Matthew Santoni
@msantoni.bsky.social
Journalist covering Pennsylvania courts for Law360.com. Incipient middle-aged Yinzer. Lover of dogs, books, and transportation stuff. Opinions are my own.
Kennywood Park's new owners are facing a proposed class action over "junk fees" -- extra charges tacked onto ticket prices that allegedly aren't disclosed until late in the transaction: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Pa.'s Kennywood Amusement Park Hit With Hidden Fees Suit - Law360
The parent company for the Kennywood amusement park outside Pittsburgh allegedly charged hidden fees tacked onto ticket prices, according to a proposed class action filed in Pennsylvania state court.
www.law360.com
August 24, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Kennywood Park's new owners are facing a proposed class action over "junk fees" -- extra charges tacked onto ticket prices that allegedly aren't disclosed until late in the transaction: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Reposted by Matthew Santoni
Allegheny County DA Stephen Zappala has sued the county & the SEIU local representing his workers, claiming the union lacks the power to file grievances over firings & the county shouldn't have gone along with the grievance process: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Allegheny DA Says County, Union Usurped His Firing Power - Law360
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala has filed suit against the county and the union representing his office's employees, claiming they are usurping his power under sta...
www.law360.com
August 12, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Allegheny County DA Stephen Zappala has sued the county & the SEIU local representing his workers, claiming the union lacks the power to file grievances over firings & the county shouldn't have gone along with the grievance process: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Pittsburgh’s Penn Brewery halted its Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, telling a judge there was no hope of staying open w/ current ownership- but a buyer may be on the horizon (via my awesome colleague PJ): www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Pittsburgh's Oldest Brewery Ends Ch. 11 As Sale Looms - Law360
A Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge on Wednesday agreed to end a Chapter 11 case filed by Pittsburgh's purported oldest brewery, which claims there's no possibility of continued operation under its curren...
www.law360.com
August 13, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Pittsburgh’s Penn Brewery halted its Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, telling a judge there was no hope of staying open w/ current ownership- but a buyer may be on the horizon (via my awesome colleague PJ): www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Allegheny County DA Stephen Zappala has sued the county & the SEIU local representing his workers, claiming the union lacks the power to file grievances over firings & the county shouldn't have gone along with the grievance process: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Allegheny DA Says County, Union Usurped His Firing Power - Law360
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala has filed suit against the county and the union representing his office's employees, claiming they are usurping his power under sta...
www.law360.com
August 12, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Allegheny County DA Stephen Zappala has sued the county & the SEIU local representing his workers, claiming the union lacks the power to file grievances over firings & the county shouldn't have gone along with the grievance process: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Pennsylvania's AG is the latest to sue social media providers, claiming TikTok misrepresented how much adult content it serves users in order to get a lower 13+ or Teen rating from app stores: www.law360.com/articles/251...
Pennsylvania AG Joins TikTok Child Harm Enforcement Blitz - Law360
Social media app TikTok misrepresented its safeguards and content in order to be rated suitable for children as young as 13, according to a lawsuit announced Tuesday by Pennsylvania Attorney General D...
www.law360.com
August 11, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Pennsylvania's AG is the latest to sue social media providers, claiming TikTok misrepresented how much adult content it serves users in order to get a lower 13+ or Teen rating from app stores: www.law360.com/articles/251...
The Third Circuit revived a proposed class action over a "dynamic pricing" program used by five Atlantic City casino-hotels, ruling allegations it analyzed non-public pricing & occupancy info and had hotels raise prices were enough to sustain anti-trust claims: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
3rd Circ. Revives Atlantic City Hotel Dynamic-Pricing Suit - Law360
A Third Circuit panel Wednesday revived a proposed class action accusing Atlantic City casino-hotels of illegally inflating room prices with software that allegedly shared private occupancy and pricin...
www.law360.com
July 30, 2026 at 12:35 PM
The Third Circuit revived a proposed class action over a "dynamic pricing" program used by five Atlantic City casino-hotels, ruling allegations it analyzed non-public pricing & occupancy info and had hotels raise prices were enough to sustain anti-trust claims: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Allegheny Co. Judge Chelsa Wagner doesn't have to recuse herself from "conservatorship" cases just because her husband's cousin intervened in one such case that wasn't before her, a Pennsylvania appellate court found: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Split Pa. Panel Won't Boot Judge From Property Cases - Law360
A Pennsylvania appellate court says an Allegheny County trial judge properly denied a real estate developer's request for her to recuse herself from a property conservatorship case and that the judge'...
www.law360.com
July 30, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Allegheny Co. Judge Chelsa Wagner doesn't have to recuse herself from "conservatorship" cases just because her husband's cousin intervened in one such case that wasn't before her, a Pennsylvania appellate court found: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Pittsburgh Public Schools are seeking a $1.9 million refund of stormwater fees the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority continued to collect from the nonprofit school district even after a state Supreme Court ruled such fees are actually taxes, Jacqueline McCool reports: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Pa. District Owed Refund For Improper Water Fees, Court Told - Law360
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has continued to improperly collect stormwater fees even after a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision found the fees to be illegal taxes, the city's publ...
www.law360.com
July 21, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Pittsburgh Public Schools are seeking a $1.9 million refund of stormwater fees the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority continued to collect from the nonprofit school district even after a state Supreme Court ruled such fees are actually taxes, Jacqueline McCool reports: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court wants the U.S. Solicitor General to weigh in on whether Pennsylvania election law invalidating mail-in ballots without a valid date handwritten on the envelope is unconstitutional: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Justices Seek SG's Input On Undated Mail Ballots In Pa. - Law360
The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the federal government to weigh in on a case to determine if defects like missing or incorrect dates can invalidate mail-in ballots, after the Republican National Comm...
www.law360.com
June 29, 2026 at 2:13 PM
BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court wants the U.S. Solicitor General to weigh in on whether Pennsylvania election law invalidating mail-in ballots without a valid date handwritten on the envelope is unconstitutional: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Allegheny Health Network wants to expand into Beaver County/Sewickley by acquiring Heritage Valley Health, and a court OK'd an antitrust deal with the PA Attorney General's Office that says the systems can merge if AHN keeps the hospitals open: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Court OKs Antitrust Deal Over Allegheny Health's Expansion - Law360
A Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday signed off on a deal between Allegheny Health Network and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, putting aside antitrust claims filed over the company's pro...
www.law360.com
June 29, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Allegheny Health Network wants to expand into Beaver County/Sewickley by acquiring Heritage Valley Health, and a court OK'd an antitrust deal with the PA Attorney General's Office that says the systems can merge if AHN keeps the hospitals open: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Harmar Township signed deals to provide sewer service to parts of neighboring Fox Chapel in 1975 & 1986 - but says it's still stuck with rates from 40-50 years ago. Now it wants a court to make Fox Chapel account for increased costs, or strike a new deal, Corey Rothauser reports:
Pa. Town Wants Out Of 'Forever' Sewer Deals With Neighbor - Law360
A Pittsburgh-area township is suing a neighboring borough and sewer authority, asking a Pennsylvania state court to declare that the township has authority to update or terminate decades-old sewer ser...
www.law360.com
June 24, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Harmar Township signed deals to provide sewer service to parts of neighboring Fox Chapel in 1975 & 1986 - but says it's still stuck with rates from 40-50 years ago. Now it wants a court to make Fox Chapel account for increased costs, or strike a new deal, Corey Rothauser reports:
The lawsuits over the 2022 Fern Hollow Bridge collapse are officially over and closed, with Pittsburgh City Council moving to approve $445K in settlements (state law caps the max payout) & three engineering firms settling for a confidential amount: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Pittsburgh, Engineers Reach Deal Over 2022 Bridge Collapse - Law360
Drivers and passengers injured in the 2022 collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh have reached a settlement with the city and the engineering firms who were allegedly responsible for inspect...
www.law360.com
June 24, 2026 at 12:34 PM
The lawsuits over the 2022 Fern Hollow Bridge collapse are officially over and closed, with Pittsburgh City Council moving to approve $445K in settlements (state law caps the max payout) & three engineering firms settling for a confidential amount: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
A Mylan investor - and frequent objector to allegedly-inadequate class action settlements - says the plaintiffs' lawyers "effectively lost" their case over deceptive statements on quality control at a WV drug plant, and shouldn't be entitled to $15M in fees on a $60M settlement:
Mylan Investor Claims Atty Fees Too Much For 'Lost' Case - Law360
An attorney and stockholder in the former Mylan NV objected to the attorneys' fees in a proposed $60 million class action settlement, telling a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday that the plaintiffs' l...
www.law360.com
June 16, 2026 at 1:06 PM
A Mylan investor - and frequent objector to allegedly-inadequate class action settlements - says the plaintiffs' lawyers "effectively lost" their case over deceptive statements on quality control at a WV drug plant, and shouldn't be entitled to $15M in fees on a $60M settlement:
The "Pennsylvania Skill Games" that have multiplied across the state after lower courts said they were legal should be limited and regulated like slots unless the state legislature says otherwise, the PA Supreme Court ruled late yesterday: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
'Skill Games' Should Be Treated Like Slots, Pa. Justices Say - Law360
Tens of thousands of "skill games" that have proliferated around Pennsylvania should be considered slot machines and restricted to licensed and regulated gambling facilities, the state Supreme Court r...
www.law360.com
June 16, 2026 at 12:56 PM
The "Pennsylvania Skill Games" that have multiplied across the state after lower courts said they were legal should be limited and regulated like slots unless the state legislature says otherwise, the PA Supreme Court ruled late yesterday: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Courtney previously reported that two of these nominees also cleared their respective Democratic Senators' "blue-slip" approval process: www.law360.com/articles/248...
June 10, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Courtney previously reported that two of these nominees also cleared their respective Democratic Senators' "blue-slip" approval process: www.law360.com/articles/248...
Echo Realty owns many Pittsburgh-area shopping centers (and some mixed-use like the new Meridian in East Liberty) anchored by Giant Eagle grocery stores.
A global consortium led by TPG has agreed to purchase grocery-anchored Echo Realty in a transaction valued at about $2 billion, with plans to expand Echo's leasing and management business while growing acquisition initiatives.
3 Firms Guide TPG-Led Group's $2B Echo Realty Grocery Buy - Law360
A global consortium led by TPG has agreed to purchase grocery-anchored Echo Realty in a transaction valued at about $2 billion, with plans to expand Echo's leasing and management business while growing acquisition initiatives, according to a Friday deal announcement.
www.law360.com
June 8, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Echo Realty owns many Pittsburgh-area shopping centers (and some mixed-use like the new Meridian in East Liberty) anchored by Giant Eagle grocery stores.
A pending appeal is no excuse for missing $470K in sanctions, Citizens Financial told a federal court, asking for an order to compel and bring additional sanctions against a PA co. that lost a negligence lawsuit by deleting emails from company officials: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Citizens Says $470K In Sanctions Overdue In Contempt Bid - Law360
Citizens Financial told a Pennsylvania federal court Friday a contractor that unsuccessfully sued the bank over a worker's undetected theft is late paying nearly $470,000 in sanctions, arguing the for...
www.law360.com
June 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
A pending appeal is no excuse for missing $470K in sanctions, Citizens Financial told a federal court, asking for an order to compel and bring additional sanctions against a PA co. that lost a negligence lawsuit by deleting emails from company officials: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
A Scranton warehouse worker passed a background check despite having criminal charges for arson, in part because the charges were awaiting trial -- two months later, he was charged w/ setting a fire at his new job. Now the warehouse insurer is suing the staffing co. & background check contractor:
Insurer Says Background Check Missed Worker's Arson Case - Law360
A North Carolina-based staffing agency and its background-check contractor allegedly failed to flag that a job applicant for a Scranton, Pennsylvania, warehouse was awaiting trial on arson-related cha...
www.law360.com
June 5, 2026 at 1:15 PM
A Scranton warehouse worker passed a background check despite having criminal charges for arson, in part because the charges were awaiting trial -- two months later, he was charged w/ setting a fire at his new job. Now the warehouse insurer is suing the staffing co. & background check contractor:
To add fuel to the Oxford comma fight, a Pennsylvania court rejected PennDOT's bid to make Conrail take responsibility for drainage on a NJTransit bridge (& flooding I-95 below) that hinged in part on a missing comma, Carla Baranauckas reports for @law360.bsky.social:
Conrail Freed From Bridge Work Order Vexed By Missing Comma - Law360
A Pennsylvania appellate court on Wednesday vacated a state agency order that assigned responsibility for inspecting and maintaining the drainage system on a Philadelphia railroad bridge to Consolidat...
www.law360.com
June 4, 2026 at 12:39 PM
To add fuel to the Oxford comma fight, a Pennsylvania court rejected PennDOT's bid to make Conrail take responsibility for drainage on a NJTransit bridge (& flooding I-95 below) that hinged in part on a missing comma, Carla Baranauckas reports for @law360.bsky.social:
Two Ohio residents have intervened in the lawsuit between the feds and Norfolk Southern over the cleanup costs for the East Palestine derailment, arguing in a complaint that the govt's testing ignored which way chemical-laden smoke was blowing & skipped looking for certain pollutants:
Derailment Litigants Say Flawed Tests Should Undo EPA Deal - Law360
A pair of Ohio residents want a federal court to reject or significantly revise a proposed $350 million settlement between Norfolk Southern and the federal government over the 2023 East Palestine dera...
www.law360.com
June 4, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Two Ohio residents have intervened in the lawsuit between the feds and Norfolk Southern over the cleanup costs for the East Palestine derailment, arguing in a complaint that the govt's testing ignored which way chemical-laden smoke was blowing & skipped looking for certain pollutants:
Reposted by Matthew Santoni
A real estate investor claims FNB scuttled several potential tenants for its new namesake office tower in Pittsburgh - including law firm K&L Gates - so it wouldn’t meet rent goals, a $28M loan would go into default & FNB could buy out the rest of the joint venture: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Investor Accuses FNB Of Forcing Pittsburgh Tower Takeover - Law360
An investor in Pittsburgh's FNB Financial Center claims in a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court that the new tower's namesake tenant sabotaged filling out the office space and suppressed rent r...
www.law360.com
May 27, 2026 at 10:36 PM
A real estate investor claims FNB scuttled several potential tenants for its new namesake office tower in Pittsburgh - including law firm K&L Gates - so it wouldn’t meet rent goals, a $28M loan would go into default & FNB could buy out the rest of the joint venture: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
A real estate investor claims FNB scuttled several potential tenants for its new namesake office tower in Pittsburgh - including law firm K&L Gates - so it wouldn’t meet rent goals, a $28M loan would go into default & FNB could buy out the rest of the joint venture: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
Investor Accuses FNB Of Forcing Pittsburgh Tower Takeover - Law360
An investor in Pittsburgh's FNB Financial Center claims in a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court that the new tower's namesake tenant sabotaged filling out the office space and suppressed rent r...
www.law360.com
May 27, 2026 at 10:36 PM
A real estate investor claims FNB scuttled several potential tenants for its new namesake office tower in Pittsburgh - including law firm K&L Gates - so it wouldn’t meet rent goals, a $28M loan would go into default & FNB could buy out the rest of the joint venture: www.law360.com/pennsylvania...
"Tessa" helped break the ice for Shane Hvizdzak to reconnect w/ a childhood friend, & he took $60 to invest in crypto for her - but the friend said "Tessa" was made up, her money was gone & Hvizdzak had violated the terms of his release while awaiting sentencing for a $33M crypto scam:
Pa. Crypto Scam Convict In Custody Over Fake Girlfriend, $60 - Law360
A convicted cryptocurrency scammer used a fake girlfriend to convince an old acquaintance to give him money and set up accounts for new crypto investments, which a federal judge said Wednesday was gro...
www.law360.com
May 14, 2026 at 11:33 AM
"Tessa" helped break the ice for Shane Hvizdzak to reconnect w/ a childhood friend, & he took $60 to invest in crypto for her - but the friend said "Tessa" was made up, her money was gone & Hvizdzak had violated the terms of his release while awaiting sentencing for a $33M crypto scam:
Reposted by Matthew Santoni
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was suspicious after DOJ sued a RI hospital for gender-affirming care records in Trump-friendly NDTX, then dropped its appeal of a denial for CHOP’s records in the Third Circuit - so it asked a Philadelphia court to reassert its jurisdiction over the case:
Hospital Suspects DOJ Is Forum Shopping For Trans Records - Law360
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia asked a federal judge this week to reassert control over the U.S. Department of Justice's demand for records of gender-affirming care, fearing the government's with...
www.law360.com
May 7, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was suspicious after DOJ sued a RI hospital for gender-affirming care records in Trump-friendly NDTX, then dropped its appeal of a denial for CHOP’s records in the Third Circuit - so it asked a Philadelphia court to reassert its jurisdiction over the case:
This means something coming from a person who has voluntarily consumed Malort.
May 7, 2026 at 9:51 PM
This means something coming from a person who has voluntarily consumed Malort.