Philadelphia Injury Lawyer Blog

In continuing the effort to make Philadelphia area roads safer for people riding bicycles, a new law has just been passed that requires Pennsylvania drivers to give at least four feet of distance when passing a bicyclist on the road.

Although the new law may seem like a common sense safety guide, many accidents have occurred in the past that may have been prevented by such a law. The new law, which has been backed by bicyclists groups for some time now, was originally pushed by Pennsylvania Representative Miller, R-Jacobus. Now Pennsylvania has become the 19th state in the US to pass a safe passing distance law.

Pennsylvania motorists will not be the only ones affected by the new rules. Now bicyclists are required to “use reasonable efforts so as not to impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic, and stay in the far right side when not traveling at the prevailing speed,” according to the law.

The law also clarifies the vehicular code to state a driver must not cut off a bicyclist while he or she is making a right hand turn. Rep. Miller told the York Dispatch that “Bicyclists have a right to be on the road. It acts as a reminder more than anything else.”

In conjunction with new bike specific lanes that have been recently laid out in the Philadelphia area, this new law will hopefully further improve safety for both motorists and bicyclists on Pennsylvania roads.

In the past, bicycling on Pennsylvania roads has been a bit dangerous as there have been many accidents over the years involving bicycles hit by cars. Many bicyclists have been personally injured or know of a fellow bicyclists who has suffered severe injury. Rep. Miller hopes that the new law will help people to feel more eager to and protected when biking to work or biking for exercise.

Ingrid Luderman, a 44-year-old Pennsylvania woman, was eventually awarded $13,000 after her landlord evicted her as retaliation for a sexual harassment suit last August. Although Ingrid Lederman was a tenant in the Drexelbrook Associates owned property Drexel Hill apartments for 11 years, the company evicted her just four months after she won her sexual harassment suit against the company.

Luderman filed her sexual harassment suit after she was allegedly harassed by company staff. Although her sexual harassment case took three long years to come to fruition, she eventually won a settlement of an undisclosed amount, but planned to stay in her apartment. Having been a long term employee at Upper Darby High School, the complex offered Luderman a location which was within reasonable driving distance from her job.

After being forced to relocate, Luderman was forced to pay higher rent and to commute longer to work each day. In what some are calling a rare ruling, a Pennsylvania judge awarded Ingrid Luderman the $13,000 on top of her original settlement to cover her estimated costs of relocation.

Landlords in particular cannot legally “punish” tenants for making legal allegations, so it is important for victims to be aware that they can speak up or take further legal action against any retaliation against them.

Sexual harassment victims who reside in the Philadelphia area who in turn become victims of retaliation from their employer, landlord, or other abuser should always contact a Philadelphia injury lawyer to ensure their rights are protected to the fullest extent.

Philadelphia sexual harassment and discrimination attorney Edith Pearce, who is considered the best of the best in employment law, was named “Super Lawyer” in 2005, and was designated as one of the top 5% of Pennsylvania attorneys, can help.

In June of 2011 a Missouri Woman won what is being called the biggest sexual harassment settlement in history. Former Aaron’s Inc. employee Ashley Alford was awarded 95 million in damages after her sexual harassment case was heard in U.S. district court.

Although a federal cap on damages reduced Alford’s settlement, she was still able to walk away with about $41.6 million. The award included $15 million in compensatory damages and $80 million in punitive damages. The total came to what one lawyer believed to be most likely “the absolute largest sexual harassment verdict in the country for an individual plaintiff.

Ashley Alford, who was in her mid 20s at the time of the trial, made her case after allegedly being harassed for several months by her store supervisor, Richard Moore, before he eventually held her down at the office and engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct in late October of 2006. Alford stated that she had high hopes for stability and advancement within the company when she was hired but shortly after Alford was hired on Halloween of 2005, Moore allegedly began making sexual and lewd jokes around her and began trying to grope her while constantly referring to her by nicknames such as “Trixie” and “Trix.” Alford also alleged fellow former Aaron’s employees of telling her to “watch her back,” after she finally started to bring action against them.

Aaron’s Inc., which is based in Atlanta, has about 1,800 stores in 48 states, more than 10,000 employees and made a net profit of about $118 million in 2010. The company was found liable for “negligent supervision,” “sexual harassment,” and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Even today, sexual harassment still occurs in corporate environments in Philadelphia and throughout the country. If you feel that you have been a victim of sexual harassment, it’s important for you to talk to a Philadelphia injury lawyer right away.