During his annual budget address earlier this week, Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed an approximate 7 percent increase in state spending as part of his budget plan for the upcoming 2024-25 fiscal year. The $48.3 billion plan focuses on investments in a number of areas, including: public education, transportation and economic development. The proposal does not include…
Coalition Updates: Community
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Makes Nuclear Verdict History
Pennsylvania’s reputation as one of the worst judicial hellholes was further bolstered by a recent thermonuclear verdict handed down by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. In a case against Monsanto, the plaintiff was awarded an astounding $2.25 billion – the largest single-plaintiff Roundup® verdict to date. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas was the focus of…
Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Take to the Airways and Social Media to Build Mass Litigation Suits
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a tactic employed by plaintiffs’ attorneys to increase the number of clients in various mass litigation suits: targeted campaigns featuring television commercials, social media ads and digital advertising seeking litigants in personal-injury and product-liability cases against corporations and the federal government. The WSJ article notes that these types of advertisements have increased…
Quiet Start to the Last Year of the 2023-24 Legislative Session
The New Year is off to a slow legislative start for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. This lack of activity is largely due to an extended session break by the state House of Representatives. Prior to the holiday break, House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, notified members that there would not be any voting days scheduled until the…
One Year In and the Medical Liability Venue Rule Change Has Had Major Impact
On January 1, 2023, the Supreme Court’s reversal of the state’s previous medical liability venue rule went into effect. (As a brief recap: Prior to the rule change, a plaintiff could only file a medical liability complaint in the county where the cause of action arose.) Since that time, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice…
Beloved Pennsylvania Company Target of High-Profile Frivolous Lawsuit
The New Year has barely begun and already a lawsuit targeting one of the Commonwealth’s most well-known companies is making national news. Candy company Hershey is at the center of plaintiffs’ attorney Anthony Russo’s quest to go after large food brands under the pretense of false advertising. The federal suit, filed in Florida, focuses on…