Attorney Julia Munley recognizes National Child Abuse Prevention Month as a time for action

Munley believes we must shine a light on child abuse in order to prevent it

The problem of child sexual abuse in this country and throughout Pennsylvania continues at an alarming rate. It can be difficult to acknowledge that sexual abuse of children of all ages, including infants, happens every day. This horrifying topic was brought to the national spotlight when Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys, using his position in a prestigious football program to gain access to youth. This past week, Pennsylvania’s top court rejected a bid by this former Penn State football coach to appeal his 2012 conviction of charges of sexually abusing children.

Last week alone in Northeast Pennsylvania, we saw news reported of a trusted pastor at a Scranton cathedral being removed from his position and charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors. […]

Attorney Marion Munley’s Article on the Vanishing Jury Trial in The Scranton Times

As seen in The Scranton Times. America’s long and proud history has been shaped by lawyers and judges who made lasting contributions to the preservation of individual liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. To the Founders, the right to jury trial, secured by the Seventh Amendment, was on par with the right to vote and the right to free speech. In the initial draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s litany of abuses by the king included, prominently, “depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury.”

Jefferson considered “trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man that holds the government to the principles of its Constitution.” Jurors are true public servants who commit their time, critical thinking and impartiality to their fellow Americans. Jurors serve as checks and balances on our judicial system, and a jury trial is a fundamental right critical to our democracy. […]

It’s your money and they want it now!

As seen in the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal.

By J. Christopher Munley

We all have seen the hard-hitting television commercials decrying: “It’s your money and you want it now!” These get-your-cash now ads, while seemingly helpful to those experiencing financial hardship, prey on individuals who have money in structured settlements.
They may seem too good to be true — and in most instances they are. What these ads don’t disclose is that the realized value to you now of this money owed to you in the future will be less than the amounts in the settlement, sometimes up to 40 percent less.

The ads are designed and created by companies that are in the business of purchasing structured settlements, otherwise known as “factoring companies,” and it is their goal to entice structured settlements holders to sell their settlements in exchange for a lump sum payment at the “present value” of the structure. […]

Silent demon too often preys in Pennsylvania

As seen in the Scranton Times.

By Julia Munley

Sadly, allegations of child sexual abuse happen every day and have become something we read about almost daily in our local and national news; it is everywhere, from our churches to our schools and even in our own homes.

Last weekend, this issue was front and center with the Woody Allen/Dylan Farrow abuse story resurfacing 21 years after Farrow’s initial claims of abuse. One of the most shocking things about this story is that the alleged victim has been criticized and belittled by Allen’s PR machine, chiefly by his lawyer, Elkan Abramowitz.

While everyone deserves a defense and the presumption of innocence, including Allen, these attempts to isolate, demonize and subdue claims of child abuse should be excoriated. These very public intimidation tactics will undoubtedly impact other victims and lead to more unreported and untreated child sexual abuse and allow offenders to abuse others. […]

Unemployment benefits end for more than a million Americans

About 1.3 million of the nation’s 4 million long-term unemployed are no longer getting unemployment benefits. These extended federal unemployment benefits recently came to a halt, affecting many families who depend on this money for day-to-day expenses.

According to the National Employment Law Project in New York City, the cuts include 86,900 individuals in Pennsylvania, which has the fourth-highest total of unemployed workers collecting the emergency long-term benefits.

The expiration of the federal program, which was originally authorized in 2008 and extended 11 times as the recession and its effects dragged on, will affect an additional 2.3 million people this year. The extended benefits were designed as a cushion for the millions of Americans who lost their jobs and failed to find new ones.

President Obama said that his administration would push Congress to act promptly and in a bipartisan fashion to address this. […]