The media is starting to catch on to what the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform (PCCJR) has been broadcasting since January 2023: Medical Malpractice cases filed in Philadelphia have soared as plaintiffs’ attorneys take advantage of loose venue rules to seek jackpot verdicts. Pennsylvania’s healthcare industry is continuing to feel the negative effects of the Supreme…
Coalition Updates: Community
Senate Kicks Off Fall Legislative Session
The Senate returned to session this week, marking the start of the fall legislative session. The House is scheduled to be in non-voting session next week and will be in voting session the week of October 1. There are several bills that PCCJR is closely monitoring. House Bill 2198 would cap fees on medical records, potentially inviting…
Circuit Court Split Leads to Possible Supreme Court Review of Weedkiller Case
A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, resulting in a circuit split ruling in a case over labeling on Roundup weedkiller, is potentially headed to the Supreme Court for review. The case against Roundup’s parent company, Monsanto, seeks to clarify if a federal law mandating nationwide uniformity in pesticide…
Bucks County Climate Change Litigation Decided Behind Closed Doors According to Legal Filings
Bucks County commissioners violated Pennsylvania law earlier this year when they failed to discuss a proposal to pursue climate litigation in a public meeting according to new legal filings by defendant companies. As noted in previous PCCJR newsletters, Bucks County decided to jump on the national climate litigation trend this past spring. The County Commissioners filed a…
PCCJR to Host CLE Class on Legal Advertising
You’re invited to attend an upcoming CLE course focusing on the ethical implications and the pervasive impacts of legal advertising on civil litigation. Attendees of this virtual event are eligible to obtain 1.5 hours of substantive and 0.5 hours of ethics CLE credits. Each year in Pennsylvania millions of dollars are spent on billboards, television, radio…
2024-25 State Budget Finalized, Legislature Recesses Until Fall
Nearly two weeks after the June 30 constitutional deadline, an agreement was reached by Gov. Josh Shapiro and the General Assembly on a budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Gov. Shapiro signed the $47.6 billion spending plan into law on July 11. The General Assembly has recessed until the fall with the Senate scheduled to return…