Pennsylvania Modifies Work-Product Rule

In a recent decision, the Pennsylvania Superior Court clarified the application of the attorney work-product doctrine in the context of an e-mail exchange to a third-party consultant. The decision addresses the question of whether the work-product doctrine in Pennsylvania applies to otherwise confidential communications sent to a public relations company.

In Bousamra v. Excela Health, a hospital retained an outside consultant to manage the results of peer reviewed studies regarding arterial blockages and inappropriately implanted stents.  The hospital was concerned with publicly disclosing the …

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Employee Fired for “Private” Facebook Post

Plaintiff Deborah Ehling thought she could comment freely on Facebook because she limited her posts to a restricted group of her “friends” and her posts were not available to the general public. She was wrong. When her employer learned of her controversial posts and terminated her, she thought she had recourse.  She was wrong.  In an important ruling for employers, the District Court of New Jersey recently dismissed Ehling v. Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corp., et al., (August 20, 2013).  This case put to …

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