Pennsylvania

March 05, 2025
BCBS Hit With New Antitrust Suits By $2.8B Deal Opt-Outs

Dozens of hospitals and healthcare systems that opted out of a landmark $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement filed fresh Sherman Act lawsuits against the insurance entities in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois federal courts Tuesday, accusing them of colluding to restrict competition for the purchase of healthcare services.
March 05, 2025
Revived Bill To Add Judges Teed Up For Another House Vote

The House Judiciary Committee voted out of committee three bills on Wednesday along party lines, including legislation to add more federal judgeships that the federal judiciary says are needed desperately but has become subject to partisan fighting.
March 05, 2025
Four Firms Seek Top Roles In Pa. Warehouse Fire Litigation

Lawyers from four plaintiffs firms across the country have asked a Philadelphia judge to name them class counsel in recently filed litigation over the effects of an aircraft parts warehouse fire and also requested that the court consolidate all related lawsuits in the city.
March 05, 2025
Defunct Pittsburgh Law Firm Owes $1.3M In Rent, Suit Says

The court-appointed receiver for a downtown Pittsburgh office tower says in a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court that the defunct law office of Rothman Gordon PC owes more than $1.3 million in rent and fees.
March 05, 2025
UK Clears $35B Synopsys, Ansys Merger

The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it has cleared Synopsys' planned $35 billion acquisition of fellow U.S. software company Ansys under certain divestiture and monitoring conditions.
March 05, 2025
Pa. Justices Hint Parents' Liability Waivers Aren't Binding

Pennsylvania law may not allow parents to waive the right to a jury trial on their child's behalf when signing off on things like letting them use a trampoline park, the state Supreme Court suggested during arguments Wednesday.
March 04, 2025
Rite Aid Agrees To Pay $6.8M In Deal Over 2024 Data Breach

Rite Aid has agreed to a $6.8 million settlement to resolve proposed class action claims it failed to prevent a cyberattack that compromised over 2 million customers' highly sensitive information, offering up to $10,000 per claimant for documented losses, a preliminary approval order filed Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court states.
March 04, 2025
Mich. Suit Shows Courts' Growing Role In Split Governments

Michigan Republicans who faced an intra-legislature lawsuit after they stalled bills to keep them from being signed into law is another example of a trend that may see the courts brought in to settle partisan disputes, experts tell Law360.
March 04, 2025
Moderna Faces MRNA Vax Patent Suits In Canada And Beyond

Pennsylvania drug developer Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences have taken their COVID-19 vaccine litigation against Moderna worldwide, suing the pharmaceutical company in courts in Canada, Japan and Switzerland, along with the Unified Patent Court, alleging infringement.
March 04, 2025
3rd Circ. Says Pa. GOP Can't Challenge Biden's Voting Order

The Third Circuit on Tuesday ruled that Republican lawmakers from Pennsylvania lack the standing to challenge former President Joe Biden's executive order expanding "get-out-the-vote" information, reasoning that the individual politicians could not bring a suit claiming an injury on behalf of the state Legislature.
March 04, 2025
Pa. Justices Question 'Key' Witness Test For Forum Change

Members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court wondered Tuesday if a state appeals panel established an unfair test by requiring parties seeking a new forum to shoulder the difficult burden of proving, very early in litigation, that faraway witnesses would be "key" to their case.
March 04, 2025
Pa. Justices Wary Of 'Limitless Liability' Without Damages Cap

Pennsylvania's $250,000 damages limit on injury claims involving state entities is too low in cases involving catastrophic injuries, the lawyer for a woman hit by a bus told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, drawing questions from the justices about the potential for state agencies to be crippled by "limitless liability."
March 04, 2025
Littler Expands In Philly With Ex-Greenberg Traurig Atty

Employment and labor-focused firm Littler Mendelson PC has expanded its Philadelphia office with the recent addition of an attorney who moved his practice after four years with Greenberg Traurig LLP.
March 04, 2025
Justices Doubt Mexico Can Pin Cartel Deaths On US Gun Cos.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared highly skeptical of a suit by the Mexican government that seeks to hold Smith & Wesson and other American gunmakers liable for cartel violence, with justices from both sides of the ideological spectrum suggesting that the claims are too speculative.
March 03, 2025
Pa. Supreme Court Snapshot: Negligence Damages Caps

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will start and end its March session examining long-standing precedents, beginning Tuesday with an argument that will spotlight damages against government entities, and wrapping up Wednesday with a matter hinging on a rule that lets general contractors share their subcontractors' immunity under the workers' compensation law.
March 03, 2025
Convicted Drexel Professor Gets 2 Years For Tax Evasion

A Drexel University accounting professor convicted on tax evasion charges for failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton, New Jersey, pharmacy was sentenced to two years in federal prison on Monday, according to acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna.
March 03, 2025
Oddities Shop Owner Says Collecting Body Parts Not Criminal

A woman accused of taking part in an interstate ring buying and selling human remains allegedly stolen by the former director of Harvard University's morgue asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss an indictment against her, arguing that charges of transporting stolen goods don't apply to body parts.
March 03, 2025
Saul Ewing Wants Out Of Home Care Co. Asset Transfer Suit

Saul Ewing LLP told a Pennsylvania state court that merely being an "accessory" to a family accused of hiding assets from potential judgment wasn't enough to sustain a claim against the law firm under the Pennsylvania Uniform Voidable Transfers Act, since the law only allows claims against "transferees."
March 03, 2025
Eckert Seamans Will Pay $38M To Par Funding Investors

A Florida federal judge has signed off on a $38 million deal resolving legal malpractice claims against Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC by investors who fell victim to a Ponzi scheme carried out by Par Funding, which enlisted the firm to help create the business model the lender ultimately used in the scheme.
March 03, 2025
3rd Circ. Preview: Litigation Funder, J&J Seek Relief In March

The Third Circuit's case lineup this month will task panels with determining if an American litigation funder can keep its dispute with a German law firm in federal court, and whether Johnson & Johnson can decertify class claims accusing the company of artificially inflating its stock price by failing to disclose the alleged cancer risks of its talc products.
March 03, 2025
Energy Co. Inks $8.2M Deal In 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

An energy company will pay $8.2 million to resolve a class action lawsuit claiming it failed to trim high cost and underperforming target date funds from its retirement plan, according to Pennsylvania federal court filings.
March 03, 2025
Life Science Consulting Firm Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Plans

Azzur Group, which offers services for pharmaceutical developers, filed for bankruptcy in Delaware with at least $100 million in debt and plans to hold an auction backed by a $56 million stalking horse offer.
March 03, 2025
Trio Of Ex-US Attys Join McGuireWoods In Pa., Atlanta And NC

Three former U.S. attorneys are heading to private practice as they join McGuireWoods LLP's white collar and government investigations practice in the firm's Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Atlanta offices.
February 28, 2025
5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In March

The Ninth Circuit will mull Express Scripts and OptumRx's bid to force a public nuisance suit brought by the state of California into federal court, and the Second Circuit will hear from pensioners who say that IBM's use of outdated mortality tables shrank their benefits payouts. Here, Law360 looks at these and other appellate arguments happening in March that should be on benefits lawyers' radar.
February 28, 2025
Real Estate Recap: Gov't Lease Limbo, AI Upset, Profiteering

Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into federal lease upheaval, the impact of AI efficiency on data centers and price-gouging in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Expert Analysis

Series

Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.
5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.
And Now A Word From The Panel: How MDLs Fared In 2024

A significant highlight of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's practice during 2024 was the increase in the percentage of new MDL petitions granted by the panel, with 25 granted and only eight denied — one of the highest grant rates in years, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.
4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.
Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2025

The critical policy milestones for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances expected in 2025 will not only shape the trajectory of PFAS regulation, but also set key precedents for environmental accountability, potentially reshaping the corporate approach to these "forever chemicals" for decades to come, say attorneys at MG+M.
Series

Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
Predicting Where State AGs Will Direct Their Attention In 2025

In 2025, we expect state attorneys general will navigate a new presidential administration while continuing to further regulate and police financial services, artificial intelligence, junk fees and antitrust, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
FTC Privacy Enforcement Takeaways From 2024

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission distinguished three prominent trends in its privacy-related enforcement actions: geolocation data protections, data minimization practices, and artificial intelligence use and marketing, say Cobun Zweifel-Keegan at IAPP and James Smith at Dechert.
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
Issues To Watch In 2025's ERISA Litigation Landscape

Whether 2024’s uptick in new Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases will continue this year will likely depend on federal courts’ resolution of several issues, including those related to excessive fees, defined contribution plan forfeitures, and pleading standards for ERISA-prohibited transaction claims, say attorneys at Groom Law.
5 Notable Information Security Events In 2024

B. Stephanie Siegmann at Hinckley Allen discusses 2024's largest and most destructive data breaches seen yet, ranging from ransomware disrupting U.S. healthcare systems on a massive scale, to tensions increasing between the U.S. and China over cyberespionage and the control of U.S. data.
Series

Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.
Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation

State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.