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: Health Care
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…
False Claims Proposal Will Hurt Business and Health Care
Business groups, health care providers, and PCCJR issued warnings this month that a component of a multi-bill legislative package intended to reduce Medicaid Fraud might sound good but stands to benefit trial lawyers more than taxpayers. “The General Assembly needs to fully understand the impact of passing a state-based False Claims Act before it is…
Committee Scheduled to Release Venue Impact Report
Jackpot seeking attorneys filing medical liability cases in courts known for high verdicts and often far away from where the injury occurred, create higher health care costs and less access to care. That is precisely the situation Pennsylvania faces should the medical liability venue rule be rolled back to once again allow venue shopping. PCCJR…