In a 6-1 victory last week before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Goldstein Law Partners attorneys Patricia Starner, Shawn Rodgers and Michael Yanoff convinced the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that for years, the Philadelphia Gas Works had illegally charged the firm’s client SBG Management Services and other PGW customers illegally high interest rates on past due balances.
Last year, the Court granted SBG’s Petition for Allowance of Appeal to determine whether PGW was limited to charging gas customers the statutory interest rate for judgments of six percent (6%) for past due balances that it converts and dockets as municipal liens. Currently, PGW charges customers an eighteen percent (18%) interest rate on all delinquent gas bills, even those reduced to a lien. In arguing for the reduction from 18% to 6% on past due amounts once reduced to a lien, SBG pointed to the clear language in the municipal code which classifies as judgments all delinquencies docketed as municipal liens. The Supreme Court agreed with Goldstein Law Partners’ argument that PGW is prohibited from charging the 18% tariff rate on any PGW bill once such a bill is docketed as a municipal lien.
The Supreme Court heard oral argument from the parties in December 2020, where Patricia Starner articulately and succinctly presented the position of SBG as Appellant. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued its precedent-setting decision on April 29th, 2021, a copy of which can be found here.
View the court ruling here: Court Ruling
Patricia Starner has more than 20 years of appellate experience, having served as a staff attorney to Chief Justice Emeritus Ronald Castille of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2014, and current Chief Justice Saylor from 2014 to 2016. She concentrates her practice in the areas of Appellate Practice and Complex Dispute Resolution & Litigation.
Mr. Rodgers is a partner at Goldstein Law Partners, LLC. He concentrates his practice in the areas of constitutional law and civil rights, appellate advocacy, commercial litigation, and employment law. He represents a diverse client base, which includes corporate entities, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, and private individuals. As an experienced litigator, Mr. Rodgers appears regularly before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels.
Michael Yanoff has over 40 years of experience representing clients in a variety of land use, zoning, business and litigation matters, with a concentration in real estate, land use and development, and zoning. Michael’s practice involves representation of developers of residential and commercial properties, including multi-unit residential developments, shopping centers and office complexes, in land development and zoning matters.