Ben Seal

July 21, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

An elderly woman injured when her vehicle was hit from behind by a U-Haul truck was awarded $1.56 million after a one-day bench trial in Philadelphia before Judge Ellen Ceisler.

By Ben Seal

4 minute read

July 20, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Speaking before a courtroom filled with members of her former law firm and others she duped in her county bar association, Kimberly Kitchen apologized Tuesday for a decade-long ruse in which she lied about being a lawyer.

By Ben Seal

4 minute read

July 19, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Bruce L. Castor Jr., the solicitor general hired in March by Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, has been selected to be the Office of Attorney General's first deputy. Castor will replace Bruce Beemer, who is set to become Pennsylvania's inspector general after repeatedly finding himself at odds with Kane and her closest advisers.

By Ben Seal

7 minute read

July 19, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Eighteen months into two-year experimental licenses granted to Uber and Lyft to operate their ride-sharing services in Pennsylvania, the companies' presence in Philadelphia continues to be a point of contention as regulators and legislators attempt to bridge the gap between city and state laws.

By Ben Seal

8 minute read

July 18, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Kimberly Kitchen's past began to unspool two years ago. Kitchen was, by all accounts, a generous member of the Huntingdon community whose volunteer work with charitable organizations made her a familiar face around town. She was also a forger who practiced law without a license, for which she was found guilty in March of two misdemeanors and a felony. As she prepares to be sentenced Tuesday, the Huntingdon County bar is picking up the pieces left behind by her ruse.

By Ben Seal

21 minute read

July 15, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

A criminal defendant can use a timely filed Post-Conviction Relief Act petition to remedy an illegal sentence handed out under a mandatory minimum scheme found to be unconstitutional, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

9 minute read

July 15, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

An insurer cannot rely on an outside database to reduce reimbursement paid to a trauma care provider for an employee's injuries under the Workers' Compensation Act, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

8 minute read

July 15, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

A Pennsylvania resident is prohibited from owning a gun by virtue of an involuntary commitment for mental health care, even if the commitment was preceded by consent to treatment, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

7 minute read

July 14, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Sunoco's Mariner East 2 pipeline to carry natural gas through Pennsylvania is a public utility service with the ability to condemn property under eminent domain, the Commonwealth Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

12 minute read

July 14, 2016 | New York Law Journal

The New York Attorney General's Office on Wednesday urged a Texas congressman to show "due respect for federalism" in his efforts to obtain communications about a state investigation into whether Exxon Mobil made misleading statements about climate change.

By Ben Seal

17 minute read