Mergl Law

08/29/2026

Someone messages you. They've got a photo — or they say they do. Then the line drops: pay up, send more, or I send it to your family and your boss.

That's not a prank. In Pennsylvania it's a crime with a name — sexual extortion. Doesn't matter if the photo is real. Doesn't matter if you sent it yourself once. The crime is the threat and the demand.

First move: don't pay, don't send more, and screenshot everything before you touch that thread. Then talk to a lawyer.

Have you ever gotten a message like this — or known someone who did?

Not legal advice. Every case is different.

https://mergllaw.com/blog/sextortion-is-a-crime-in-pennsylvania-here-s-what-to-do.html

08/22/2026

This week's Mergl's Law: Clearing a PA Criminal Record: Clean Slate vs Expungement. The Pennsylvania legal news that actually affects you — plain English, a five-minute read, free every Saturday. Read it or subscribe.

https://mergllaw.com/newsletter

08/21/2026

Our phone's been ringing off the hook lately with one question: "How do I get this old charge off my record?" A dismissed case from ten years ago. A summary offense from college. An ARD you finished and forgot about. All of it can cost you a job, an apartment, or a license today.

Here's the short version: Pennsylvania's Clean Slate law seals a lot of this automatically — no lawyer, no petition, no filing fee. But not everything qualifies, and "sealed" isn't the same as "gone." Some records still need you to file. Some never clear at all.

What's sitting on your record that you thought was handled years ago? Tell us below.

Not legal advice. Every case is different.

https://mergllaw.com/blog/clearing-a-pa-criminal-record-clean-slate-vs-expungement.html

08/19/2026

Got a DUI in Mercer, Butler, or Lawrence County and your license got suspended because of it? Listen close, because this changed. Driving on that suspended license used to be a headache. Now it's mandatory jail. Pennsylvania's Act 58 sets a 60-day minimum for a first violation and 90 days for a second — and the judge cannot go below that, no matter how good your reason is. Needed to get to work. Needed to pick up your kid. Doesn't matter. The floor is the floor.

If your license is suspended right now, do not get behind the wheel on a hope and a prayer. There may be ways to handle this the right way — call before you drive, not after you get pulled over.

Ever had to figure out how to get to work with a suspended license? How'd you make it work?

https://mergllaw.com/blog/driving-on-a-dui-suspended-license-in-pennsylvania-now-means.html

08/18/2026

You file a Right-to-Know request with your township, your school board, your police department — and they tell you no records exist. What happens next? Not much, and that's the problem.

Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law sounds strong on paper: agencies have to search, and if they don't, you can appeal to the Office of Open Records. But once the OOR rules and closes the file, it has zero power to check if the agency actually did what it was told. Your only move left is Commonwealth Court — filing fees, lawyers, and a year or two of waiting. Most people just walk away.

There's a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case out of Fayette County that says agencies can't get away with a shrug and a "trust us." It's still good law. It just needs someone willing to use it.

Ever had a records request from a local government go nowhere? Tell us about it below.

https://mergllaw.com/blog/pa-s-right-to-know-law-has-a-loophole-and-agencies-use-it.html

08/16/2026

This week's Mergl's Law: Two Kids, Two Custody Schedules: How PA Sets Child Support. The Pennsylvania legal news that actually affects you — plain English, a five-minute read, free every Saturday. Read it or subscribe.

https://mergllaw.com/newsletter

08/14/2026

Here's one that trips up a lot of parents. Dad has two kids. One is a straight 50/50 split. The other lives with Mom full-time and never stays with Dad. Dad figured the 50/50 kid should earn him a break on child support. Makes sense, right?

Pennsylvania's Superior Court said no. In a June 15, 2026 decision, the court averaged Dad's time across BOTH kids — 50% plus 0%, divided by two, equals 25%. That's below the 40% line you need to get a custody credit. So he got nothing off, and his obligation landed at $1,528.92 a month.

The lesson: when you've got multiple kids on different schedules, the guidelines don't look at each child alone. They average. That single fact can move your check by hundreds a month.

Are your kids on two different custody schedules? Do you know how the state actually runs the math?

https://mergllaw.com/blog/two-kids-two-custody-schedules-how-pa-sets-child-support.html

08/13/2026

A police officer hands you a stack of papers. You read the words "Protection From Abuse." By the end of the day, a judge you never met has ordered you out of your own home, told you not to contact your kids, and given you 24 hours to hand over every firearm you own.

You never got to say a word. That's how a PFA works in Pennsylvania.

Here's what most people don't know: that first order is temporary. A judge signs it based on one side of the story. But the law also guarantees you a real hearing — within about ten business days — where you finally get to stand up and tell yours. What you do between now and that hearing decides how the rest of it goes.

Do not contact the other person. Not to explain, not to apologize, not through a friend. A single text can turn a civil order into a criminal charge.

Served in Mercer, Butler, or Lawrence County and not sure what just happened? Read this before your hearing date.

Not legal advice. Every case is different.

https://mergllaw.com/blog/served-with-a-pfa-in-pennsylvania-what-happens-next.html

Chevy Truck drivin', Harley ridin', justice providing, fire-fighting Trial Lawyer serving Western PA. Criminal defense, family law, injury, estates, and appeals. Offices in Pittsburgh and Sharon.

08/10/2026

You're a nurse practitioner in Mercer County. You take a better job across town. Two weeks later a letter shows up: your old employer says you signed a non-compete, and you can't work within 30 miles for two years.

Here's what a lot of health care workers in Western PA don't know yet: Pennsylvania changed that rule. Since January 1, 2025, a non-compete for doctors, PAs, nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists can't run longer than one year. And if your employer fired you — even for cause — it doesn't hold at all.

Before you turn down a job or sign a scary-looking contract, know what actually binds you and what doesn't.

Signed a non-compete with a hospital or practice? When did you sign it?

https://mergllaw.com/blog/pennsylvania-put-a-one-year-cap-on-health-care-non-competes.html

08/03/2026

Here's a scenario that plays out in family court from Mercer to Butler to Lawrence County: a dad falls behind on child support. He gets a contempt hearing. He shows up alone, no lawyer, because who can afford one when they're already behind on payments. The judge orders jail unless he pays a set amount that day.

On April 23, a Pennsylvania appeals court said: not so fast.

If a support contempt hearing can land you in jail, the judge has to make sure you know you have a right to a lawyer — and appoint one if you can't afford it. And the "pay this or sit" amount? It has to be money you can actually come up with now, not a number pulled from last year's paychecks.

Behind on support and worried about a contempt hearing? Know your rights before you walk in.

Not legal advice. Every case is different.

https://mergllaw.com/blog/behind-on-child-support-in-pa-you-get-a-lawyer-before-jail.html