A comprehensive report released this week by the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) reveals that the religious governing body has been purposely mishandling sexual abuse accusations against church leaders for more than 20 years. Guidepost Solutions, an outside investigative firm, created the report after analyzing the organization’s response to alleged abuse by church leaders, pastors, church employees, and officials. The report found that survivors who reported abuse were ignored, disbelieved, or met with inaction. The Guidepost report found that many allegations were not only disregarded but some survivors were even intimidated by leaders while their abusers remained protected.
Continue readingPenn Law Attorneys Honored As “Super Lawyers” in Atlanta Magazine
ATLANTA, February 21, 2022 – The attorneys of Penn Law including founder Darren Penn, partner Alexandra “Sachi” Cole and firm attorneys Laura Penn, and William “Bill” Ballard have been recognized by their legal peers for excellence. The four are featured in the March 2022 edition of Atlanta magazine.
Continue readingGA 2022 Legislative Session: Child Victim Protection Act
The recent settlement reached by the Darlington School and 20 survivors of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of Roger Stifflemire, a former teacher and dorm parent at the school, provided compensation and some closure to the survivors and their families. The settlement also confirmed Penn Law’s continued commitment to be a voice for victims.
Continue readingDarlington School Settles Sexual Abuse Suits
Joint Settlement Statement
Darlington School and the law firms of Penn Law, LLC and Paul Mones, P.C., the firms jointly representing 20 survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Roger Stifflemire, announce that a settlement has been reached that will provide compensation to the survivors, serve to strengthen Darlington moving forward, and help prevent anything like this from happening again.
Continue readingBSA Settlement: An Imperfect Solution
On February 18, 2020, Boy Scouts of America filed bankruptcy following an avalanche of sex-abuse claims from about 84,000 survivors. After over a year in bankruptcy and three unsuccessful settlement attempts, the Boy Scouts and local Councils reached a settlement agreement with The Creditor’s Committee (TCC), the Coalition for Abused Scouts, and the Future Claims Representative.
Continue readingCourts Reopening and Addressing Case Backlog
On March 14, 2020, a Court order from the Georgia Supreme Court immediately closed all Georgia courts. Since then 15 subsequent orders have extended that emergency declaration, putting the Courts calendar in complete disarray and delaying civil trials for at least two to three years. The final judicial emergency order is set to expire on June 30, 2021.
Safety and Accountability
This week Fisher-Price recalled its 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Glider and the 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother after four infants died from suffocation after rolling over in the products’ seats. The infants were reportedly placed in the soother unrestrained on their backs and were later found on their stomachs. The Soother and Glider can rock babies back and forth or side to side.
(Update) 2021 Child Victim Protection Act Passes GA House, But Waits in Senate Committee
The Child Victim Protection Act of 2021 (GA House Bill 109) was reintroduced in the Georgia General Assembly this year. The bill would allow victims to recover damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual abuse that took place on or after July 1, 2015.
Continue readingLawsuits Filed Against BD Bard and Sterigenics by Atlanta Attorneys Representing Almost 200 Clients Diagnosed with Cancer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mitch Leff, (404) 861-4769, mitch@leffassociates.com Kim Speece, (404) 849-6579, kim@leffassociates.com Lawsuits
ATLANTA, Sept. 8, 2020 — A group of Atlanta-area attorneys announced today it has filed new lawsuits against medical sterilization companies BD Bard and Sterigenics. The claims were filed in State Court in Gwinnett (BD Bard and Sterigenics) and Cobb County (Sterigenics). The initial filings are on behalf of a small number of the almost 200 clients diagnosed with cancer who are represented by the team.
Continue readingPenn Law Supports the Georgia Rights Alliance
The 2021 Georgia legislative session is expected to include a heated debate on tort reform. Several bills in the upcoming General Assembly will likely include revisions to Georgia’s current legal procedures. Penn Law supports the Georgia Rights Alliance (GRA), a group of Georgia citizens committed to protecting the Constitutional rights of all Americans. The GRA is working to defend against corporate lobbyists, insurance companies, and big corporations that attempt to imbalance the scales of justice within our court system in their favor .
We believe that every Georgian deserves the right to seek justice in a court of law against the person or corporation that wronged them. More than 30 lobbying organizations are expected to combine forces for the purpose of passing tort reform legislation during the 2021 session. Proposed bills are projected to seek limitations such as increasing the burden of proof for certain injured individuals in proving their claims and capping awards for punitive damages, which are designed to punish persons or entities whose conduct is considered egregiously negligent or intentional.
Now is the time to educate Georgians and to raise awareness of these potential changes. As a voice for victims, we believe that every citizen should have the ability to fight the person or organization that harmed them in a court of law where they will be held accountable for their actions.
Penn Law supports the Georgia Rights Alliance, and we recommend visiting their website at https://georgiarightsalliance.org to sign up for more information and to find your legislative representative. Join the GRA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GARightsAlliance/ to stay up-to-date on these issues. Lastly, we urge all to write to your legislators to let them know you want to stand up against special interest groups and the lobbyists from large corporations and insurance groups.
Now is the time for your voice to be heard.