Recent News

PADC’s Executive Committee is very pleased to announce the 2019 award recipients. The awards will be presented to the recipients at PADC’s June 4 Annual Meeting & Golf Outing.

PADC recently filed comments with Pennsylvania's Civil Procedural Rules Committee oppisong the proposed revocation of Rule of Civil Procedure 1006(a.1) and related medical malpractice venue rules. This opposition is based on the fact that there is no data to support the conclusion that the Rule is no longer needed

The Pennsylvania Defense Institute’s attached April edition of Counterpoint contains the most recent version of the proposed Product Liability Suggested Standard Jury Instructions, which have been sent to all Commonwealth of Pennsylvania judges. Counterpoint also contains a related article entitled “Pennsylvania Supreme Court Overrules Azzarello, Only to Have PBI Suggested Jury Instructions Continue To Seek Azzarello’s Reinstatement (Volume 3 – Updates and Addenda to Proper Suggested Standard Jury Instructions)”. Representatives of PDI and PADC worked closely together on these. PADC members Jim Beck, Bill Ricci, Scott Toomey and Dennis Zienba co-authored them. We ask that you distribute a copy of the instructions to all persons in your firms who handle Product Liability cases for their review and use. Thank you gentlemen for your hard work on these.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has adopted new Pa.R.C.P.

This case of Gallagher v.

The “Hills and Ridges Doctrine” precludes liability “where the accident occurred at a time when general slippery conditions prevailed in the community as a result of recent precipitation.”  However, the hills and ridges doctrine can only be

Pennsylvania's Superior Court has held that opposition to a motion for summary judgment requires rebuttal evidence, not just rebuttal allegations. For a detailed summary of the case of American Southern Insurance Co. v. Halbert

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has granted the Third Circuit’s petition for certification of an issue that has puzzled insurers and their attorneys.

Members of PADC recently volunteered their time to attend a panel discussion at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law for law students interested in practicing civil defense litigation. The event was jointly sponsored by the Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

Erie Insurance Exchange recently filed suit alleging that it has no duty to defend or indemnify a financial planning company facing claims in federal court for willfully infringing a rival’s marketing slogan trademarks.