, according to the annual Civil Justice Update authored by noted civil justice public policy attorney, Mark Behrens. The report noted that since the pandemic first began, approximately two-thirds of states have implemented limited liability protections for COVID-19 related cases. This is…

Pennsylvania Courts Rated as One of Nation’s Worst Judicial Hellholes as Supreme Court Committee Considers Rule Change to Allow for Financially Lucrative Forum Shopping

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania has once again been ranked as one of the nation’s worst judicial hellholes.  The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania together comprise the fourth worst judicial hellhole according to the American Tort Reform Foundation’s “2021-2022 Judicial Hellholes” report.  The annual list is comprised of the country’s most…