The Superior Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that Penn State's lawsuit against Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association Insurance Company, its primary general liability insurer, will be moved to Philadelphia County, according to court documents.
The document, written by Judge Eugene Strassburger, cites two reasons for this decision, including John Doe A's counsel being stationed in Philadelphia. According to the lawsuit Doe A v. The Second Mile, et al, plaintiff John Doe A said he was abused by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky more than 100 times between 1992 and 1996, as previously reported. This lawsuit was filed in November 2011 against Sandusky, Penn State and the Second Mile. Penn State is suing to enforce its rights under the insurer for it to pay fees related to that lawsuit.
Following this, PMA filed a suit to be relieved of its duties to defend and pay for this lawsuit in Jan. 2012.
Penn State then proceeded to file a countersuit against PMA in Feb. 2012 to defend its rights under its insurance policies.
Another reason behind the decision are the connections Centre County judges hold with both the Second Mile and Penn State, according to court documents. While it states that, an out-of state judge could theoretically be brought in to serve, such a move would entail "logistical difficulties" such as "time, staff, courtroom, and the like," according to court documents.
"We only recently received the opinion and we're reviewing our options," university spokesman David La Torre said via email in connection to the matter.
See Wednesday's issue of The Daily Collegian for more details.
