Court Orders Ban Hammer on BitTorrent Defendant
I didn’t think it was possible to be ban someone for life from the internet, but it can really happen. It’s not just something moderators say on Reddit or 4chan anymore. A federal judge in Oregon ordered a BitTorrent defendant banned for life from using “BitTorrent or the Internet for the copying or downloading of unlicensed copyrighted…
Happy Birthday to Everyone!
Today is my birthday, and lots of people have been singing “Happy Birthday” to me today. Good thing that “Happy Birthday” is now in the public domain. A documentary filmmaker who was making a film about the history of the song received a violation notice and ended up having to pay $1,500.00 for rights to use the…
New Life for the Prince After Bankruptcy!
As I previously reported, the Prince Music Theater was on the verge of collapse in January after its major benefactor died last year. At that point, things looked grim for the Prince, my former Chapter 11 bankruptcy client. I’m very happy to report that the Philadelphia Film Society, with generous help from the Wyncote Foundation,…
Hire a Lawyer or Pay Later
Many people believe that lawyers nowadays are a luxury rather than a necessity. Some believe that they can’t afford to hire counsel or that the matter is small enough that they can handle it themselves. But to use the old cliche, don’t bite off your nose to spite your face. A classic example of what…
SlepnerLaw wins in Landlord-Tenant Court!
Recently I had the pleasure of representing landlord clients in a standard eviction in the Philadelphia Municipal Court. Back in November, my clients had a default judgment entered in their favor because neither the tenant nor his attorney showed up for court. We promptly went about executing on the judgment. In mid-May – six (6!) months…
Bankruptcy Court deemed “essential”
At least the Bankruptcy Court for E.D. Pa. is. See the order: http://www.paeb.uscourts.gov/sites/paeb/files/NoticeofOperation.pdf.
Philly Justice
Yesterday I had the honor of sitting as an arbitrator in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas arbitration center. Back in February, I took a CLE course on the ins and outs of how to be an arbitrator. The course reviewed rules of evidence and procedure, and showed how arbitrators can best handle situations that…
When you’re a solo there are no sick days
Unfortunately that doesn’t also mean you don’t get sick. Which I have been for the past week. Don’t worry, I’m recovering and work and regular posting will resume shortly.
Devil’s in the Details
Just got back an arbitration award in favor of the Defendant (my client) in a collection case. This was a case that frankly, I was not confident I was going to win. The panel agreed with my argument that the complaint was brought outside the applicable statute of limitations, which in this case was a…
