Latest news with #BucksCountyCourtofCommonPleas
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania judge dismisses county climate lawsuit against oil majors
This story was originally published on ESG Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily ESG Dive newsletter. A Pennsylvania judge dismissed a lawsuit that Bucks County brought against a group of oil majors and the American Petroleum Institute on Friday with prejudice, meaning the county will not have an opportunity to refile. Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr disagreed with the oil industry defendants — which included BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil, among others — that the county lacked the capacity to sue and the court lacked the personal jurisdiction to decide the case. However, he ruled the court was 'compelled to dismiss' the case because it lacked the subject matter jurisdiction, according to court documents. The oil industry has had varying levels of success in defending itself against state and locality-led litigation seeking to hold companies financially liable for the physical impacts of climate change. Oil companies have seen cases brought by New Jersey and New York City dismissed this year, while bids to dismiss lawsuits from Connecticut, California and the city and county of Honolulu, Hawaii have thus far been unsuccessful. Bucks County's lawsuit was filed in March 2024, alleging that the major oil companies and API deceptively marketed their products, which have 'exacerbated the costs of adapting to and mitigating' the impacts of climate change. The suit also claimed that Bucks County 'has suffered, is suffering and will continue to suffer injuries' due to the defendants' conduct. ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 and Shell were also among the companies named as defendants in the lawsuit. Corr ruled in his motion to dismiss that the lawsuit failed 'to state a claim upon which relief can be granted because Pennsylvania cannot apply its own law to claims dealing with air in its ambient or interstate aspect.' 'Today we join a growing chorus of state and federal courts across the United States, singing from the same hymnal, in concluding that the claims raised by Bucks County are not judiciable by any state court in Pennsylvania,' Corr wrote. Bucks County argued that it was not seeking to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but seeking compensatory damages for what it alleged was deceptive marketing practices from the defendants. If the case were focused on regulating the emissions of the companies, that would fall into federal court jurisdiction, as those laws and regulations are governed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act, according to the May 16 motion. However, Corr aligned his decision with the dismissal of New York City's climate lawsuit, altering a quote from a Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision in that case, and said 'artful pleading cannot transform [Bucks County's] Complaint into anything other than a suit over global greenhouse gas emissions.' 'While Bucks County does everything it can to avoid the issue of emissions, it cannot avoid the fact that if there were no emissions there would be no damages,' he said. The Pennsylvania judge said the county has looked to make the case about the deceptive marketing aspect because it 'recognizes the inescapable fact that if this case is about emissions, Pennsylvania courts have no subject matter jurisdiction.' Corr found the court lacked the jurisdiction due to a finding that any cause of action in the complaint are 'so intertwined with emissions.' Bucks County Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia said when announcing the complaint that the lawsuit is the jurisdiction's 'tool to recoup costs and fund public works projects like bolstering or replacing bridges, retrofitting county-owned buildings and commencing storm water management projects.' The annual number of climate lawsuits against the largest fossil fuel producers have nearly tripled since 2015, and a recent Trump executive order ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to take actions to state and jurisdictional civil actions against oil producers. While the Biden administration had previously dissuaded the Supreme Court from intervening in cases about jurisdiction and state-level climate lawsuits, Bondi could potentially direct the Department of Justice to support oil producers in future litigation.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eight things to know before Tuesday's primary in Bucks County
The municipal primary, where Bucks County voters will choose candidates for local government offices, is Tuesday, May 20. Many voting rights groups frequently remind voters to plan ahead for an election day to make sure their vote is counted, whether it's cast at the polls or sent by mail. Here's everything you need to know before the polls open on Tuesday. The primary election is Tuesday, May 20, and polls will be open from 7 in the morning until 8 that night. If you are in line at your polling place to vote by 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote. Do not leave the line. Since Pennsylvania is a closed primary state, Tuesday will mostly decide the Democratic and Republican candidates for the Nov. 4 municipal election. Since this is a municipal election year, the races are mostly for nominees for township supervisors and borough councils, borough mayors, school board candidates and magisterial district judges. Every public school disrict in Bucks County has four seats on the ballot this year, but the number of positions for municipal boards can vary on the size and type of town. Bucks County row offices for District Attorney, Sheriff, Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds and Controller will also be on the ballot, as well as four judges for the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. There is also one statewide race on the ballot for a Pennsylvania Judge of the Superior Court. Most municipalities will also be voting for candidates of other local offices, like the tax collector. While primaries are typically only open to Republican and Democratic voters since Pennsylvania is a closed primary state, all voters in Langhorne Manor will be deciding on a referendum to allow small games of chance, according to a public notice published by the county earlier this month. The referendum votes on the primary will decide if it passes or fails, unlike other races that just decide future candidates. The Bucks County Board of Elections website through includes sample ballots for every voting precinct for voters to review before the primary. There are hundreds of polling places across more than 300 voting precincts in Bucks County, but voters need to go to the ballot box where they live to vote in-person on Tuesday. The Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees the administration of elections in the commonwealth, has a polling place locator online at Just enter your county, city and street name to find where your polling place is. The county elections website also includes a list of polling places on its website as well. That list includes several polling places that changed location in April, as previously reported. What's on the ballot in Bucks County: How do I register to vote in PA primary elections? What is on the ballot in Bucks County? The deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot for the primary was May 13. Only voters who applied for a ballot before the deadline will be able to vote by mail Tuesday. If an illness or unexpected absence will keep you from voting in person on Tuesday, you may be able to receive an emergency absentee ballot, according to the county's election website. Bucks school board races: Who is running for school board in Bucks County in 2025? Search every candidate here Voters needing an emergency ballot can visit one of the county's three elections offices at the following locations: Bucks County Administration Building at 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown. Lower Bucks Government Services Building at 7321 New Falls Road in Levittown. Upper Bucks Government Services Building at 261 California Road in Quakertown. Voters with a disability can have an authorized designated agent visit the election office on their behalf. If you haven't already put your ballot in the mail, it may not arrive in time to be counted for the primary. Mail-in ballots must be returned to the county before polls close at 8 p.m. on May 20. The county has mail-in ballot drop boxes set up at its three election office locations listed above, and eight other drop boxes located at libraries in Bensalem, Bristol Borough, Northampton, New Hope, Perkasie, Riegelsville, Warminster and Yardley. A list of the library hours and their addresses for the drop boxes is available on the county elections website. The drop boxes at the three county election offices are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Levittown and Quakertown and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in Doylestown. The drop boxes will be open at all three county offices from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 17 and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during Tuesday's primary. The Bucks County elections board's website says that, as of May 14, just a little more than half of the 60,205 voters who successfully applied for a mail-in ballot have returned their ballots to the county. If you aren't sure if your ballot has been received after putting it in the mail or putting it in a drop box, the state voter services website also has a tool to track the status of your mail-in ballot. These polling places have changed: These Bucks County polling places have changed. See where to vote for the May 20 primary Mail-in ballots have specific requirements that voters need to follow when returning them in order for their votes to be counted for an election. Voters must be sure to place their ballot in a provided secrecy envelope before putting it in the return envelope, which they then have to sign and date. Forgetting to follow those steps could potentially 'spoil' a ballot and prevent it from being counted. Bucks County allows voters to 'cure' those errors before an election if the voter goes to an election office to fill out a new mail-in ballot. In the past, the county has contacted voters with ballots that appeared at risk of being spoiled by mail. Since at least May 7, the county has also started publishing a 'Public Issues Ballot Listing' in addition to attempting to contact the voters directly. A version of that list published May 14, posted on the county's website, names almost 350 voters and the reason their ballot could be spoiled. The list asks voters to contact the election office at 215-348-6154 during business hours Monday through Friday or email elections@ No. The deadline to register to vote in time for the primary was May 5. The next registration deadline for this year's election is Oct. 20, 15 days before the Nov. 4 election. More information about Tuesday's primary, including answers to other frequently asked questions about mail-in ballots and a full list of candidates for every local race, can be found at Chris Ullery can be reached at cullery@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: What to know about May 20 primary in Bucks County
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Michigan men admit to robbery, assault of Bucks County comics book store owner in 2022
Two Michigan men have admitted robbing and assaulting the owner of a Feasterville comic book store in 2022, a crime they were arrested for nearly two years later. At a hearing Friday, Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr sentenced 23-year-old Zackery Maximus Tucker to five to 12 years in state prison. He was also ordered to pay more than $20,000 in restitution to the store owner. Corr deferred sentencing for the second defendant, Caleb James-Lorenze Simpson, 36, until May 2. More Bucks County news Falls police union drops suit seeking repayment for catering. Neither side is saying why. The men, who were charged last year, entered guilty pleas Friday to felony charges including robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated assault in the Sept. 18, 2022 robbery and assault of David Schwartz. Before sentencing, Schwartz told the judge that the in the 40 years he's owned the Comic Collection he's never had a problem at the store, which has become a well-known and respected business. That changed, however, the day that Tucker and Simpson, two long haul truckers, walked through the door. 'They took the sense of security and safety away from me,' Schwartz said. Store surveillance footage played in court also showed men wearing masks, later identified as Simpson and Tucker, entering the Bustleton Pike store and pretending to be customers. They asked the store owner to retrieve merchandise off a high shelf. After Schwartz climbed the ladder, one of the men knocked him off, sending the owner onto the ground where he landed on his head. Both men then beat Schwartz and tied him up using zip ties, Lower Southampton police said. During the assault, Simpson punched the victim while wearing brass knuckles and held a knife to his face threatening to kill him if he didn't cooperate. At the hearing, Bucks County First Assistant District Attorney Edward Louka showed store surveillance footage that captured the attack and police body cam footage showing the officer finding the badly beaten Schwartz on the floor. The owner suffered numerous bruises, cuts, broken teeth and broken ribs, authorities said. After incapacitating Schwartz, the men loaded two duffle bags and a backpack with items including a laptop, cash, comic books, Pokémon cards, cash and action figures, police said. They also allegedly took the victim's keys and the cash out of his wallet, but left his credit cards. During a search for the suspects, police recovered the duffle bags, which the suspects dropped, and clothing believed to be worn by the men. More than a year after the robbery, Lower Southampton police received a tip that Simpson and another trucker, later identified as Tucker, were behind the robbery. Video footage helped to identify the men as the suspects. Police then learned that three weeks after the Feasterville robbery Simpson was charged in Michigan for assault and attempting to steal a firearm. In February 2024, Lower Southampton police received DNA results back from the items they recovered the day of the robbery, which were sent to a Pennsylvania State Police lab for analysis. The results showed a possible DNA match to Simpson. Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Feasterville business owner says defendants took his sense of security
