Monthly Archives: February 2007

At Will Doctrine Challenged Once More

One of the most important concepts affecting nearly everyone who has a job other than the self-employed is that of the so-called at-will doctrine.   Stated simply, unless there is a specific contract of employment which provides otherwise, an employer may terminate the employment of an… Continue reading

Save on Your Car Insurance

Save on Your Car Insurance A recent newspaper article reminded us that most ordinary folks build wealth not by what they make, but instead by investing what they don’t spend (sounds like the old Ben Franklin adage: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”) Here… Continue reading

Kelo Condemned (Further!)

  We have previously discussed the now infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision, Kelo v. City of New London, in 2004.  In that decision New London, invoking the doctrine of eminent domain, was permitted to condemn a privately-owned area of the City, to be replaced by… Continue reading

Family Medical Leave Act

The Family Medical Leave Act  applies to employers who employ 50 or more workers for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year.  This Federal statute provides eligible employees with up to 12 workweeks of… Continue reading

Latin Lovers for Grandfathers

Several years ago we ran an article on ex post facto laws – laws that become effective retroactively.   In general, such laws are unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable. The effective date of a law (or a change in a law) can be of monumental significance.   For example,… Continue reading

Inadmissible Hearsay

One of the most common objections in the courtroom is the objection to hearsay testimony.  Hearsay is a prior statement (usually oral) made by a third party who is not in the courtroom at the time the statement is offered as evidence.   A hearsay statement,… Continue reading

Queen’s English – – Show Me the Moneys

Members of the Pennsylvania Bar are indebted to Gertrude Block, of the University of Florida, who writes a monthly column on grammar in our monthly magazine; two topics she recently commented on follow.   The first topic concerns money, and its plural.  Is moneys (or… Continue reading

Overview of Pet Law In Pennsylvania

Take a quick look at Pet Smart, Inc. (trading on NASDAQ under symbol “PETM”).  Pet Smart’s stock price has more than tripled in three years, has a market cap of almost $4 billion, and pays  a dividend of $.12 per share per year.  Pet Smart… Continue reading

Asbestos Litigation

At the turn of the 19th Century, asbestos was considered an ideal building material. It proved to be a superior fire retardant, had high electrical resistivity, was abundant, inexpensive and easy to use.  The problem with asbestos arises when the fibers become airborne and are… Continue reading

Latin Lovers

In previous issues we have talked about the concept of venue, which generally establishes the location of the court hearing a particular case.  The rules on venue prescribe the proper place for a case to be tried; these rules require a logical connection between the… Continue reading