Felix Manus’ death after suffering an asthma attack while in the care and custody of Erie County Prison officials begs for answers. But so far, Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper’s administration is barely talking.

Most automobile owners understand that they are required by law to purchase some type of insurance to help cover any accidents that they cause. What drivers may not understand, however, is that the type of insurance they purchase may limit the amount they can recover in a lawsuit over an accident - even if it was caused by someone else!

In old England, while the system of law we still use today was being developed, kings realized that the courts they were setting up might leave them vulnerable to being sued by their own subjects. In response, the principle of sovereign immunity was developed and enshrined as law: you cannot sue the king.

In Pennsylvania, when a person dies as a result of a third party’s actions or failures to act, the law allows two means of recovery: “wrongful death” and “survival actions.”