The Dragonetti Act is not unconstitutional as applied to attorneys, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled in a decision that could have ended several high-profile litigation matters.

A divided Supreme Court ruled 5-2 in Villani v. Seibert. The opinion was issued April 26.

The case stemmed from a dispute between Frederic John Seibert Jr., his mother Mary Seibert, and Jean Louis Villani over a strip of land. Attorney Thomas D. Schneider eventually filed a lawsuit against the Seiberts on behalf of Villani. Contending that the suit was frivolous and deliberately vindictive, the Seiberts sued Villani and Schneider for wrongful use of civil proceeding.