Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting

Landlord-Tenant: Much Ado About Security Deposits.

Posted by Cliff Tuttle What happens when a landlord gives back a tenant’s security deposit and subsequently sues for damages? Thirty days have passed and no list of damages was given by the landlord to the tenant. Does this failure to provide a list of damages bar recovery pursuant to Section 512(b) of the Pennsylvania […]

Can you handle the Truth? Economics 1001 in a Nutshell.

Posted by Cliff Tuttle Here is a concise Q&A on the current economic upheaval as guest posted on the Freakonomics blog by two experts from the University of Chicago School of Economics. Required reading during a week when the words “since the Great Depression” are starting to appear everywhere. Click here. CLT

Criminal Law: A Matter of First Impression

Posted by Cliff Tuttle Once again, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog featured a case in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. District Judge Terrance McVerry held that cell phone records sought by police for the purpose of establishing the whereabouts of a suspect require a warrant. Here is the […]

LANDLORD-TENANT MONTH: SEE HOW YOU SCORE IN THIS QUIZ ON PENNSYLVANIA LANDLORD AND TENANT LAW

September is hereby declared to be Landlord-Tenant Month on Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk. Check your knowledge of basic LL/TT law in this little True and False Quiz. Then, watch this blog every day for articles about the topics covered by this Quiz and more. Make a record of your answers to these ten questions before checking the Official Answers.

Back Talk Requested: A Chip on Your Shoulder?

Even when voluntary, it just doesn’t seem right, does it? Should we permit people to voluntarily consent to such an invasion of their body? Who should be permitted to relinquish so much privacy? Would you agree to be chipped in exchange for something you really need? Like a job? Like a life-saving operation?

Are Settlement Decisions “Predictably Irrational”?

“What is it about zero cost that we find so irresistible? Why does free! make us so happy? After all, free! can lead us into trouble: things that we would never consider purchasing become incredibly appealing as soon as they are free! For instance, have you ever gathered up free pencils, key chains, and note pads at a conference, even though you’d have to carry them home and would only throw most of them away? Have you ever stood in line for a very long time (too long), just to get a free cone of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream? Or have you bought two of a product that you wouldn’t have chosen in the first place, just to get the third one for free?
What is it about free! that’s so enticing? Why do we have an irrational urge to jump for a free! item, even when it’s not what we really want?
I believe the answer is this. Most transactions have an upside and a downside, but when something is free! we forget the downside. Free! gives us such an emotional charge
that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is. Why? I think it’s because humans are intrinsically afraid of loss. The real allure of free! is tied to this fear. There’s no visible possibility of loss when we choose a free! item (it’s free). But suppose we choose the item that’s not free. Uh- oh, now there’s a risk of having made a poor decision—the possibility of a loss. And so, given the choice, we go for what is free.”

A Prayer for the Lucky Puppies of Denham Springs, Louisiana

No, our dog was not rescued from Katrina. But had it not been for the kindness and devotion of Robin and her family, we would have never been able to adopt a wonderful dog. Now, she is about the business of saving other dogs in every meaning of the word. We are grateful that there are deeply devoted people in the world like Robin. We hope and pray that Robin, her family and every one of their dogs, are safe and dry tonight and that they will soon be safe at home.

Notaries of the World, Unite!

What is the point of renewing a notary commission? Do we actually forget how to notarize and need retraining? Is there a danger that someone will start using our equipment? The answer is: None of the above. Being a notary is so easy that the essentials of most notorial duties (except perhaps motor vehicles and a few specialties) can be learned in 15 minutes. The real purpose of the quadrennial renewal process is to collect fees. Yes, they are user fees, but did you ever consider that the fee is for the purpose of processing the renewal and if there were no renewals, there would be no need for fees?

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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