Litigation

The litigation attorneys at Houston Harbaugh, P.C., are accomplished business trial lawyers, providing comprehensive support in litigation across a broad spectrum of matters throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and other jurisdictions upon a special admission basis. Our clients are regional and national small, medium and large companies and individuals who seek well planned and aggressive, but cost effective litigation. We counsel, we budget, we have a deep bench, we act quickly when needed and we have experienced trial lawyers who know the courts and bench. We serve regularly as local counsel for some of the largest law firms in the country when they have matters in this region.
Articles posted in Business/Commercial Litigation

Legal Issues With Blockchains, Cryptocurrency Transactions, and Risks of Loss: Understand Your Contract

Contract Language Limits Recovery in Singh, et al v. Illusory Systems, Inc. The widespread and debilitating impacts of the recent faulty Crowdstrike® software update has caused businesses to...
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Texas Federal Court Strikes Down FTC Ban on Non - Competes in Ryan v. FTC

Ryan LLC and US Chamber of Commerce et al. v. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) The long awaited collision between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the varied political...
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Seismic Shift in Employment and Intellectual Property Rights: FTC’s Nationwide Ban on Noncompete Agreements

Ryan LLC v. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, and ATS Tree Services v. FTC et al. leave the FTC’s Nationwide Ban on non-competes up in the air - DTSALaw®. 30 million is a BIG number! That is the estimated number of employment contracts that could be impacted by the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule banning non-competes, if it goes into effect on September 4, 2024, as scheduled.
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Ryanair Wins Jury Verdict Against Booking.Com Per the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)

Delaware District Court Jury Makes Landmark Decision based on "Screen Scraping". Ryanair recently prevailed in a jury trial in Delaware Federal District Court when the jury determined that Booking.Com B.V. violated the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) by engaging in "screen scraping" of data belonging to Ryanair.
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SCOTUS: Whistleblowers need not prove retaliatory intent under Sarbanes-Oxley Act

U.S. Supreme Court: Murray v. UBS Securities, LLC, 144 S. Ct. 445 (2024)
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Here Comes Treble: Pennsylvania Supreme Court holds treble damages under the UTPCPL cannot be limited by punitive damages

On April 25, 2024, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania held that trial courts considering violations of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (“UTPCPL”) may not limit...
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Important Pennsylvania Supreme Court Opinion in Hangey v. Husqvarna Professional Products, Inc: Venue analysis cannot solely rely on the percentage of company’s revenue in the forum county

On November 22, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania clarified the “quality-quantity” test used to determine whether a company “regularly conducts business” in a county under Pa. R.Civ.P....
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Text Message Emoji Was Sufficient to Agree to Contract

Agreeing to a contract does not require everyone sitting around a table signing documents; sending a “thumbs up” text message emoji was sufficient to agree to a contract...
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AI As Lawyer? Contracts Prepared By Artificial Intelligence (AI) May Cause More Problems Than They Solve

Will AI enter the courtroom or replace lawyers in legal document drafting? This question is frequently being asked these days. While artificial intelligence offers an interesting new frontier...
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United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals Sets 5:00 p.m. Electronic Filing Deadline

On May 2, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued an Order adopting a new Local Appellate Rule 26.1 and amending Local Appellate...
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Depp v. Heard: Litigation Strategy

This week marks the culmination of Depp v. Heard, the high-profile civil trial in Fairfax County, Virginia. In addition to celebrity intrigue, the trial has provided a useful...
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Could the Organizing Business be Liable For “Overserving” at a Company Event Under Pennsylvania’s Dram Shop Law?

An end of the year party or a summer picnic is a regular practice for many businesses.  Many of those social outings feature the consumption of alcohol. But,...
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Understanding the Right to Know Law and Why Certain Documents May be Protected

You may notice water being diverted from a neighboring property onto your property. Or, perhaps you have concerns that the property located above yours seems to be shifting,...
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Forthcoming Pennsylvania Supreme Court Decision Could Vastly Increase the Scope of the “Piercing the Corporate Veil” Doctrine

In December 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral argument in Mortimer v. McCool, et al.,[1] which presents the question of whether the Court will adopt the “enterprise”...
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Attorney-Client Privilege

Ask anyone, lawyer or non-lawyer, what the attorney-client privilege is and you are likely to get the response: “anything a client says to his attorney is considered confidential.”...
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Pa. Supreme Court Gives Employers An Important Warning And Reminder About Non-Compete Agreements

The Pa. Supreme Court on June 16, 2020, invalidated an employer’s written non-compete agreement because it was signed after the start of employment. Rullex Co. v. Tel-Stream, Inc.,...
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What Do I Do With All That "Stuff" My Tenant Left Behind?

It is not uncommon for landlords to find their rental property littered with personal property left behind by former tenants. Since the tenant vacated the premises, that “stuff”...
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Know the ‘American Rule’

Insights on collecting attorneys’ fees in a collection action You get a call from a long-standing customer or a prospective client wanting to purchase your products or services....
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Corporate Records Requirements Scam Targeting Pennsylvania Businesses

If you run a business in Pennsylvania, there is a chance you could be targeted by any one of three emerging scams, where the perpetrators attempt to convince...
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When it Comes to Collections, Construction Professionals Have Some Options Other Industries Do Not

As most in business know, it is one thing to get the work, and another to get paid in full and on time for the work. All too...
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The Future Is Here: The Internet Of Things And The Law

The Internet of Things or “IoT.” What is it? Simply put, it is the ability of everyday objects to connect to the internet and send and receive data....
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Non-Compete Agreements Require Consideration

Most know that a restrictive covenant, usually found within an employment agreement, can serve to protect a company from training an employee and then losing that employee to...
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Does Your Business Contract With the Federal Government? Here’s What You Need to Know About New COVID Vaccine Rules

Last week, the federal government issued new COVID vaccine rules that will apply to many federal contractors and subcontractors.  These are the highlights: Q: Will the new rules...
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No-Hire Provision Unenforceable in Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, Inc. v. Beemac Trucking LLC

For the first time in Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court recently took on the issue of whether a no-hire provision (i.e., no-poaching) in a services contract is enforceable under...
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COVERING CORONA: A Quartet Of Cases Foreshadows A New Trend In COVID-19 Business Interruption Coverage Litigation

The mandatory lockdowns imposed by state governments throughout the country have had a debilitating effect on so-called “non-essential” businesses, preventing business owners from maintaining stable revenue streams so...
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Hemp and Hemp Derived-CBD Trademarks will now be accepted by USPTO

On May 2, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued an examination guide in an effort to clarify the procedure for examining marks for cannabis and...
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Superior Court Further Extends Reach of Negligent Misrepresentation Claims in Pennsylvania

Approximately two years ago, I commented on the Superior Court opinion in Gongloff Contracting, L.L.C. v. L. Robert Kimball & Assoc., No. 785 WDA 2014 (Pa. Super. 2015),...
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Clarifies Considerations for Venue Transfer

In Bratic v. Rubendall, 99 A.3d 1 (Pa. 2014), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court addressed and clarified the application of venue rules and venue transfers on the basis of...
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Jury Waiver Provision in Franchise Development Agreement Deemed Unenforceable against Non-Signatory Corporate Entities

In Selzer v. Dunkin’ Donuts, Inc., No. 09-5484, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46675 (E.D. Pa. April 4, 2014), the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania...
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Pennsylvania Superior Court Applies Six-Year Statute of Limitations to Debtor’s Damages Claims under U.C.C. Article 9

The Pennsylvania Superior Court has held that a six-year, rather than a two-year, statute of limitations applies to damages claims brought by a debtor against a creditor under...
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When Does an Agreement to Repurchase Construction Material Equal a Contract for Services?

Recently, in the case of CPG Int’l LLC v. Shelter Products, Inc., No. 3:15cv1045 (M.D. Pa. 2017) the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania...
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About Us

The litigation attorneys at Houston Harbaugh, P.C., are accomplished business trial lawyers, providing comprehensive support in litigation across a broad spectrum of matters throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and other jurisdictions upon a special admission basis. Our clients are regional and national small, medium and large companies and individuals who seek well planned and aggressive, but cost effective litigation. We counsel, we budget, we have a deep bench, we act quickly when needed and we have experienced trial lawyers who know the courts and bench. We serve regularly as local counsel for some of the largest law firms in the country when they have matters in this region.

Henry Sneath Pittsburgh Business Litigation Lawyer. Pittsburgh Strong.® DTSALaw® Complex Case Mediation and ADR

Henry M. Sneath - Practice Chair

Co-Chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Litigation Practice, and Chair of its Intellectual Property Practice, Henry Sneath is a trial attorney, mediator, arbitrator and Federal Court Approved Mediation Neutral and Special Master with extensive federal and state court trial experience in cases involving commercial disputes, breach of contract litigation, intellectual property matters, patent, trademark and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, DTSA claims, cyber security and data breach prevention, mitigation and litigation, probate trusts and estates litigation, construction claims, eminent domain, professional negligence lawsuits, pharmaceutical, products liability and catastrophic injury litigation, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith claims.

Sam Simon Houston harbaugh lawyer

Samuel H. Simon - Practice Chair

As co-chair of Houston Harbaugh’s Litigation Group, Sam focuses his practice on commercial/business litigation. Sam regularly represents clients in the construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, and wholesale/retail/ distribution industries, as well as individuals in matters such as:

  • Construction litigation
  • Environmental litigation
  • Breach of contract disputes
  • Oil and gas litigation
  • Negligence
  • Restrictive covenants (non-compete agreements)
  • Civil rights
  • Collections/creditors’ rights
  • Lease disputes