Pennsylvania’s General Veil-Piercing Standard Pennsylvania strongly presumes that corporations and LLCs are separate legal entities, meaning, the entity generally protects the owners of the entity from personal liability. Courts “pierce the corporate veil” only in limited circumstances and only “whenever justice or public policy demand.” The doctrine is equitable in…
We Have You Covered: Western PA Attorneys
Update: Gist of the Action & Motion For Summary Judgment Based on Hearsay
Pennsylvania Superior Court Clarifies In a recent non-precedential decision, the Pennsylvania Superior Court revisited two issues that often arise in civil litigation in Pennsylvania: first, when hearsay evidence may nonetheless be considered in opposition to summary judgment, and second, when a plaintiff’s tort claim is barred because the alleged wrongdoing…
The Superior Court’s Reminder About Punitive Damages, Judicial Bias & Waiver
In Richardson v. Parks, No. 414 EDA 2025 (Pa. Super. May 12, 2026) (non-precedential), the Pennsylvania Superior Court delivered a decision that should serve as a cautionary reminder to trial lawyers and litigants alike: preserve issues for appeal, know that the trial judge can act hostile, unfair, or…
PA Law: No Writing Needed to Cancel Home Improvement Contract
Change Your Mind After Signing a Home Improvement Contract? It happens more often than people think. A contractor shows up at your home in Allegheny County. There is a problem—maybe a sewer backup, a cracked pipe, or a roofing issue. You feel pressure to act quickly. So, you sign a contract. …
PA’s Statute of Repose (42 Pa.C.S. § 5536) Claims Another Victim
PA’s statute of repose creates a hard deadline to sue; it’s like an avalanche that destroys just about everything in its path. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in Clearfield Cnty. v. Transystems Corp., No. 10 WAP 2025, ___ A.3d ___ (Pa. Apr. 30, 2026) created yet another powerful example, this…
Binding a Partnership to a Deal: PA Law Update
I. Agreement Formation With a Partnership Under Pennsylvania law, binding a partnership to a contract requires proof of three things: (1) mutual assent, (2) sufficiently definite terms, and (3) consideration. Courts apply an objective theory of contracts, focusing on what the parties said and did—not their later characterizations of…
Anticipatory Repudiation in PA (and CASPA Update)
When One Side Walks Away Early Contracts don’t always fall apart at the end. Sometimes, one party makes it clear—before the work is finished—that they won’t follow through. Pennsylvania law has a doctrine for that situation called anticipatory repudiation. Anticipatory repudiation allows a party to treat a contract as…
Superior Court Affirms Disputed Settlement
When parties walk away from negotiations believing different things, courts face a difficult question: what should they do when one party insists a binding settlement was reached, while the other claims no agreement ever existed—or that a different deal controls? Any time settlement discussions advance far enough that…
The Use of Surety Bonds in PA to Protect Subcontractors & Owners
An Extra Layer of Payment Protection Subcontractors on construction projects often face a basic risk: they perform the work but depend on the general contractor—not the owner—to get paid. If the contractor encounters financial trouble or simply refuses to pay, the subcontractor may be left chasing payment long after the…
Confession of Judgment in PA: Procedure & Defenses
Introduction Pennsylvania remains one of only nine states that still permit creditors to obtain a confession of judgment, which is powerful because it allows a creditor to obtain and enforce a judgment without prior litigation or notice to the debtor, based on the debtor’s advance contractual authorization—typically contained in a…
