tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:45:57 +0000Legal news and information from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.http://palegalservices.org/update/noreply@blogger.com (PLAN Legal Updates)Blogger787125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-2593773655140067619Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:35:00 +00002009-12-10T09:36:57.109-05:00NHS Human Services v. DPW - December 8, 2009 - Commonwealth Court http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/347CD09_12-8-09.pdfIn holding a warning was not a final adjudiction under the Administrative Agency Law, 2 Pa. C.S. §§ 501-508, 701-704, the Court said that an "An adjudication is defined as 'Any final order, decree, decision, determination or ruling by an agency http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/admin-law-appeal-final-adjudication.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-6609190089446881618Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:33:00 +00002009-12-10T09:34:13.378-05:00Atlas Machining and Welding v. UCBR - December 8, 2009 - Cmwlth. Court - unreported memorandum opinion http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/651CD09_12-8-09.pdf The court affirmed a Board decision finding that an African-American claimant had good cause to quit because of racial harassment, including racial slurs by a co-worker and foreman and several instances of his findinghttp://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/uc-voluntary-quit-racial-discrimination.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-4461084758808954333Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:26:00 +00002009-12-06T17:27:07.386-05:00Ciarlone v. City of Reading - ED Pa - November 18, 2009 http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09d1382p.pdf Apartment owner and several tenants brought sec. 1983 action against city, code enforcement officer, et al. for unlawful inspection of premises by forced actions -- including breaking into apartments with sledge hammer -- without any warrant or notice to owner or tenants. http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/housing-code-enforcement-illegal-search.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-5150754171010975693Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:23:00 +00002009-12-06T17:24:33.671-05:00Mwantembe, et al. v. TD Bank, et al. - ED PA - November 17, 2009 http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09d1375p.pdf Plaintiff brought class action on behalf of Pennsylvania residents who held or hold gift cards sold by the defendants, assert causes of action under Pennsylvania law for violations of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (“UTPCPL”), 73 P.S. §§ 201-2(3), http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/consumer-natl-banks-gift-card-state.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-5593410626991214186Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:27:00 +00002009-12-04T10:36:17.434-05:00 Pa. Turpike Commission v. UCBR - Cmwlth. Court - December 3, 2009 - unreported memorandum opinion http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1104CD09_12-3-09.pdf The court upheld a UCBR decision that a UC Service Center did not have jurisdiction to issue an amended financial determination, finding claimant ineligible under sec. 1002(11) (policy-making services excluded from "http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/uc-appeal-lack-of-jurisdiction.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-8434417677162195989Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:50:00 +00002009-12-03T10:53:11.570-05:00Slippery Rock School District v. UCBR - Pennsylvania Supreme Court - November 30, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/J-72-2009mo.pdf This case concerns the adoption by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor and Industry (DOLI) of a UC regulation concerning benefits for teachers and other educ. employees, who are disqualified from receiving benefits if they have a "reasonable http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/admin-law-regulations-type-adoption.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-6506742918653691607Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:47:00 +00002009-12-02T11:47:53.332-05:00Tran v. State System of Higher Eduction - Cmwlth. Court - December 2, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1912CD08_12-2-09.pdfNursing student at state university sued school for improperly dismissing her from the program, in violation of the terms set out in the student handbook.The court held that the handbook "does not constitute a bilateral contract by which the http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/contracts-student-handbook_02.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-2482014117230810367Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:59:00 +00002009-12-02T11:48:41.076-05:00State Farm v. Lincow - ED Pa. - December 1, 2009 (decision of magistrate judge)http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09D1420P.pdfThe property at issue -- season tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles -- is not the sort that our clients are likely to have, but the principles involved are very important and relevant.The creditor got a judgment against husband and began execution on Eagles http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/execution-entireties-property.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-4711760384437055826Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:12:00 +00002009-12-01T12:14:11.488-05:00Slippery Rock School District v. UCBR - Pa. Supreme Court - November 30, 2009 http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Supreme/out/J-72-2009mo.pdf Former long-term substitute teacher who was offered only day-to-day position in the ensuing school year did not have "reasonable assurance" of continuing employment and was thus eligible for UC benefits when laid off from the long-term http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/12/uc-reasonable-assurance-economic_4236.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-3553303712439330578Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:37:00 +00002009-11-30T16:37:40.603-05:00Kaneff v. Delaware Title Loan - 3d Cir. - November 24, 2009 http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/081007p.pdf This case involves a personal loan for $550 on which the plaintiff's car was collateral. Over a 6-month period, plaintiff paid over $800 but still owed over more than $700 on this loan, on which the interest rate was 300%. After a series of unfortunate events, including repossession, http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/consumer-arbitration-clause.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-7196062572509790930Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:17:00 +00002009-11-24T12:17:34.214-05:00Slusser v. DeBoer - Superior Court - November 23, 2009 http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Superior/out/a26039_09.pdf PFA order properly granted PFA order to mother of defendant's grandchild. Defendant was a "family or household member" under the Act. The court rejected grandfather's argument that his relationship to the mother of his grandchild does not fit within any of the http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/pfa-familyhousehold-member-grandfather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-4721719831022364287Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:00 +00002009-11-17T10:18:36.290-05:00In the Interest of J.G., a minor - Superior Court - November 13, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1948CD08_11-17-09.pdfCounty child welfare agency (CWA) was not an "aggrived party" under PRAP 501 and did not have standing to appeal a lower court decision holding that the subject child was dependent, but failing to specify that the child's parents had committed the http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/child-abuse-dependency-appeal-aggrieved.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-7030124958529179932Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:46:00 +00002009-11-16T16:47:36.365-05:00Horwitz v. Dept. of Labor and Industry - Cmwlth. Court - November 16, 2009 - unreported memorandum decisionhttp://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/221CD09_11-16-09.pdfUC referee's challenge to his employee performance report (EPR) rejected, holding that there was no discrimination against him based on non-merit factors.The EPR essentially reflects the Department’s conclusion http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/uc-referee-performance-backlog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-1031950548701690363Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:35:00 +00002009-11-13T11:35:58.501-05:00Dopson v. UCBR - Cmwlth. Court - November 13, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1129CD09_11-13-09.pdfClaimant requested an FMLA leave to go to South Carolina to help care for the young child of her son and daughter-in-law, who were finishing students teaching study for medical board tests, respectively. The court held that "Claimant did not quit her job to rejoin a http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/uc-voluntary-quit-personal-preference-v.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-5798665266319311247Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:22:00 +00002009-11-13T11:24:16.823-05:00Solivan v. Valley Housing Development Corp. - ED Pa. - November 9, 2009http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09D1355P.pdfThis case involved a plaintiff-tenant's claims against a sec. 8 landlord for, inter alia, failure to reasonably accommodate her disability in the leasing of an apartment. For the most part, the Court rejected the defendant's motion for summary judgment, as follows:http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/housing-disability-reasonable.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-2381628451742369154Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:07:00 +00002009-11-11T10:11:47.646-05:00Poleck v. Astrue - ED Pa. - November 9, 2009http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09D1349P.pdfThe Magistrate Judge found that the ALJ failed to fully articulate his reasons for denying plaintiff's claims regarding his alleged heart impairment and carpal tunnel syndrome and recommended that these claims be remanded for further consideration by the Commissioner. Plaintiff appealed, http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/disability-alj-duty-to-order.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-3102104941139592359Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:47:00 +00002009-11-05T10:49:08.537-05:00Deal v. PennDOT - Cmwtlh. Court - November 5, 2009 - unpublished memorandum opinionhttp://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/344CD09_11-5-09.pdfsilence - In Broadbelt v. DOT, 903 A.2d 636 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006), our court determined that the licensee’s silence when asked to submit to chemical testing after having been read the DL-26 form, constituted a refusal in violation of Sectionhttp://palegalservices.org/update/2009/11/drivers-license-refusal-to-take.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-5811458302500187064Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:52:00 +00002009-10-29T10:53:39.531-04:00Sitoski v. PennDOT - Cmwlth. Court - October 29, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/431CD09_10-29-09.pdfIf a licensee takes a prescription drug, knowing its side effects, and then sustains a head injury in an accident, the licensee can establish an inability to make a knowing and conscious refusal by presenting expert medical testimony that the head injury played a http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/drivers-license-refusal-to-take.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-6475989534387126642Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +00002009-10-29T10:42:23.549-04:00LC v. DPW - Cmwlth. Court - October 29, 2009http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/189CD09_10-29-09.pdfDPW was not required to wait until appellant's criminal appeals were finally resolved to list him as an abuser in a "founded" report. Section 6303 of the Child Protective Services Law defines “founded report” as a child abuse report made pursuant to “any judicial http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/child-abuse-expungement-founded-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-871502716785931445Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:11:00 +00002009-11-10T09:15:30.113-05:00Alston et al. v. Countrywide Financial Corp. - 3d Cir. - October 28, 2009http://www.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/084334p.pdfThis is a class action brought by homebuyers who sought to recover statutory treble damages pursuant to §8(d)(2) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 (“RESPA”), 12 U.S.C. § 2607(d)(2).Plaintiffs alleged that their private mortgage insurance premiums were http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/respa-ani-kickback-provision-private.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-1182106100423252934Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:31:00 +00002009-10-28T11:31:33.739-04:00http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1170CD08_10-28-09.pdf - unreportedAnother appeal quashed because the claimant's "general statement of objections to the Board's order in the petition for review fails to fairly embrace the issues raised in his brief filed by his attorney," following Deal v. UCBR, 878 A.2d 131 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2005) and Maher v. UCBR (Pa. Cmwlth., No. 1843 C.Dhttp://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/uc-appeal-statement-of-objections-prap_28.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-565049243479033668Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:29:00 +00002009-10-28T11:30:24.352-04:00http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/652CD09_10-28-09.pdf - unreportedBenefits denied in follow-the-spouse case where spouse took new job in South Carolina to improve his career, and not as a matter of necessity. "It wasn't relocate or else."“[I]n a following the spouse case the reason for the spouse’s relocation must be beyond the spouse’s control and not a matter of http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/uc-vol-quit-follow-spouse-necessity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-7240251772981714353Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:00 +00002009-10-28T09:46:45.796-04:00Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 5.2(a) (Privacy Protections for Filings Made with the Court) states that any court filing "may include only" the last 4 digits of a person's social security number and just the year of a person's birth.A federal district court in Minnesota (Engeseth v. County of Isanti) recently sanctioned an attorney $5,000 for including the full social security numbers of 179 http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/social-security-number-prohibition.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-443680272184910393Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +00002009-10-27T10:42:41.406-04:00Maher v. UCBR - Cmwlth. Court -http://origin-www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/Cwealth/out/1843CD08_10-27-09.pdfPro se attorney claimant appealed an adverse UCBR decision to Commonwealth Court by a Petition for Review which listed the following “Objections to the Determination: 6. The determination of the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review is not supported by substantial evidence. 7. The http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/uc-appeal-statement-of-objections-prap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12180398.post-4485045775899923129Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:17:00 +00002009-10-23T16:18:12.512-04:00Inman v. NCO Financial Systems - ED Pa. - October 21, 2009http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/09D1288P.pdfDefendant debt collector's automated messages left on Plaintiff's answering machine consituted "communications" under the Fair Debt Collection Pracctices Act, 15 USC sec. 1692a(2). The court relied heavily on the decison in Foti v. NCO Financial Systems, 424 F.Supp. 2d 643 (SDNY http://palegalservices.org/update/2009/10/debt-collection-communications.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donald Marritz)