Philadelphia Front Page News Personal Injury Legal News In Brief: Why Choosing the Right Pennsylvania Personal Injury Law Firm Matters forwarded by personal injury attorney reporters frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Personal Injury Legal News In Brief: Why Choosing the Right Pennsylvania Personal Injury Law Firm Matters forwarded by personal injury attorney reporters frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

Above: Blind Justice and the Courts

In Pennsylvania, where 2021 saw 117,899 car accidents, including 1,230 fatalities—the highest in five years—the choice of a Pennsylvania personal injury law firm can significantly impact the outcome of your case. Choosing a trusted partner, such as personal injury attorneys serving Philadelphia County, Delaware County, etc., ensures that you have experienced legal representatives who understand the complexities of Pennsylvania’s accident landscape. 

The right firm will aggressively pursue your best interests, leveraging detailed accident analysis and legal expertise to secure the compensation you deserve

Here are some reasons why choosing the right personal injury law firm proves to be significant:

Expertise and Specialization

Personal injury law covers a range of situations, such as car accidents and medical malpractice cases, that require skills and expertise to navigate effectively. Law firms that focus on personal injury cases have the knowledge and experience to guide clients through these intricate legal matters and provide tailored advice based on their circumstances. 

An established legal firm specializing in personal injury cases can proficiently handle the complexities of processes. This level of knowledge frequently leads to favorable results for cases and offers reassurance to clients who trust their matters are being managed competently. 

Effective Communication

Open and honest communication between clients and their lawyers is crucial for a successful partnership. A distinguished law firm places importance on maintaining a straightforward conversation with clients to keep them updated on every step of the legal proceedings. By comprehending the details of their case, clients are equipped to make choices confidently. 

Consistent communication and quick replies to questions play a role in establishing trust between clients and their lawyers. This bond of trust is crucial for nurturing an attorney-client connection that can result in successful outcomes. Clear and timely communication also eases clients’ worries and allows them to concentrate on their healing process. 

Resource Availability

Having the proper resources is crucial for the outcome of a proceeding. Known legal firms typically have connections with professionals like doctors, accident investigators, and experts in reconstructive analysis, which can bolster a case with vital evidence and expert opinions. 

Established companies have the resources to effectively manage the research and paperwork needed for personal injury claims. This capability to collect and assess evidence increases the likelihood of securing an outcome through settlement or court decisions to the client’s advantage. 

Negotiation Skills

Negotiating agreements demands a level of finesse and know-how in the field of personal injury law. Legal practitioners are well-versed in negotiating with insurance companies to secure compensation for their clients, who may otherwise receive inadequate payouts under different circumstances. 

Seasoned lawyers are well-versed in the strategies used by insurance firms, enabling them to devise tactics that safeguard the interests of their clients. This ultimately results in advantageous settlements through skillful negotiation, thereby avoiding drawn-out legal disputes. 

Courtroom Experience

In some instances, legal issues are resolved outside of court. However, in some cases, they proceed to trial instead. Select a law firm that has experience in court to guarantee clients receive representation in these circumstances. Lawyers with experience in trials excel at presenting cases to a judge and jury, which enhances the chances of a favorable result. 

In the courtroom setting, a lawyer’s skills in presenting arguments and handling circumstances play a role in influencing the outcome of legal proceedings. Thus, this underscores the significance of choosing a reputable legal firm with a history of success in litigation matters. 

Client-Centric Approach

Law firms that prioritize clients’ needs and well-being adopt a client-centered approach when providing legal assistance services. They show empathy and understanding towards individuals going through injury cases by offering personalized attention to make them feel valued and supported during the proceedings. 

Companies that choose this method offer customized plans that match their clients’ objectives. This emphasis on requirements encourages a bond between lawyers and clients, leading to better representation and successful results. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right personal injury law firm holds significance in navigating legal matters successfully after an injury occurs. Elements, such as the skillfulness of professionals at communication and negotiation, along with their courtroom prowess, play a role in ensuring a positive outcome for your case. Individuals dealing with injury issues must dedicate time to selecting a law firm that meets their requirements. Opting for the firm can significantly influence the journey towards recovery, offering both guidance and emotional comfort throughout the challenging period.

 

Philadelphia Front Page News Personal Injury Legal News In Brief: Pa. Court Denies Procedurally Deficient Request for Delay Damages in $4.1M Personal Injury Verdict forwarded by The Legal Intelligencer frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Personal Injury Legal News In Brief: Pa. Court Denies Procedurally Deficient Request for Delay Damages in $4.1M Personal Injury Verdict forwarded by The Legal Intelligencer frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

Above: Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 601 Commonwealth Ave #1600

The majority concluded Arreguin's request failed as she didn't comply with Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 238(c)'s holding that a motion for delayed damages must begin with a scripted notice.

In a matter of first impression, the Pennsylvania Superior Court shot down the plaintiff's request for delay $4 million in damages, finding her motion procedurally deficient.

In a Tuesday opinion, the Pennsylvania Superior Court denied Maria Esther Arreguin's attempts to appeal a trial court decision denying her motion for delay damages. The appellate court affirmed the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas' conclusion, citing Arreguin's failure to comply with Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 238(c), which says that a motion for delayed damages must begin with a scripted notice. Judge Megan Sullivan authored the opinion and was joined by Judge Alice B. Dubow. Judge Victor P. Stabile issued a dissenting opinion.

In Arreguin v. Kinsing, the majority affirmed the trial court's decision to deny Arreguin's motion as it didn't follow Rule 238(c)'s requirement that the motion begin with the notice: "You are hereby notified to file a written answer to the attached motion for delay damages within twenty days from the filing of the motion or the delay damages sought in the motion may be added to the verdict or decision against you."

For full story click here. 

 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice Brief: Federal judge accuses President Biden of attempting to 'rewrite history' in Hunter Biden pardon forwarded by Fox News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice Brief: Federal judge accuses President Biden of attempting to 'rewrite history' in Hunter Biden pardon forwarded by  Fox News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

Above: Hunter Biden.

The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s tax case issued a sharp rebuke of President Biden's claim that his son was unfairly treated as well as the president's delivery method following the president's last-minute pardon.

U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who is based in the Central District of California and was nominated by President-elect Trump, accused President Biden in a scathing five-page order of "rewriting history" with the pardon and suggested that the breadth of the pardon granted to his son is unconstitutional.

"The Constitution provides the President with broad authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, but nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority to rewrite history," he wrote.

The judge voiced his displeasure that the president alerted the judicial system of his order to pardon his son via a White House press release.

"Rather than providing a true and correct copy of the pardon with the notice, Mr. Biden provided a hyperlink to a White House press release presenting a statement by the President regarding the pardon and the purported text of the pardon," he wrote.

"In short, a press release is not a pardon," he continued.

For full story click here. 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News In Brief: Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Conviction against Jussie Smollett forwarded by Allsides News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News In Brief: Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Conviction against Jussie Smollett forwarded by Allsides News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

Above: Jussie Smollettc, Actor

On Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned a 2021 disorderly conduct conviction against actor Jussie Smollett on charges related to him faking a homophobic and racist hate crime in Chicago during 2019.

The Details: Smollett falsely claimed two men assaulted him while saying he was in “MAGA country” and tossed a noose around his neck. The hoax led to a search for the perpetrators by Chicago police until they believed the attack was faked. Two men later testified that Smollet paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. Smollett reached a deal with the Cook County State Attorney’s Office, under Attorney Kim Foxx, in which charges would be dropped for community service and the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond. 

For Context: The agreement led to backlash online, including then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it “a whitewash of justice.” Later, a grand jury re-established the charges after a special prosecutor took on the case. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a special prosecutor should not charge Smollet after Smollet’s charges had already been dropped. 

For full story click here.

 

 

 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Penn Museum finds remains of girl killed in 1985 MOVE bombing, renewing anger from West Philly community forwarded by KYW Newsradio frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

Above: A view of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia after police, during an armed standoff, dropped a bomb on the headquarters of Black liberation group MOVE, killing five children and six adults, and burning 60 houses to the ground.

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More human remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing have been discovered at the Penn Museum.

After completing a comprehensive inventory of the biological anthropology section, museum officials discovered the suspected remains of 12-year-old Delisha Africa, one of the five children and six adults killed on May 13, 1985, when the Philadelphia Police Department conducted an air strike over the Cobbs Creek headquarters of Black liberation group MOVE during an armed standoff. More than 60 homes in the neighborhood burned to the ground.

In 2021, University of Pennsylvania officials issued a public apology, acknowledging that the institution had kept bones from at least one victim after assisting in the forensic investigation that followed the bombing.

Shortly after that, a box of remains from bombing victims was uncovered at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. The city said they had been kept after autopsies were completed.

For full story click here. 

 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Are the Menendez brothers getting released? What to know about the re-sentencing decision forwarded by USA Today frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Are the Menendez brothers getting released? What to know about the re-sentencing decision forwarded by  USA Today frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

 

Above: A release from prison is possible Erik and Lyle Menendez

 

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has filed a petition to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez, opening the possibility of parole for the brothers serving life sentences for the murder of their parents.

Gascón unveiled his long awaited decision in the infamous case on Thursday, saying the brothers have "paid their debt to society."

The petition asks the court to resentence the men to 50 years to life on two counts of first-degree murder, according to a copy obtained by USA TODAY. Under California law, they would be eligible for youth parole since they were under the age of 26 at the time of the crime and have already served 30 years in prison.

Now that the district attorney's office has filed the petition, it will go before a judge. If the judge sides with the defense and district attorney, a parole board will evaluate whether the brothers have been rehabilitated and are safe to reenter society.

At a Thursday news conference, Nancy Theberge, deputy in charge of Gascón’s resentencing unit, said she would like to see the petition for resentencing go before a judge within the next 30 to 45 days. She added that the brothers' could attend the hearing either in person or via Zoom.

For full story click here. 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Young Thug released on house arrest for time served as part of plea deal in Georgia RICO case forwarded by Eyewitness News abc7 frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Young Thug released on house arrest for time served as part of plea deal in Georgia RICO case forwarded by  Eyewitness News  abc7 frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

  

Above: The trial of Young Thug began almost a year ago.

ATLANTA -- Atlanta Rapper Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, has accepted a plea deal, changing his plea to guilty on gang-related charges in Fulton County, Georgia.

Williams pleaded guilty in court on Thursday afternoon.

He was sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation and was released on house arrest Thursday.

"Is it your decision to waive these rights and enter a guilty plea because you are in fact guilty?" Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker asked.

"Yes," Williams said before his attorney interjected on one of the counts.

For full story click here. 

Phila. Front Page News Archive Gangs and Kids News Brief: Saving black and Hispanic boys forwarded by Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., Kansas City, MO frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Phila. Front Page News Archive Gangs and Kids News Brief: Saving black and Hispanic boys forwarded by Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., Kansas City, MO frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 Above Image representing Black and Hispanic Boys in need of saving. Visual Art by Van Stone, Philadelphia Visual Arts Creator.

 

Saving black and Hispanic boys should become high priority for school districts across America. They continually to be underachievers and at risk to become dropouts and enter the penal system.

 

Blacks and Hispanics, especially boys in the two largest minority groups, are in need of special attention when it comes to closing the achievement gap in education, and to avoid what has come to be a perpetual cycle of a life of poverty, crime and hopelessness.

 

As America becomes a nation of minorities, what does such persistent underachievement portends for the future? No country can afford to have millions and millions of its citizens relegated to a perpetual underclass and expect to be economically, socially or politically strong. It is undermined, and its future compromised at home and on the world stage. Saving black and Hispanic boys must become a priority.

 

Is this where America, currently still the strongest democracy, headed? Few would argue that our position in the world is changing for any number of reasons, and the weaknesses in our education system when it comes to minorities being treated equally are among them.

Saving Black and Hispanic Boys

We can no longer “talk the talk” and not “walk the walk” when it comes to taking real and meaningful, broad and sustained measures to help blacks and Hispanics learn and perform when it comes to educational achievement at  levels required to have a quality life and be productive citizens in communities across America.

 

But some communities are taking steps to address the educational needs of those minority populations that have been continually and consistently discriminated against when it comes to having access to a quality education.

 

Public school leaders in the District of Columbia recently announced that they will spend $20 million on a program intended to help black and Hispanic boys succeed. Saving black and Hispanic boys is getting more attention and needed action.

 

Public school leaders in the District of Columbia recently announced that they will spend $20 million on a program intended to help black and Hispanic boys succeed. Saving black and Hispanic boys is getting more attention and needed action.

 

Recent data collected from school districts across America show that black and Hispanic boys are disciplined and expelled from schools at a disproportionate rate for the same offenses than white boys. Data from the criminal justice system also show that more black boys end up in the prison system for committing the same crimes, whether misdemeanors of felonies, at a much higher rate than whites. This has been the practice for years, for generations. What else do we need to do to increase the efforts of saving black and Hispanic boys?

 

For full story click here. 

Phila. Front Page News Gangs And Kids Justice News Brief: Napa County civil grand jury report reveals gang activity is targeting younger children in schools forwarded by the Press Democrat frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Phila. Front Page News Gangs And Kids Justice News Brief: Napa County civil grand jury report reveals gang activity is targeting younger children in schools forwarded by  the Press Democrat frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Above: Black boys, African American and Hispanic American boys school students. A Napa County grand jury report emphasized the need for early intervention and gang prevention programs.

 

A newly released grand jury investigation found that not only is gang activity on the rise in Napa County but gang participation and recruitment is now starting to target younger children.

 

A 2023-24 grand jury report discovered gang activity grew after elementary and middle schools returned to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The report further states that although gang activity “ebbs and flows” in Napa, citing the opinions of prosecutors, educators, probation officers and law enforcement but offering no data or specific figures, there was a rise in gang activity once children finally returned to the classrooms.

 

The report suggests children had more free time post-pandemic and that gangs established a sense of belonging after an isolating time with many youths left unsupervised.

 

And gang members are now recruiting younger children, the report offers, due to the odds of a minor being criminally charged being significantly smaller compared with an adult gang member.

 

Middle school students are now bringing homemade and untraceable ghost guns to campus, and wearing well-known gang colors, according to law enforcement interviews in the report. There has also been an increase in tagging, or graffiti.

 

For full story click here. 

Phila. Front Page News Justice News Brief: Protesters call for an end to Young Thug’s RICO case forwarded by Atlanta News First frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Phila. Front Page News Justice News Brief: Protesters call for an end to Young Thug’s RICO case forwarded by Atlanta News First frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Above: YSL Trial. Young Thug was arrested on May 9, 2022, along with 27 other suspected gang members in Buckhead as part of a 56-count indictment. 

 

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - As a possible mistrial looms over the YSL RICO case, a group of protestors gathered outside of the Fulton County Courthouse Friday to voice their concerns.

 

The group of about 20 protestors from Atlanta and across the country told Atlanta News First that they have serious concerns about this trial, including the length, the cost to taxpayers and what they describe as attacks on artistic expression.

 

This trial began nearly a year ago in November 2023.

 

Ten Wilkerson drove down from Chicago to call for an end to the YSL Rico trial in Fulton County. She said she’s been watching the trial every step of the way since December.

 

“For 900 days as of today, Young Thug and his co-defendants have been locked up in this trial,” said Wilkerson.

 

Wilkerson said they’re calling for transparency and accountability.

 

For full story click here. 

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Man charged in NYC subway chokehold death set to stand trial forwarded by the Independent frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Brief: Man charged in NYC subway chokehold death set to stand trial forwarded by the Independent frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Above: A U.S. Marine Corps veteran charged with manslaughter for placing a man in a deadly chokehold aboard a New York City subway train last year will soon have his day in court.

 

To some New Yorkers, he’s the white vigilante who choked an innocent Black man to death on the subway. To others, he’s the U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose attempt to subdue a mentally ill man ended in tragedy.

 

A Manhattan jury will soon have its say on Daniel Penny, who is charged with manslaughter for placing Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on May 1, 2023. Jury selection in Penny’s trial begins Monday.

 

The court proceedings, which are expected to last six weeks, will shed light on a killing that was a flashpoint in the nation’s debate over racial injustice and crime.

 

Neely's death also divided a city grappling with what to do about people experiencing mental health crises in a transit system where some subway straphangers still don't feel safe, despite a drop in violent crime rates.

 

For full story click here.

 

Van Stone Brief Autobiography - Supporting Van Stone's Kinship - Born Courtfighter: Journey Through Unknown Courts... Meet Newspaperman and Courtfighter Van Stone

Van Stone Brief Autobiography - Supporting Van Stone's Kinship - Born Courtfighter: Journey Through Unknown Courts... Meet Newspaperman and Courtfighter Van Stone 

 

 

Above: Indigenous Americans/Black Americans History Image Black Indian Image (Van Stone is a Black Indian amongst many other Black Americans); Ingenious Peoples of America and the Caribbeans Celebrating National Ingenious Peoples of America Day October 14.

 

Dear Readers, I have been asked many, many times about how I came to be a newspaperman and courtfighter involved with the Philadelphia Front Page News. 

 

I have been asked how I became forced to deal with the Media Delaware County Courthouse and the Philadelphia County Court. 

 

The first answer is that when I was a kid I love to read Bibles, the dictionary, and the Visual Encyclopedia of Science. Then I would write down what I read the best I could. Today, I still read these volumes. And I also love to read firefighter magazines. 

 

My first and second grade teacher, Mr. Herb Rogers, Jr., took us kids on a few field trips to the Philadelphia courts. 

 

Another reason is that my father could not read past second grade level literature, so I learned about the importance of writing early in my life. 

 

And I taught my dad how to read and write better when I was only a sixth grade school student. 

 

I have written many books, articles, and opinion journals about the community, Bibles, legal matters, and Dragons. 

 

I like investigating, writing about famous people. 

 

I've written on many diverse subjects such as the Unknown Soldier, World History, Science, Myths, and Zombies; and I like to write about Historical Subjects: World Events, Cookery, Homes, Crafts, and Farming, Abraham and Sarah, Scrolls, Cleopatra, King Herod, Black Indians, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Frederick Douglas, Joseph Smith, Jr., Frederick Douglas, John Henry, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Adolf Hitler, NAACP, Jim Jones, Philadelphia, PA, and Harrisburg, PA. I like to write about Jimmy Carter and Ertha Kitt too. 

 

Some of my other opinion journals have been about Liza Minnelli, Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, Jr., Judge Judith Sheindlin, Judge Greg Mathis, Jim Brown, LeBron James, and Michelle Obama. 

 

Also, I like to investigate stories about ordinary heroes like foster parents, firemen, (such as Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers), policemen, (such as Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Office Support, Sergent Jeff Cambell), clergy, superheroes, monsters, and gargoyles. 

 

Also, I like to write historical news about greenhouses, teepees, the sari, the saxophone, the gavel, silhouettes, smoke and fire, the yoke, pillory, cats, and sables. 

 

I hope you liked reading about my exciting Black American Indian, Independent Journey through Media Delaware County Courthouse and Philadelphia County Court Building. 

 

Your soldier friend, Van Stone

Van Stone 2024, native Philadelphian, -(on assignment investigating the Com. v Lark 1988: Supreme Court of PA Murder Trial) is an independent journalist working to free the wrongfully convicted By Van Stone, Philadelphia Front Page News (610) 803-1624 frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Van Stone 2024, native Philadelphian, -(on assignment investigating the Com. v Lark 1988: Supreme Court of PA Murder Trial) is an independent journalist working to free the wrongfully convicted By Van Stone, Philadelphia Front Page News (610) 803-1624 frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Philadelphia, PA - Van Stone is a Black American Independent broadcast friendly neighborhood reporter. 

 

For years, investigative newspaper reporter and editor and publisher Van Stone Downing has spearheaded news stories, podcasts and investigative reports for the Philadelphia Front Page News newspaper and the Philadelphia Westside Weekly newspaper. In 2024, September, a chance conversation with a male younger sibling of Robert “Sugar Bear” Lark – Com. v Lark 1988: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania murder trial - propelled Mr. Stone to start probing wrongful convictions of Mr. Lark.  

 

Robert “Sugar Bear” Lark has been labeled a notorious killer. Imprisoned, thus far time spent is 44 years for crimes. He is was serving a life sentence for murder and aggravated robbery.

 

Convicted… Yet the West Philly and North Philly senior always maintains his innocence.

 

The above-mentioned work on criminal justice has led to a podcast blended with culture starting in 2024 weeks later after a chance conversation with a male younger sibling of Sugar Bear.

 

In addition, other well-known writers and investigative journalist have joined Van Stone to discuss his support of the “Robert Lark Innocence Project,” and why the issue continues to motivate supporters to keep working to free the wrongfully convicted.

 

The Robert Lark Innocence Project website may be found at: larkandbarksdaleinnocence.org

 

Even with its status as a non-profit and educational television broadcasting organization, Van Stone’s award-winning organization, the VSP Foundation, engages in program education, providing radio and television content and related services to its members, each of which together collectively follow the media group.  The VSP Foundation non-profit offers programming local content such as news, interviews, cultural, and public affairs programs for its individual volunteers, or sponsors and donors that agree with content provided by VSP Foundation and other broadcasters, editors and publishers.

 

Watch Van Stone Philadelphia news for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to Philadelphia Front Page News newspaper, Power 88 FM Power WVSR 1360 Radio Station, Philly Funk Radio Station, and Philly Live! Cali Live! Talk Show Podcast news half an hour, ranked top credible and objective radio, TV and podcast news show.

 

To contact Van Stone or any of the investigators covering the Com. v Lark case you may call Mr. Stone’s news desk at (610) 803-1624 or send email to: vspfoundation@yahoo.com.

 

Discover more about VSP Foundation at: https://www.vspfoundation.org/                                                                       

Find more from Phila. Front Page News newspaper at: https://fpnnews.org/       

 

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Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Report: Innocence Project Story - Robert Roberson, an Autistic Father Wrongfully Convicted and Sentenced to Death, Applies for Clemency (As written by Innocence Staff, New York)

Philadelphia Front Page News Justice News Report: Innocence Project Story -  Robert Roberson, an Autistic Father Wrongfully Convicted and Sentenced to Death, Applies for Clemency (As written by Innocence Staff, New York)

Above: 12/19/23, Livingston, Texas: Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project.

 

Medical and scientific experts, bipartisan Texas lawmakers, advocates for parental rights, autism organizations, best-selling novelist John Grisham, lead detective Brian Wharton, innocence groups, the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, and dozens of others urge Texas Pardons Board to recommend, and Gov. Abbott to Grant, clemency.

 

Today, 34 eminent scientists and doctors, a bipartisan group of 84 Texas legislators, 8 advocates for parental rights, 8 organizations that advocate for people with Autism and their families, faith leaders, innocence advocacy groups, former judges, 70 attorneys who have represented people wrongfully accused of child abuse, and former lead detective Brian Wharton, among others, filed letters in support of Robert Roberson’s clemency petition to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott. (Exhibits 7, 15-23.)

 

The clemency petition, filed today, can be accessed, here

 

Letters from hundreds of supporters, filed as exhibits, here.

 

Mr. Roberson’s petition describes the new medical and scientific evidence that his jury never heard showing that no homicide occurred. Mr. Roberson’s two-year-old, chronically ill daughter, Nikki, actually died of severe viral and bacterial pneumonia that medical professionals missed in 2002, not because of any abuse. Her illness progressed to sepsis and then septic shock, a process likely precipitated by the dangerous respiratory-suppressing medications she was prescribed during her last days, all of which has now been established by detailed reports from highly qualified medical specialists.

 

No court has been willing to consider three new expert reports showing how Nikki died of pneumonia, proof that Mr. Roberson is innocent of any crime.

 

The power of Mr. Roberson’s innocence claim is attracting diverse and widespread support, including from best-selling novelist John Grisham, who said, “This isn’t a case where the system got the wrong guy, but rather one where no crime took place at all. Something must be done to stop Robert’s execution. Governor Abbott and the Board of Pardons and Paroles can prevent an irreparable injustice by granting him clemency.”

 

For completed story click here.

Phila. Front Page News Brief - International Longshoremen Association Major Possible Call On A Strike On The Rise by Janis Barksdale And Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624

Phila. Front Page News Brief - International Longshoremen Association Major Possible Strike On The Rise by Janis Barksdale And Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624 

According to CNBC if ILA (INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN 

ASSOCIATION) doesn't reach an agreement with the port's ownership there will be a major strike on October 1. 

 

The union is looking for more in wages and, the union also opposes port automation and exclusive port contracts. 

The union has not called on a strike since 1977 and Harold Daggett, president of ILA and the union's chief negotiator has said "a strike is only 1 of a few weapons in our arsenal...so if backed in a corner, we're not going to hesitate to strike back". 

 

His plan is motivated by the threat of job losses from terminal automation. 

 

If a strike takes place, it will disrupt the national economy from New England to Texas weeks before the presidential election.

 

Penn Suspends Amy Wax, Law Professor Accused of Making Racist Statements Reported By Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News/Westside Weekly frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Penn Suspends Amy Wax, Law Professor Accused of Making Racist Statements Reported By Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News/Westside Weekly frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Above: Amy Wax, Law Professor U. Penn The accusations against the professor,  who had invited a white nationalist to her class and said that Black people and women were less intelligent, led students and others to call for her to be fired.

 

The University of Pennsylvania is suspending Amy Wax, a tenured law professor accused of making racist, sexist and homophobic remarks, for a year with half pay. It is a significant sanction but one that falls short of the firing that some students wanted.

 

The university issued a “public letter of reprimand” to Dr. Wax describing the terms of her suspension, which will begin in the fall of 2025 and which also includes the loss of her named chair and the loss of summer pay in perpetuity.

 

Disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Wax tested the tenure protections of professors and whether such protections allow them to voice opinions that might be seen as inappropriate or downright insulting. Many students said that they could not trust Dr. Wax to grade students without bias. But many professors — even those who found her comments profoundly racist — objected to disciplining her, on the grounds of academic freedom.

 

Among allegations against her were that she had described some non-Western countries as “shitholes” and had said that “women, on average, are less knowledgeable than men.” She has said that Black people from the United States and people from non-Western countries feel shame for the “outsized achievements and contributions” of Western people, and has derided as unrealistic television ads depicting “Black men married to white women in an upper-class picket-fence house.”

 

Dr. Wax denied making some of the comments and said that others were taken out of context.

 

She has also invited a white nationalist, Jared Taylor, to class.

 

In a 12-page complaint filed in 2023, Theodore Ruger, the law school dean at the time, wrote that Dr. Wax had demonstrated “callous and flagrant disregard” for students, faculty and staff, subjecting them to “intentional and incessant racist, sexist, xenophobic and homophobic actions and statements.”

 

Her statements, the complaint added, “have led students and faculty to reasonably believe they will be subjected to discriminatory animus if they come into contact with her.” Mr. Ruger declined to comment on Monday.

 

Dr. Wax declined to comment on the decision. She has previously warned that she will sue the university if she is disciplined. A lawyer for Dr. Wax, David J. Shapiro, also declined to comment. 

 

For several free speech groups, the case represented a threat to one of the key tenets of academic tenure — the right of faculty members to speak freely, without fear of punishment, whether in public or in the classroom.

 

Reacting to the suspension, Alex Morey, an official with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech group, said that Penn’s decision “should send a chill down the spine of every faculty member, not just at Penn but at every private institution around the country.”

 

Ms. Morey, the group’s director of campus rights advocacy, argued that Penn had altered its customary disciplinary procedure to prosecute Dr. Wax. She added that she was gratified that Penn had not revoked Dr. Wax’s tenure — an indication, she said, of how flimsy the accusations were.

 

Peter Wood, president of the conservative-leaning National Association of Scholars, where Dr. Wax serves on the board, accused the university of a “serious error of judgment.”

 

“Professor Wax’s various statements on race, gender, ethnicity, immigration, inculturation and other matters were entirely within the zone of academic freedom,” he said, predicting that Dr. Wax would not “back down.”

 

A former assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, Dr. Wax argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court. Though Dr. Wax’s outspoken viewpoints have been a subject of debate for years, student demands for sanctions began in earnest in 2017, after she co-wrote an opinion article arguing that “all cultures are not equal.”

 

The long-running disciplinary case had gone before a faculty hearing committee. The university’s hearing board has said it does not dispute that academic freedom protects Dr. Wax’s speech, but said that she had violated “behavioral professional norms” in the way she presented her views.

 

The reprimand letter to Dr. Wax, dated Sept. 24 and signed by the university’s provost, John L. Jackson Jr., said that while academic freedom should be “very broad,” professors must conduct themselves “in a manner that conveys a willingness to assess all students fairly.”

 

It said Dr. Wax’s conduct had included making “sweeping generalizations about groups by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and immigration status. It also said that she had breached “the requirement that student grades be kept private by publicly speaking about the grades of law students by race, and continuing to do so even after being cautioned by the dean that it was a violation of university policy.”

 

The letter said that the university’s interim president, J. Larry Jameson, had confirmed the decision to suspend Dr. Wax. Because the academic year has already started, the suspension, which was first disclosed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, will not begin until next fall.

 

The letter also said that, in future public appearances, Dr. Wax must say that she was speaking for herself and not on behalf of the university.

 

Martha Richards Conley, Black Female Lawyers/Attorneys Made Visits To Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark, By Janis Barksdale and Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624

Martha Richards Conley, Black Female Lawyers/Attorneys Made Visits To Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark, By Janis Barksdale and Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624 

                                   Above: Martha Richards Conley

To Whom It May Concern:

I began visiting Robert Lark approximately 15 years ago as an Official Visitor for the Pennsylvania Prison Society.  We were introduced by my good friend David Demarest, a Carnegie Mellon University Professor who is now deceased, but who had been visiting him for many years before I started visiting.  During this time I have come to love and respect Robert.  He is a unique individual and has seen it as his mission to connect me with various people around the country who share my interest in prison reform.

I always enjoyed my visits with Robert which were alway positive and even uplifting.  He has maintained a positive mind set in spite of almost thirty years in solitary confinement.  He would often send me greeting cards and news clippings that he thought I might like or would interest me.

Robert is a product of American Society and the circumstances he was born into.  He is not the same person he was in 1986.  He deserves a second chance at life outside the prison walls.

Martha R. Conley

Attorney at Law

6439 Navarro Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

PA ID 15099

 

Nominated 2022 CNN Heroes, Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark - Nominated By Janis Barksdale, Founder/Pres Of Robert ("Sugar Bear") Lark Advisory Council Story By Van Stone Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Nominated 2022 CNN Heroes, Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark - Nominated By Janis Barksdale, Founder/Pres Of Robert ("Sugar Bear") Lark Advisory Council Story By Van Stone Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

On Mon, Dec 12, 2022, at 10:54 AM, Janis Barksdale wrote:

 

In February 2014, I nominated Sugar Bear for the CNN Hero award. I knew it was a long shot but as you know nothing beats a failure but a TRY. 

 

In 2014, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and due to my treatments I lost my focus on this. 

As is his forte,  he encouraged me to watch the CNN Hero awards last night. There was a Hero by the name of Tyrique Glasgow from South Philly.  Due to the efforts he has put in place for the youth in South Philly the murder rate has gone down. I hope to put him in touch with our brother in Pittsburgh to help in that area. Below is a sample of what I submitted in 2014. I did receive confirmation from CNN that they received my application.  

 

Name of Nominee: Robert Lark AM4192

Phone Number : 724-852-2902

Q In your own words, why does your nominee deserve recognition as a CNN Hero?

A I'm not even sure this nomination will be accepted but I must try. Robert Lark is on death row in PA but even on the row he spends most of his time trying to help others. He has helped people get money to pay rent get food, cars, jobs,medical care,computers and get released from prison. For over 30 yrs while fighting for his release as an innocent he continues to help others and never ask for anything for himself. His motto is when someone is released even if its not him that means God is in the neighborhood. Sugar Bear as he is known to his friends has helped people all over the world and has done it all from death row.

Q How have your nominee's efforts made a difference for the better?

A As a death row inmate he reads more than 7 papers a day and misses nothing. He sends people information regarding their illness that will help them, he gives other prisoners information that has helped them obtain their freedom He has done so without the use of a computer. He was granted a new trial in 2007 but has not been tried. He is a hero to all who know him and he continues to encourage others through cards, letters and materials.

Q Is there a specific incident or turning point that motivated your nominee to take action?

A Life and the injustices that occur on a daily bases motivates him to help people. No matter the race, religion or beliefs. Almost every day I am commissioned by him to take information to someone he may not know that will help them during a foreclosure; a job fair is in the neighborhood or its sweeps month let this reporter know this is happening. A business is failing let them know that this organization gives money to those doing that kind of work.

Q Is there anything else that makes your nominee exceptional or unique?

A I have letters from all sorts of people he has helped and encouraged over the years. Inmates, ex-inmates, politicians, lawyers, doctors, authors, pastors, literacy agents and friends. In all of their correspondence they all say he is compassionate, encouraging, intelligent, always optimistic, full of life and never bitter. Sugar Bear is a person that does good for without any hope of getting anything in return he does it because it’s the right thing to do. He is a true Hero.

Q How will being recognized as a CNN Hero further your nominee's cause?

A Sugar Bear is a different Hero. As a young boy he was considered a modern day Robin Hood, taking care of 8 siblings and everyone in the neighborhood that needed help. This nomination would not be about him but about all those in prison unjustly.

Van Stone Phila: Know Your Rights - Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Official Website/Exhibit - Join The Fight To Solve A Murder Mystery Case Since 1979

Van Stone Phila: Know Your Rights - Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Official Website - Join The Fight To Solve A Murder Mystery Case Since 1979

Welcome to the Exhibit:

The Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Advisory Council.

Readers will find news about the Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Advisory Council here at this news feed site. 

Advisory councils provide specific guidance and oversight for boards of directors. 

The advisory council provides tailored advice that focuses on specific areas, such as technology, marketing, etc. Experienced advisory council members provide technical advice and critical thinking in areas beyond the board members’ typical fields of expertise.

Advisory councils - as officers - provide the members with the latest solutions, trending techniques, and knowledge so the organization stays competitive in its industry. 

In other words, the council gives the members a fresh perspective on programmatic issues. 

An advisory council can help an organization execute a project from launch to completion. It might include drafting project designs, developing competent teams, creating budgets, and establishing the roles of a project’s stakeholders. 

Additionally, an advisory council can help the board evaluate risks and plan proactively to enhance preparedness and resilience in the project. If risks do occur, the organization will be well-positioned to tackle them accordingly. 

The council also helps the members manage projects to ensure progress and key deadlines are met. That way, the organization can make informed decisions and ensure the project remains on track with predetermined goals. 

An advisory council can act as the organization’s advocate in the community it serves. Leveraging their expertise and industry network, council members can help an organization connect to a greater constituency. 

For example, organizations may appoint a county-specific advisory council to provide in-market expertise and shed light on the local industry and political culture. 

Alternatively, some advisory councils support industry development by making new introductions and acting on the organization’s behalf at social functions and industry events.

Advisory councils conduct their own meetings, which should be effective for maximum productivity.

We begin with a real life once  upon a time story. But this is only the beginning of a 'last death-penalty case' in the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Oh, and please join the membership if you like. You may register at the top right of this website by filing out the register info and then hit submit.

In Philly's 'last death-penalty case,' killer gets a life sentence instead: Story from Philly.com Thu, November 9, 2017 at 5:09 AM EST

Above left: Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark, 26 yrs-old. Above Right: Philadelphia Police Dept. detaining Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark. Asked whether to impose the death penalty, the jurors, who had already found Robert Lark guilty of the 1979 murder, sent a note: "We are at a deadlock."

On Nov. 7, Philadelphia elected a district attorney who pledged to take the death penalty off the table.

But two days later, prosecutors asked a jury of Philadelphians to impose it one last time — in the case of Robert Lark, a 63-year-old man who has already spent more than three decades on death row for the 1979 murder of 36-year-old Tae Bong Cho, at a  take-out restaurant Cho owned in North Philadelphia.

The jurors, who had already found Lark guilty of the murder, sent a note out to Judge Steven Geroff after just an hour of deliberations: “We are at a deadlock. Nobody is budging, and there won’t be a unanimous decision.”

That meant Geroff would have to sentence Lark instead — to the mandatory term of life in prison with no possibility of parole.

“It’s obvious to me that you are quite a villain,” Geroff told Lark. Then, he tacked 22½ to 45 more years in prison on to the life sentence, for a series of related convictions on charges including terroristic threats and kidnapping.

Lark was first convicted of the crime in 1985. But that verdict was overturned in federal court based on Lark’s claim that the prosecutor in his trial had used race-based practices in jury selection. At an evidentiary hearing, the prosecutor could not provide an explanation other than race for striking three African-American jurors in the case.

Jury selection for Lark’s new trial, which began Oct. 2, took more than a week. In a death-penalty case, lawyers must select a pool of jurors who state they’re willing and able to impose the harshest punishment the law provides.

“Each of you,” Assistant District Attorney Gail Fairman told the jury, “looked inside of yourselves, and each of you stated, ‘Yes, we can do this.’”

A majority of Pennsylvanians no longer support capital punishment, according to a 2015 York College of Pennsylvania poll. One complaint is that so-called death-qualified juries are inherently biased, and that studies have shown such juries inherently are more likely to convict.

No one has been executed in Pennsylvania since 1999. Since 2015, Gov. Wolf has maintained a moratorium on executions.

The standard penalty for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania is life in prison, but aggravating factors can trigger the death sentence. The prosecutors described two such factors. The first, they said, was that Lark had murdered a witness. They said he killed Cho on Feb. 22, 1979, because Cho was scheduled to testify in court the next morning that Lark had robbed him at gunpoint two months earlier. Second, they said, Lark qualified to be executed because of his significant criminal history, which included the gunpoint robberies of a Strawbridge & Clothier store clerk, of Cho, and of his own landlord.

“The crime was an affront to the justice system,” Fairman said.

Lark’s lawyers presented mitigating factors: a childhood destroyed by his mother’s drug addiction and neglect, and his stepfather’s violent abuse.

His birth was a surprise to his 15-year-old mother, defense lawyer Regina Coyne said. “In his first year of school, when he was 5 or 6, he went to five different schools,” she said. “He was in survival mode.”

She described rats and a leaking roof, vomit on the floor. She spoke of foster homes where he was taken away from his siblings, and described how he ran away from those placements and slept in cars, until he could find his siblings and reunite them.

The jury’s decision means Lark will move from death row — where for 32 years he has been kept in his cell for 23 hours a day, according to his lawyer — into the general prison population.

Nonetheless, Lark will appeal the verdict, according to his other lawyer James Berardinelli, who said he had been prevented by the judge from presenting key evidence, including a pattern of questionable behavior by the police who investigated the case.

That, prosecutors noted, means prolonging the pain for Cho’s family as well.

Seeing the case return to court, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Notaristefano said, “brought back everything. They thought this was over with, and then they had to relive it all over again.”