Published Articles


IN MEMORY OF A GOOD FRIEND AND GREAT LAWYER
June 28, 2006 - From 1973 until the firm of Jorden and White was founded in Meadville in1981, I had the honor and privilege of being a partner with Daniel L. R. Miller in the Erie Law Firm of McClure, Dart, Miller, Kelleher & White. A more compassionate, sage, intelligent, dedicated ...[read more]

 SETTLEMENTS AND VERDICTS OF THE PAST YEAR (2005)
April 3, 2006 - •A verdict in Court award in the amount of $252,063.24, and full reinstatement of job status was obtained in a Federal Lawsuit filed by Attorney Bill Jorden on behalf of Clifford VanTassel. Clifford VanTassel worked as a maintenance manager for the Pennsylvania Depart ...[read more]

 SNOWMOBILE ACCIDENT UPDATE
April 3, 2006 - The Commonwealth opened a snowmobile trail on State Gamelands No. 214 in Crawford County, but neglected to remove or guard a steel post holding the gate, or to open the gate. A snowmobiler operating at night time in a snowstorm, collided with the post and gate, sustain ...[read more]

 MATT JORDEN IS NAMED TO THE DEAN’S LIST AND HONOR ROLL AT COOLEY SCHOOL OF LAW
April 3, 2006 - Jorden & White Law Clerk, Matthew B. Jorden, after one (1) semester at Thomas Cooley School of Law, has been named to the Dean’s List and Honor Roll. Matt Jorden worked for the past two summers as a Law Clerk at Jorden & White, is the son of Attorney and Mrs. William ...[read more]

 RETALIATORY FIRING OF PA STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS FACILITY RESULTS IN JOB REINSTATEMENT, A $99,000.00 AWARD FOR BACKPAY, AND...
September 21, 2005 - In the case of Clifford Van Tassel v. Marilyn S. Brooks, Civ Act No. 02-166, United States District Court, Clifford Van Tassel worked as the maintenance manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections at its SCI Cambridge Springs prison. After a new superi ...[read more]

 SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ISSUES
September 2, 2005 - It is the beginning of another school year and school busses are everywhere. The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code has numerous sections relating to the maintenance, operation and licensings of school busses. Other statutes regulate the conduct of vehicles approaching, meeting ...[read more]

 VIOXX - A LESSON ABOUT LAW AND LAWYERS
September 2, 2005 - Last month, August 12, 2005, a small town Texas jury returned a sensational verdict for Plaintiff, Carol Ernst, against pharmaceutical giant Merck and Company. Evidence established that Mrs. Ernst’s husband, Robert, age 59, died of Vioxx induced fatal arrhythmia and hea ...[read more]

 INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT - A FOOL FOR AN ATTORNEY
July 25, 2005 - For some time now, my wife Jill and I have been working on drawings for necessary remodeling of our house. I thought I could do this myself until a friend, in passing, asked me if I had an architect. When I replied that I was designing the changes myself, my friend as ...[read more]

 PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS
July 22, 2005 - In Pennsylvania, prenuptial agreements are binding and enforceable if certain requirements are followed. Defenses to the enforceability of a prenuptial agreement are somewhat limited. Agreements between parties who are married to each other are presumed to be valid. ...[read more]

 ALCOHOL, BOATING, AND THE LAW
June 10, 2005 - After a long, cold and dreary Western Pennsylvanians winter, we relish the fun of summer. For many of us, fun means boating. For many boaters, fun also includes an ice chest of beer or other alcoholic drink. Whether you are an experienced boater, a novice to th ...[read more]

 SENTENCING IN PENNSYLVANIA OR "WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?"
June 8, 2005 - Every attorney who practices criminal law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has been asked by a usually nervous client . . . “what am I looking at?” Although the question is simple, the answer is not. Each particular sentence depends on the client’s prior cri ...[read more]

 YOUR FIRST REAL ESTATE CLOSING
April 26, 2005 - The purchase of a first home or other property should be a joyous occasion. Instead, it often can be overshadowed by anxiety and the fear of the unknown. The primary unknown factor is how much money will a buyer need and what else must be brought to the closing. ...[read more]

 WHISTLE BLOWER - PROTECTION FROM ABUSE OF POWER
April 26, 2005 - On March 17, 2005 a Federal Jury in Erie returned a verdict in favor of Cambridge Springs resident, Cliff VanTassel, and against Marilyn Brooks, the former Superintendent of SCI Cambridge Springs. VanTassel was fired after he reported Brooks was spending exorbitant sum ...[read more]

 CELL PHONES AND NEGLIGENT DRIVERS
March 18, 2005 - Did you know that if you are involved in an accident while talking on your cell phone you can be sued? What’s more if you are talking to your employer at the time, he can be sued as well. Yoon was a 15 year old girl who was struck by a car and fatally injured while w ...[read more]

 HEY YOU - GET OFF MY PROPERTY! BOUNDARY LINE ISSUES IN PENNSYLVANIA
March 17, 2005 - "Get Off My Land" is the almost universal war cry of the indignant land owner. Few things ignite the passion of Pennsylvania landowners more than a confrontation with an apparent trespasser. Unfortunately, there are numerous principles and rules to determine ownershi ...[read more]

 PRODUCT LIABILITY AND THE WORKPLACE
February 7, 2005 - It was a cold and wet November day in Crawford County. Alan was hard at work, hoisting pipe to the derrick floor of the oil and gas drilling rig, identified only as rig 10. Alan wrapped two loops of cat line around the spinning cathead. The stiff frozen rope did not hav ...[read more]

 NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD! . . . LAND USE CONTROLS
February 7, 2005 - Now, in most jurisdictions, exist significant restrictions on land use development. Most municipalities have building codes, subdivision regulations, zoning ordinances, and other laws impacting the development of real estate. As always, educate yourself to the existi ...[read more]

 DUI. . .IT’S NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S CRIME
December 15, 2004 - On February 1, 2004, sweeping changes occurred to the Pennsylvania Driving Under The Influence (DUI) Statute. Those amendments were a direct result of the federal government’s threat to withhold highway and other subsidies from states which did not lower the DUI cutoff ...[read more]

 ONE MAN’S CASTLE: CLARENCE DARROW IN DEFENSE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM
November 10, 2004 - On September 29, 1925, with the police looking on, an angry mob of several hundred Ku Klux Klan sympathizers, who did not want an African-American family moving into an all-white neighborhood, threw stones and screamed racial epithets at the Detroit home of Dr. Ossian S ...[read more]

 CRAWFORD COUNTY’S BLACK GOLD
November 8, 2004 - My article on the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania is longer than what I am permitted to publish. Accordingly, I have divided it into Part I, which is essentially a history, and Part II, which contains a few legal issues and observations. In the days of Tw ...[read more]

 YOUR LAWYER NEEDS A HUG TOO
October 1, 2004 - It’s campaign season and time for some big corporations, politicians and special interest groups to advocate a change in your legal system, by attacking your lawyers . An e-mail circulating on the Internet describes cases allegedly vying for the annual "STELLA" award ...[read more]

 CRAWFORD COUNTY'S SECRET WEALTH
October 1, 2004 - Crawford County and surrounding counties are the home to some of the most valuable hardwood timber in the world. Red Oak, Hard Maple and especially Black Cherry are among the most valuable trees. Everyone owning timber should make every effort to protect the timber ...[read more]