What is a Unicorn?

No. 1,632 I’ve been running across references to unicorns in books, blog posts and even in the funny papers. Sometimes the author assumes we know what she is talking about or explains the term in a cursory fashion. In her book, Insight, therapist Tasha Urich used the term “unicorns” to discuss people who greatly improve […]

Being In the Emergency Business

No. 1,616 The country is now enthralled in a discussion regarding whether a porous Southern border constitutes a national emergency. A common definition of an emergency is a serious condition that requires immediate action. Whether the open expanses along the national border constitute an emergency under a 1976 statute will now be addressed by the […]

Does a Forgetful Litigant or Counsel Deserve a Phone Call Before a Case is Dismissed?

No. 1587 SHIN v. BRENAN 764 A,2d 609 (Pa. Super. 2000) WILLIAMS v. SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA, 870 A.2d 414 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2005). THOMPSON v. HOUSTON, 839 A.2d 389 (Pa. Super. 2003) FAISON v. TURNER, 2004 Pa. Super. 350 (2004). BANKS v. COOPER, 171 A.3d 798, 2017 Pa.Super. 304 (2017) In the recent Allegheny County […]

What duty does a jay-walker have in the age of driverless vehicles?

So who is negligent here? Â The engineers who designed the driverless system, the back-up driver, or the jay-walker? Or is it some combination of these?

Even Once-in-a-Century Events Eventually Happen.

No. 1,442 Nobody knows what the real odds were that the University of Maryland Baltimore City, a lowly 16th seed in the NCAA basketball tournament, would defeat the number one seed Virginia Cavaliers. The last-place teams are deliberately selected to give small schools who can’t compete for top recruits a piece of the tournament action. […]

Supreme Court Enters Order Reassigning Allegheny County Judges

No. 1,413

Be sure to attach Certificates of Compliance to your pleadings.

No. 1,403 Section 7.0 of the “Public Access Policy of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania: Case Records of the Appellate and Trial Courts” places the burden of screening documents on litigants and attorneys who file them and to exclude or redact certain confidential information (except when using a special Confidential Information Form). The clerks who […]

Do Federal District Law Clerks Have Too Much Power?

No. 1,389 Eric Segall, a law professor with clerking experience, says that this is the case. Although we always suspected the clerk decided at least some of our motions, Segall says that the situation is a lot worse than you probably think. A must read from Dorf on Law Blog for civil litigators. CLT

Summary Judgment and the Nanty Glo Rule; the Banker’s Affidavit is still not enough.

No. 1,383 WELLS FARGO BANK, NA v. PREMIER HOTELS GROUP, LLC. 2017 PA Super. 405 (2017) In response to a mortgage foreclosure action, Premier sold its property in Dunmore, Lackawanna County, PA and paid over the proceeds to Wells Fargo, assignee of the mortgage. However, in a Complaint filed in 2015, Wells Fargo claimed that […]

CIVIL PRACTICE UPDATE: DROP OFF CONSENT ORDERS FROM JUDGE COLVILLE AVAILABLE IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY

No. 1,365 At a recent Civil Practice seminar, it was announced that Special Motions Judge Robert Colville will experimentally accept consent orders signed off by all counsel or certified by counsel as consented by all, by mail or drop off any day of the week. Eligible proposed orders must be true consent orders, not ones […]

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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.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

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

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