• Commonwealth v. Lacombe

    Publication Date: 2020-08-03
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0814

    Subchapter I of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act did not constitute a punitive law given the compelling government interest of public safety in providing citizens with information about sex offenders in their neighborhoods, where the punitive effects were not excessive in relation to those public safety goals, such that the retroactive effect of Subchapter I did not constitute an ex post facto violation. Orders of the trial court reversed.

  • Easton Area Sch. Dist. v. Miller

    Publication Date: 2020-06-29
    Practice Area: Public Records
    Industry: Education
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0676

    School bus surveillance video constituted public record subject to disclosure under the Right-to-Know Law where no evidence that disclosure would lead to loss of federal funding for school district pursuant to FERPA. Order of the commonwealth affirmed, case remanded with instructions.

  • Ladd v. Real Estate Comm'n of the Commonwealth

    Publication Date: 2020-06-08
    Practice Area: Regulation
    Industry: Real Estate
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0577

    The Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act's broker licensing requirements were unconstitutional as applied to operator of short-term vacation property rental website as unduly burdensome. Order of the commonwealth court reversed, case remanded.

  • Erie Ins. Exch. v. Moore

    Publication Date: 2020-05-04
    Practice Area: Insurance Litigation
    Industry: Insurance
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0459

    Superior court properly found insurer had a duty to defend in action filed against decedent's estate by boyfriend of decedent's former spouse who was shot by decedent while struggling for a gun during decedent's murder-suicide of former spouse and himself because allegations in the complaint that decedent "negligently, carelessly and recklessly caused the weapon to be fired" presented a factual scenario that fell with the definition of a covered "occurrence." Affirmed.

  • Commonwealth v. Butler

    Publication Date: 2020-04-06
    Practice Area: Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0364

    Sexually Violent Predator designation requirements under Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act did not constitute criminal punishment, such that statutory factfinding requirements did not violate constitutional principles under Apprendi and Alleyne. Order of the superior court reversed.

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  • Dean v. Bowling Green-Brandywine

    Publication Date: 2020-03-02
    Practice Area: Medical Malpractice
    Industry: Health Care
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 20-0230

    Trial court erred in nonsuiting negligence case pursuant to Mental Health Procedures Act qualified immunity where decedent voluntarily sought treatment for drug dependence, which was expressly excluded from definition of mental health treatment. Order of the superior court reversed, case remanded.

  • Estate of Wilson v. State Employees' Ret. Bd.

    Publication Date: 2019-12-09
    Practice Area: Administrative Law | Trusts and Estates
    Industry: State and Local Government
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 19-1421

    Commonwealth court erred in holding the mailbox rule applied to a requested change of beneficiary designation and plan option forms for benefits payable under State Employees' Retirement System because the option change was not effective until receipt by SERS and the common law mailbox rule did not apply. Reversed.

  • In re: 2014 Allegheny County Investigating Grand Jury

    Publication Date: 2019-11-18
    Practice Area: Discovery
    Industry: State and Local Government | Technology Media and Telecom
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 19-1349

    In this case of first impression, the high court considered whether either the common law or first amendment confers a qualified right of access to the press to inspect search warrant materials issued in connection with a grand jury investigation and found that no such right exists where the request is made while the grand jury investigation is ongoing. The high court affirmed an order denying access to such materials.

  • Gamesa Energy USA, LLC v. Ten Penn Ctr. Assoc., L.P.

    Publication Date: 2019-10-07
    Practice Area: Landlord Tenant Law
    Industry: Energy
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 19-1167

    Non-breaching lessee not entitled to rescission and return of rent payments following landlord's breach when lessee continued to perform under and accept benefits of lease, including accepting rent from sublessee. Order of the superior court affirmed.

  • Commonwealth v. Turpin

    Publication Date: 2019-10-07
    Practice Area: Constitutional Law | Criminal Law
    Industry:
    Court: Supreme Court
    Judge: Justice Dougherty
    Attorneys: For plaintiff:
    for defendant:

    Case Number: 19-1174

    Roommate not named in search warrant for entire residence could have private bedroom subjected to search under warrant, despite expectation of privacy, so long as police reasonably believed items to be seized would be found in bedroom. Order of the superior court affirmed.