Ben Present

May 14, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over whether a Philadelphia trial judge committed more than harmless error when she misapplied Pennsylvania criminal voir dire procedure by requiring a man to use peremptory challenges before exhausting his challenges for cause.

By Ben Present

6 minute read

June 28, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

A Western Pennsylvania energy company is appealing a $7.8 million verdict ? plus delay damages ? awarded to two men who were injured when a company staircase they were descending collapsed.

By Ben Present

5 minute read

November 08, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

A man who lost an eye after taking a sledgehammer to a bowling ball at work, allegedly ignoring a superior's orders to "stop" or "knock it off," may not collect workers' compensation benefits, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.

By Ben Present

5 minute read

January 29, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

A Pennsylvania couple may proceed with their lawsuit aiming to rid their property of cable lines and equipment installed by cable giant Comcast, a Lawrence County judge has ruled.

By Ben Present

4 minute read

December 26, 2012 | The Legal Intelligencer

A branch of the food services provider Aramark and a minority-owned business have settled a lawsuit with the city of Philadelphia for $400,000 after the city alleged the companies engaged in a "circular billing" scheme in which Aramark overstated the amount of business it drove to Strother Enterprises to meet the city's minority-business requirements and anti-discrimination policies.

By Ben Present

4 minute read

April 30, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

The statute of limitations for an underinsured motorist claim in Pennsylvania starts running when the policyholder settles with or gets a judgment against a third-party tortfeasor, the state Superior Court has ruled in an issue of first impression.

By Ben Present

7 minute read

May 24, 2012 | The Legal Intelligencer

In a test case with potentially far-reaching implications on the types of scientific methodology that may be used in asbestos trials, a unanimous state Supreme Court has declined to endorse the theory that exposure to one fiber of asbestos is tantamount to a lot.

By Ben Present

4 minute read

July 02, 2013 | The Legal Intelligencer

An employee who fails to submit to or pass alcohol testing under his or her employer's policy is ineligible for unemployment compensation under the law's drug-testing provision, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.

By Ben Present

3 minute read

October 09, 2012 | Law.com

While its seminal decision on corporate liability for nursing homes awaits judgment from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the state Superior Court has kicked a similar matter back to Philadelphia court for the possible addition of punitive damages.

By Ben Present

7 minute read

April 10, 2012 | The Legal Intelligencer

In a case that could have lasting effects on Pennsylvania's statutory employer law, the state Superior Court has affirmed a $1.5 million judgment entered in favor of an injured worker who was pinned under a scissor lift while repairing the ceiling of a Bucks County church.

By Ben Present

6 minute read