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Articles by Anna Hosack
Accessing Blight: The Basics of Administrative Search Warrants
Anna Hosack, left, and Robert Max Junker, right, of Babst, Calland, Clements & Zomnir. Courtesy photos Many of the blighted properties across Pennsylvania’s various municipalities are owned by anonymous LLCs, deceased individuals with unopened estates, or those unwilling to consent to inspection by a municipal code enforcement officer, making it especially difficult to address safety concerns that go beyond the front yard.
Local Street Opening Fees Preempted by the Public Utility Code
(l-r) Stephen L. Korbel, Anna R. Hosack, and Alexander O. Giorgetti, with Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir. Courtesy photos The use of street opening ordinances to regulate and maintain public rights-of-way has increased in popularity over the past few years, with many of the local municipalities having adopted some form of a model ordinance.
When a Facebook Post Becomes a Public Record Subject to the Right-to-Know Law
Click to enter your existing username and password or create a new account. Click to purchase an individual user subscription with your credit card. Expert OpinionPublic Records What happens when those online conversations intersect with Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court considered this question recently in Penncrest School District v. Cagle, a case that sheds new light on how personal social media use by public officials can blur into the purview of the RTKL.
Pennsylvania Municipal Vacancies 101
With election season just around the corner, Pennsylvania municipalities often face the issue of municipal vacancies. While some municipalities have highly contested elections, others, particularly small boroughs, may struggle to find individuals even willing to serve. Municipalities often have questions regarding the rules for these openings, which follow rules from multiple statutes and codes.
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law Update: The Death of the Attorney-Client Privilege Log?
In a recent case, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court found that the use of an attestation may negate the need for a full privilege log when responding to a Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Sections 67.701 et seq., (RTKL) request where there are redacted privileged documents and an attestation providing context for the privilege. In Bergere v. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, No. 269-CD-2024 (Pa. Cmwlth. Jan.
Right-to-Know Law Policy Update in Wake of Anonymous FOIA Buddy Record Requests
If sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants and electric lights the most efficient policeman, then what is said of the darkness of anonymity? Many agencies have been receiving Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Section 67.701, et seq. (RTKL) record requests created through “FOIA Buddy” that they suspect are anonymous.
Vaughan McLean, Formerly Vaughan Baio, Appoints New Leader, While Pursuing Further Growth
The Philadelphia-based insurance defense firm formerly known as Vaughan Baio has a new leader, with firm founder Joseph Vaughan selecting Syracuse, New York-based partner Tracey McLean to work alongside him to guide the firm. McLean’s promotion went into effect May 1, and the firm has been rebranded to Vaughan McLean after former name partner Madeline Baio, along with three other attorneys from the firm, moved to Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby in February.
When Standing Won’t Stand-Pa. Supreme Court Rules That a Grant of Party Status by a Zoning Hearing Board Does Not Automatically Convey Appellate Rights | The Legal Intelligencer
Last spring, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court addressed the question of who is entitled to standing in matters before a municipal zoning hearing board, and more importantly, who has standing to file an appeal from a board decision. In South Bethlehem Associates v.
Public Advertising Cheat Sheet: A Local Government Guide to Mandatory Advertising and Posting Requirements Original
Last week, thousands of newly elected public officials took office across Pennsylvania and began their duties. Whether beginning a first or fifth term, those in public office must review their obligations regarding open meetings and public engagement. Several statutes in Pennsylvania impose open meeting, public comment, and advertising requirements.
A Municipality’s Struggle to Remove Resident’s Junk Vehicles: How to Avoid a Fight Over Blight
A frequent, if folksy, recitation of the purpose behind zoning and land use restrictions is to prevent problems caused by the “pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.” In other words zoning regulations recognize sometimes a nuisance can be caused by putting the right thing in the wrong place. Therefore, zoning ordinances attempt to keep more “offensive uses” away from more sensitive uses. However, prohibiting a use on paper is one thing, ensuring ordinance compliance is another.
Troutman Pepper Launches Corporate Espionage Response Team
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders has announced the creation of a new corporate espionage response team, which looks to help clients combat third-party theft or use of confidential or proprietary information for their own commercial advantage.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Understanding How Original Jurisdiction in ACRE Cases Impacts Your Municipality
Premium Subscription With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas. View Now Team Accounts Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys.
Questions Abound Following Right-to-Know Law Decision Involving Student Records
In December 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its opinion in Central Dauphin School District v. Hawkins, 286 A.3d 726 (Pa. 2022), the latest in a line of cases considering the intersection of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g (FERPA), and the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Sections 67.101-67.3104 (RTKL).
Commonwealth Court Declines to Extend 'Slice of Life' to Support Group Home’s Application for Curative Amendment
In 2019, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court examined the zoning issues surrounding the increasingly popular use of single-family homes as short-term rentals in Slice of Life v. Hamilton Township Zoning Hearing Board, 207 A.3d 886 (Pa. 2019).
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