Pennsylvania Attorney Granted Full Dismissal for Credit Union

Pittsburgh Attorney Bridget Fitzpatrick recently prevailed on behalf of our credit union client and two of its employees in a Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County case involving a joint bank account owned by three siblings.

Plaintiffs are a brother and sister who alleged that their eldest sister, a Co-Defendant in this action, improperly converted funds from their joint account without their consent. Plaintiffs claimed that our credit union client and its employees were negligent for allowing the Co-Defendant sister, who was also a joint account co-owner, to use funds from the account and for failing to report the Co-Defendant sister’s allegedly suspicious and unlawful transactions from 2004 until the account was closed in 2022.

The Plaintiff sister settled her claims against all Defendants. However, the remaining Plaintiff brother settled only with Co-Defendant sister, leaving his claims against our clients active. Therefore, Plaintiff brother continued to pursue litigation against our clients, intending to take this case to trial and seeking punitive damages.

Our defense attorney Bridget Fitzpatrick filed a Motion for Summary Judgment arguing that the statute of limitations limited Plaintiff’s recovery to two years prior to suit and that recovery of damages for any transactions before that date were prohibited. Attorney Fitzpatrick also argued that all claims should be dismissed based on Plaintiff’s testimony and discovery responses admitting Co-Defendant sister’s legal co-ownership of the joint account and her ability to access the account without limitation. Attorney Fitzpatrick also argued that the individual employees of the credit union named in the action should be dismissed due to a lack of any wrongdoing independent from their respective roles with the credit union.

In September 2025, the Court agreed with all of our defense arguments and granted full dismissal of all claims against our credit union client and its employees. As a result, the trial scheduled for November 2025 was canceled. Plaintiff has filed an appeal which is currently pending before the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Bridget K. Fitzpatrick concentrates her legal practice in the areas of employment litigation and general liability as well as professional liability, insurance coverage, bad faith and toxic torts.