Guardians Ad Litem Denied Judicial Immunity by Pa. Appeals Court in Legal Mal Case

Family Court of Philadelphia building. Courtesy photo

“The conduct of the Judge and the Public defender in this case was appalling... It was so bad that the Judge was suspended for six months.....This decision and goal my firm, Edelstein Law is to correct this conduct and obtain justice for my clients who can't even count on the Judicial System to protect them....At Edelstein Law we protect those who can't protect themselves...”

- Jay L. Edelstein

Excerpt below:

The Defender Association of Philadelphia and one of its guardians ad litem still have to face a legal malpractice suit stemming from a custody case in front a family court judge whose conduct earned her a six-month suspension.

A split Superior Court panel determined that quasi-judicial immunity does not extend to guardians ad litem, leaving guardian ad litem Patrice Langenbach and the defender association exposed to the plaintiffs’ allegations that Langenbach actively worked alongside former Family Court Judge Lyris F. Younge to prevent the child’s reunification with her family.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Andrew Thomson, who recently left Edelstein Law for the Law Offices of Jared Zafran, said he expects the defendants to appeal based on the past legal strategy of theirattorneys at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel.

Read more about the latest update on this case here.