William D. Hutchinson

Born 1932 · Minersville, PA

📰 News & journal →

Party: Republican →B.A., Moravian CollegeJ.D., Harvard UniversityBA, Moravian CollegeJD, Harvard University

Affiliations

Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit — appointed by Ronald Reagan

Decision record

Newest first · every case links to the full record

Martino v. TRANSPORT WRKERS'UN. OF PHIL.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1984-06-29 · cited 50×
The case involved a public employee, Nicholas Martino, who was discharged by SEPTA and claimed the discharge violated the collective bargaining agreement with the Transport Workers' Union. After the union processed his grievance through internal steps but refused in bad faith to pursue impartial arbitration, Martino sued the union for breaching its duty of fair representation and sought to join SEPTA to compel arbitration nunc pro tunc, while also asserting a related claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The trial court denied SEPTA's preliminary objections to jurisdiction, and the Superior Court affirmed. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed, holding that under principles from Ziccardi v. Commonwealth and equitable doctrines, a court may join the employer in such an action when necessary to provide a meaningful remedy of arbitration despite the union's bad faith. The court reasoned that grievance arbitration under PERA is the prescribed remedy but does not bar equitable relief joining the employer as an indispensable party when the union's misconduct has denied that process.
labor & employmentprocedure
Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Lucarini
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1983-10-14 · cited 123×
This case involved disciplinary proceedings against attorney Robert S. Lucarini for multiple violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility, including forging client signatures on releases and settlement drafts, commingling client funds in an escrow account, and converting those funds for personal use without client knowledge or consent. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reviewed cross-exceptions to the Disciplinary Board's recommendation of a two-year suspension and instead ordered disbarment. The court reasoned that although the respondent admitted the misconduct, attributed it to alcoholism for which he sought treatment, and caused no actual client losses, his continued concealment of records and unwillingness to provide client names for verification after the investigation began showed insufficient mitigation and indicated a likelihood of future danger to the public.
criminal lawprocedure
Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board v. Bald Eagle Area School District
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1982-10-26 · cited 51×
The case concerned whether a grievance by a teachers' union over entitlement to one day's pay under a collective bargaining agreement (for a 183-day school year) was subject to compulsory arbitration, even though a state law under the Public Employee Relations Act (PERA) prohibits paying public employees for time spent on strike. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) ruled the dispute arbitrable and ordered the school district to proceed, but lower courts reversed, holding it non-arbitrable because a favorable award would violate the no-strike-pay policy. The Supreme Court reversed the Commonwealth Court, reinstating the PLRB order without reaching the merits of the pay dispute. It reasoned that PERA Section 903 mandates arbitration of grievances arising from collective bargaining agreements in the first instance, that arbitrators are bound by statutes like PERA Sections 703 and 1006, and that any conflict with public policy can be addressed through post-award judicial review rather than preliminary court litigation over arbitrability.
labor & employmentprocedure

Judicial data via CourtListener (Free Law Project). Social links via Wikidata.

Affiliations

Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit — appointed by Ronald Reagan

Party: Republican →B.A., Moravian CollegeB.A., Moravian CollegeJ.D., Harvard University →J.D., Harvard UniversityBA, Moravian CollegeBA, Moravian CollegeJD, Harvard University →JD, Harvard University

J.D., Harvard University →

JD, Harvard University →

WD

William D. Hutchinson

Born 1932 · Minersville, PA

📰 News & journal →

B.A., Moravian College

BA, Moravian College

Decision record

Newest first · every case links to the full record

Martino v. TRANSPORT WRKERS'UN. OF PHIL.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1984-06-29 · cited 50×
The case involved a public employee, Nicholas Martino, who was discharged by SEPTA and claimed the discharge violated the collective bargaining agreement with the Transport Workers' Union. After the union processed his grievance through internal steps but refused in bad faith to pursue impartial arbitration, Martino sued the union for breaching its duty of fair representation and sought to join SEPTA to compel arbitration nunc pro tunc, while also asserting a related claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The trial court denied SEPTA's preliminary objections to jurisdiction, and the Superior Court affirmed. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed, holding that under principles from Ziccardi v. Commonwealth and equitable doctrines, a court may join the employer in such an action when necessary to provide a meaningful remedy of arbitration despite the union's bad faith. The court reasoned that grievance arbitration under PERA is the prescribed remedy but does not bar equitable relief joining the employer as an indispensable party when the union's misconduct has denied that process.
labor & employmentprocedure
Office of Disciplinary Counsel v. Lucarini
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1983-10-14 · cited 123×
This case involved disciplinary proceedings against attorney Robert S. Lucarini for multiple violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility, including forging client signatures on releases and settlement drafts, commingling client funds in an escrow account, and converting those funds for personal use without client knowledge or consent. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reviewed cross-exceptions to the Disciplinary Board's recommendation of a two-year suspension and instead ordered disbarment. The court reasoned that although the respondent admitted the misconduct, attributed it to alcoholism for which he sought treatment, and caused no actual client losses, his continued concealment of records and unwillingness to provide client names for verification after the investigation began showed insufficient mitigation and indicated a likelihood of future danger to the public.
criminal lawprocedure
Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board v. Bald Eagle Area School District
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1982-10-26 · cited 51×
The case concerned whether a grievance by a teachers' union over entitlement to one day's pay under a collective bargaining agreement (for a 183-day school year) was subject to compulsory arbitration, even though a state law under the Public Employee Relations Act (PERA) prohibits paying public employees for time spent on strike. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) ruled the dispute arbitrable and ordered the school district to proceed, but lower courts reversed, holding it non-arbitrable because a favorable award would violate the no-strike-pay policy. The Supreme Court reversed the Commonwealth Court, reinstating the PLRB order without reaching the merits of the pay dispute. It reasoned that PERA Section 903 mandates arbitration of grievances arising from collective bargaining agreements in the first instance, that arbitrators are bound by statutes like PERA Sections 703 and 1006, and that any conflict with public policy can be addressed through post-award judicial review rather than preliminary court litigation over arbitrability.
labor & employmentprocedure