Alicia Hickok Quoted in March 2015 Law360

Philadelphia partner Alicia Hickok was quoted in Law360 in an article titled, “Pennsylvania Attorneys Could Face More Suits over Frivolous Filings.”

The article discussed a case stemming from the infamous "kids for cash" judicial bribery scandal, in which a person that was dismissed from an action early on and never brought back in had filed a Dragonettti that was dismissed on preliminary objections.  The plaintiff, Zappala, argued that the dismissal without prejudice was a favorable termination on the merits, but the Superior Court agreed that he had failed to state a claim.  In the Supreme Court, he Pennsylvania Bar Association filed an amicus brief asking the court to adopt a bright-line rule dictating that voluntary discontinuance of a proceeding prior to the filing of an answer or other responsive pleading could never be considered grounds for a Dragonetti Act case.  Alicia observed that that rule went too far, and that the Superior Court had properly found that whether a Dragonetti claim was stated depended on the facts of the case.

To read the entire article, click here.