Ben Seal

March 29, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has hired Bruce L. Castor Jr. as solicitor general, ­making him second-in-command at the Office of Attorney General.

By Lizzy McLellan and Ben Seal

12 minute read

March 29, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

As a national conversation continues over the relationship between law enforcement and the public, sparked by videos of incidents of police brutality, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over the public's right to view video footage created by the Pennsylvania State Police.

By Ben Seal

10 minute read

March 29, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

A man whose wife died following their separation but prior to the final approval of a divorce decree has no claim to her estate because his post-separation conduct demonstrated "willful and malicious desertion," the Superior Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

10 minute read

March 29, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Philadelphia Gas Works' practice of imposing liens against landlords for unpaid utility bills incurred by their tenants unconstitutionally violates those landlords' due-process rights, a federal judge has ruled.

By Ben Seal

9 minute read

March 27, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge to a Workers' Compensation Act provision that requires incorporation of the most recent edition of guidelines from the American Medical Association for evaluating claimants' impairment ratings.

By Ben SEal

8 minute read

March 25, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

As the April 26 primary draws near, discussion over a ballot question that would raise the mandatory judicial retirement age to 75 is growing in volume. Last week, the bill's prime sponsor and one of its most vocal opponents squared off in a Chancellor's Forum hosted by the Philadelphia Bar Association that grew combative at times, demonstrating the sharp divide that exists on the issue.

By Ben Seal

9 minute read

March 25, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Insurers are not required to provide policyholders with a new form waiving the stacking of uninsured and underinsured benefits when insureds add vehicles to their single-vehicle insurance policies, the Superior Court has ruled.

By Ben Seal

10 minute read

March 24, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin has been hit with a $50,000 fine by the Court of Judicial Discipline, which found that his involvement in sending and receiving offensive emails “seriously jeopardized” the reputation of the judiciary.

By Lizzy McLellan and Ben Seal

5 minute read

March 23, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Court of Judicial Discipline has issued a stay in former Justice J. Michael Eakin's ethics case on the eve of a pretrial conference that had been scheduled for Wednesday. Eakin retired last week with trial looming March 29 on charges that he violated four ethics canons by exchanging offensive emails.

By Ben Seal

4 minute read

March 21, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Judicial Conduct Board has asked the Court of Judicial Discipline to withdraw one of the four ethics charges against former Justice J. Michael Eakin that alleges he brought the judiciary into disrepute in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution.

By Ben Seal

5 minute read