The state legislature and Wolf administration tied up the final pieces of the 2022-23 budget over the weekend. Lawmakers left Harrisburg without voting on a proposed constitutional amendment protecting the state’s current venue rule as it relates to medical liability cases. Over the course of the spring and early summer, as plaintiffs’ attorneys ramped up…
Coalition Updates: Health Care
Personal Injury Lawyers Escape to Paradise (And Avoid Paying Taxes!)
Not only are plaintiffs’ attorneys continually going after the deepest pockets in search of a large payday – now many are moving to Puerto Rico to benefit from advantageous tax laws. According to a LAW.com article, there’s a growing number of lawyers specializing in mass torts who are relocating to the island paradise as a result…
Constitutional Amendment on Venue Needed to Protect Patient Care in PA!
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Civil Procedural Rules Committee has for the last three years been considering a change to the Medical Liability Venue Rule that would severely hurt healthcare in our state. If adopted, it would usher in a return to venue shopping which targets physicians and other healthcare providers by dragging them into Philadelphia…
U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Pennsylvania Case Regarding General Jurisdiction for Out-of-state Corporations
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision regarding general jurisdiction for corporations based outside of the Commonwealth. In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court correctly ruled that “mere registration to conduct business within the Commonwealth did not subject the foreign company to general personal jurisdiction in Pennsylvania.”…
Primary Election Candidate List Finalized for Governor, U.S. Senate
The list of candidates that will appear on the ballot for governor and U.S. Senate in the upcoming May Primary Election has been finalized. The 2022 election cycle features open races for both positions. The deadline for candidates to file their petitions with the Pennsylvania Department of State was last week. In the gubernatorial race, current state…
Governor Proposes Spending Increases in Final Budget Plan, Legislative Republicans Concerned Over Steep Price Tag
Earlier this week, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his final budget proposal before a joint session of the state House and Senate. The $43.7 billion plan includes a 16.62 percent increase in state spending over the current fiscal year. As with his previous budget proposals, the bulk of the governor’s spending requests would go toward education and…