Monday, May 23, 2016

Michael Pisanchyn on KQV News

Attorney Pisanchyn on KQV News

Attorney Pisanchyn talks with KQV News about the need to get his clients, who have been sexually assaulted while in Butler County Jail, out of the facility.




An arrest warrant has been issued and charges have been filed in relation to this case against Luis Quinones, a Trinity Services Group employee, who worked in the prison kitchen, but has since been removed from the prison.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Hearing Granted to Inmates Sexually Assaulted in Butler County Prison

Inmates in sex assault case get hearing to leave prison


The two Butler County Prison inmates who claim they were sexually assaulted in the prison will get their day in court.
Click To Enlarge 
County President Judge Thomas Doerr today scheduled a hearing for a petition by two inmates wanting to be released after reporting a prison food service vendor worker had assaulted them.
 
During the hearing, which will be June 7, the inmates’ attorney, Michael Pisanchyn, will present a case for his clients, who allege vendor worker Luis Quinones, 27, of Butler had inappropriate sexual contact with them.
 
Pisanchyn said his clients need to be removed from the prison because that is where they were traumatized.
 
Following the accusations, Quinones was charged with institutional sexual assault, criminal attempt of institutional sexual assault and indecent assault.
 
Quinones, a Trinity Services Group employee, worked in the prison kitchen, but has since been removed from the prison.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Pisanchyn Law Firm Fights to Protect Sexually Abused Inmates

Two clients were sexually assaulted by prison employee while incarcerated

BUTLER, Pa.An attorney filed a motion Friday to get his two clients out of the Butler County Prison where he claims they were sexually assaulted by an employee.

“I have a feeling that they are going to have problems long-term from being assaulted in a place where they were helpless, vulnerable and had to do what this perp told them to do,” attorney Michael Pisanchyn said.

VIDEO: Watch the Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 report

He said his clients were serving time after pleading guilty to crimes like burglary and drug possession.

The motion says, “(the) incidents occurred over a period of time and despite being investigated for a length of time.”

In one case, Pisanchyn says his client could have served his sentence out of prison, but relatives requested he be held there to help him fight an addiction.

Now he says both his clients are in need of serious help.

“What they can do by coming forward is make sure that they prevent this from occurring to anyone else,” Pisanchyn said.

The identity of the prison employee is not being released at this time.

Inmates Sexually Assaulted in Butler County

Inmates accuse worker of making sexual advances

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. —
An investigation is underway at the Butler County Prison after inmates claimed a worker made sexual advances on them, the inmates’ attorney told Channel 11 News Friday.
 
Two inmates have come forward, saying they have been subjected to sexual innuendos, advances and contact while serving their time at the prison.

Channel 11 News learned that one of the inmates is at the prison for violating probation after serving time for possession of drug paraphernalia, while the second inmate is serving time on a burglary charge.
 
According to documents filed by Mike Pisanchyn, the inmates’ attorney, one inmate suffers from addiction and called his family on Thursday crying because of the alleged sexual assaults.
Pisanchyn told Channel 11 News it was a kitchen worker inside the prison who targeted both of his clients.
 
“I believe they’re heroes for coming forward. No one wants to talk about this when sexually assaulted in numerous ways. Hopefully by them coming forward, we can prevent it from happening to other people,” he said.
 
The Butler County Prison warden told Channel 11 News that he became aware of the allegations last week and said the accused employee is a contract worker for Trinity Food Services. The warden said the worker is banned from the prison until the investigation is completed.
 
Calls and emails to Trinity Food Services Friday evening were not immediately returned.
Pisanchyn said the inmates should not be forced to stay in the prison during the investigation.
“They’re in a henhouse with a fox, so we’d like to get them out as soon as possible,” he said.
 
A call to the Butler County District Attorney’s Office for an update on the investigation also was not returned Friday night.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Glade Run Lutheran Services

Lawsuit alleging abuse, neglect of teen

ZELIENOPLE, Pa. —  A family is suing Glade Run Lutheran Services, a group home in Zelienople, claiming that a 13-year-old boy was abused and neglected at the facility.

Glade Run Lutheran Services in Zelienople
Abuse and neglect lawsuit filed against Glade Run Lutheran Services in Zelienople PA
Attorneys for the boy and his family spoke Wednesday with Channel 11 News after filing the civil lawsuit.
“The thing that gets this little boy excited is the thought that Glade Run will no longer exist,” Nick Indovina of the Pisanchyn law firm said .
 
Channel 11 News has covered the residential treatment facility, which cares for children and teenagers with severe mental health issues, for months.
State inspectors found evidence last October of children having sex with other children on campus. As a result, the state Department of Human Services stripped the 56-bed facility of its license, which Glade Run is attempting to get back through an appeals process with the state. The campus has three additional facilities that have remained open pending the appeal decision.
 
No criminal charges were ever filed, but the state mandated changes, including firing the staff, hiring new employees and adding security cameras.
 
Indovina said the changes are not enough.
 
The lawsuit filed Wednesday details allegations too graphic for Channel 11 News to report about what the boy, now 15, endured from March to July 2015 while he was being treated at the group home for severe mental health issues.
 
The suit alleges that the staff failed to keep him safe from other children.
 
While Glade Run had yet to see the lawsuit, officials issued the following statement to Channel 11 News:
“Glade Run Lutheran Services serves our communities’ most challenging and traumatized youth, providing residential, school-based and community-based offerings to thousands throughout Western Pennsylvania each year. Many have complex mental health issues and behaviors that necessitate residential treatment for stabilization and healing. The safety of our clients remains our first priority, and we are committed to providing the safest environment for their treatment and recovery.
“The provision of human services to individuals with mental health issues is not without risks. These risks include physical harm to staff and potential litigation. The privacy rights of our clients preclude us from discussing any allegation that may arise. Glade Run has a longstanding track record of more than 160 years of successful care and treatment of traumatized youth, and is dedicated to protecting the best interests of those we serve.”

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Pisanchyn Law Firm Published

Car Passenger Alleged Insurer Acted in Bad Faith on UIM Claim

The Pisanchyn Law Firm’s recent verdict in a Bad Faith case has been published in Pennsylvania Verdict Search. Insurance companies have a duty to act in good faith to their clients and the Pisanchyn Law Firm will fight to ensure they do on behalf of our clients.

Click here to read the verdict.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

GM Recall Case Settles for $1.9 Million

Pisanchyn Law Firm Fights for Justice Against GM

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER
Published: April 28, 2016

Joan Occulto always suspected a mechanical problem caused the 2007 car crash that killed her grandson, but no one believed her.
GM Recall Settlement




The pain of losing Louis McHale, 30, was torture enough for the Dunmore grandmother. He left behind three young sons.

Her pain worsened from the innuendoes and rumors that the crash was her grandson’s fault.
It took nearly eight years, but Mrs. Occulto, 75, said her grandson finally is vindicated as GM agreed Tuesday to approve a claim she and her husband, Frank, 83, filed. Their claim alleged a faulty ignition switch, that unexpectedly shut off his car, impaired the steering and forced him to lose control, caused the crash.

The settlement, negotiated by attorney Michael Pisanchyn of Scranton, comes from a fund GM set up to compensate victims of the defective switch. Terms of the settlement are confidential, but public documents related to the claims process reveal family members will be paid at least $1 million in damages, plus $300,000 for each dependent. That equates to at least $1.9 million for Mr. McHale’s family.

While the money certainly will help the family, it’s not what motivated Mrs. Occulto to pursue the case.

“The money means nothing to me. It can’t bring my grandson back,” she said. “I wanted to clear his name. … It was General Motors’ fault. They took my grandson away from his sons.”

The settlement is among at least three GM reached involving Lackawanna County families in the past two years. In October 2014, GM settled a case filed by Leo and Mary Theresa Ruddy, whose daughter, Kelly Erin Ruddy, was killed in 2010. In June 2105, it settled a case filed by Richard and Laura Miller over the 2014 death of their son, James Miller. Both of those lawsuits were filed by attorney Larry Moran of Lenahan and Dempsey in Scranton.

The claims were among more than 4,000 filed that sought compensation from a special fund GM set up in June 2014 to compensate victims. The fund paid out $594.5 million for 399 claims, including 124 deaths, according to a final report issued in December by attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who administered the fund.

GM acknowledged it knew about problems with the ignition switches in several of its models for at least a decade before it began recalling the vehicles in February 2014.

James Cain, a spokesman for GM, said the company’s settlement of cases does not mean it admits that that the ignition switch failed or was the cause of a particular crash. He noted that, in deciding whether to approve a claim, Mr. Feinberg did not undertake any engineering analysis or consider legal defenses GM had in the cases, including statute of limitations and contributory negligence of the drivers.

“We faced the ignition switch issue with integrity, dignity and clear determination to do the right thing both in the short and long term,” Mr. Cain said in an email Thursday.

In Mr. McHale’s case, he was killed and his passenger, Audrey Evans of Scranton, was injured after he lost control of his 2003 Saturn Ion on Interstate 81 in Kline Twp. on Sept. 9, 2007. The car struck a rock embankment and rolled twice, ejecting both occupants. Mr. McHale left behind three sons, ages 6, 8 and 11 at the time of his death.

Mrs. Occulto said she contacted several law firms shortly after the crash and asked them to look into the case, but all declined. She gave up hope of ever proving a mechanical failure was to blame. Then she got a recall notice at her Elm Street home in July 2014 regarding the ignition switch.
“Then I knew something was wrong with the car,” she said.

Even with the new information, Mrs. Occulto said she still had trouble finding an attorney to take the case.

Mr. Pisanchyn said the case presented significant challenges, including that the statute of limitations to sue had expired years ago. Mr. McHale’s vehicle also was no longer available, so it would be hard to prove the ignition switch caused the crash. He said he decided to take the case because he strongly believed GM should be held accountable.

“GM clearly knew there was a problem with the ignition switch. They were getting reports of deaths quite often,” he said. “It came down to they put corporate profits over peoples’ lives.”
Mr. Pisanchyn said GM initially rejected Mrs. Occulto’s claim. It reconsidered the decision after attorney Douglas Yazinski consulted with auto safety experts and obtained photos police took of Mr. McHale’s car that showed the airbags did not deploy — a key indicator that the ignition was in the “off” position when the crash occurred.

“The pictures really made a difference in our case. It put GM’s feet to the fire,” Mr. Pisanchyn said.
Mrs. Occulto said she’s thankful the case is resolved. For years, she and her great-grandchildren dealt with rumors about the crash. It’s a relief to have the truth out, she said, but she can’t help but feel bitter toward GM.

“For a 35-cent part, my grandson died,” she said.