Toppy v. Passage Bio, 2022 Pa. Super. LEXIS 446 (November 9, 2022) (Stabile, J.) In this employment dispute, Appellant, Eric Toppy, filed a five-count complaint against Appellee, Passage Bio, Inc., alleging that Appellee breached a settlement agreement that resolved Appellant’s wrongful termination claims against Appellee. Appellee filed preliminary objections in the nature of demurrers asserting, inter alia, that the parties never entered a binding settlement agreement. The trial court sustained Appellee’s preliminary objections and dismissed the complaint with prejudice. Appellant appeals from the order of dismissal. We affirm in part and reverse in part. We reverse the dismissal of Appellant’s claims for breach of the settlement agreement and violation of the Wage Payment Collection Law (“WPCL”). 43 P.S. 260.1-260.13. We affirm the dismissal of Appellant’s claims for unjust enrichment, fraudulent misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation.
Attorney Cliff Rieders
Cliff Rieders is a Nationally Board Certified Trial Lawyer practicing personal injury law. A large part of his practice involves multi-district litigation, including cases related to pharmaceuticals, vitamin supplements and medical devices. He is admitted in several state and federal courts, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States. Rieders is the past regional president of the Federal Bar Association and is a life member of the distinguished American Law Institute, which promulgates proposed rules adopted by many state courts. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. As a founder of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, he served on the Board for 15 years.
Not only has Rieders held many highly esteemed, leadership positions, he authored legislation related to the Patient Safety Authority and the Mcare Act, which governs medical and hospital liability actions in Pennsylvania. He authored texts upon which both practitioners and judges rely, including Pennsylvania Malpractice Laws and Forms, and Financial Responsibility Law Issues in Pennsylvania, the latter governing auto and truck collisions in Pennsylvania. In addition, he wrote several books on the practice of law in Pennsylvania regarding wrongful death and survivor actions, insurance bad faith, legal malpractice claims and worker rights, among others. Rieders also serves as a resource to practitioners as a regular speaker for Celesq, an arm of the world’s largest legal publisher, Thomson Reuters West Publishing.
As recognition of his wide range of contribution to his profession and of his dedication to protecting the rights of his clients, he received numerous awards, among them the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award, the Milton D. Rosenberg Award, the B’nai B’rith Justice Award, and awards of recognition from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers. [ Attorney Bio ]