Monthly Archives: May 2013

Auto Accidents: A Checklist

For many people, traffic mishaps are an unfortunate fact of life.  A proper reaction can reduce injuries and costs as well as accelerate the clean-up and repair process.  The time to prepare for an accident is before one happens, when heads are cool, calm and… Continue reading

Car Rental Company’s Inflated Damage Claim May Violate Consumer Protection Law

In a decision handed down last month, Grimes v. Enterprise Leasing Company of Philadelphia, LLC, the Pennsylvania Superior Court addressed the issue of whether a car rental company could be liable to its customer under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (“UTPCPL”) for… Continue reading

Joint Wills, Mixed Families and the “Disinherited” Stepchild

The most common estate planning scenario we see is the “joint will” between spouses. For example, husband gives everything to wife, unless she predeceases him, in which case everything goes to the kids.  Likewise, wife, in her will, gives everything to husband, unless he dies… Continue reading

Crimes and Misdemeanors

The criminal law of Pennsylvania is largely codified in a lengthy statute known as the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, taking up several book volumes of the Pennsylvania Statutes.   The Crimes Code covers everything from “petty theft” to “grand larceny”, from “simple assault” to “murder”. Criminal conduct… Continue reading

Queen’s English – The Tired Metaphor

A metaphor is defined as a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that designates one thing is applied to another in an implicit comparison.  It is a tool to be used with discretion; much more often than not, the metaphor can be a… Continue reading

Psychiatric Injury to Real Estate, Part 2

Several months ago I wrote about a case in Delaware County involving psychiatric damage to real property.  At that time, the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas had denied preliminary objections and allowed the case to go forward.  The facts of the case were that… Continue reading