Philly Bar Association to withdraw lobbying law suit

The Philadelphia Bar Association says it will withdraw its lawsuit against part of the city’s lobbying law.

Filed June 30, the suit said the law was too broad and sought an injuction to stop the implementation of some of its parts.

 

“This ordinance … covers things that nobody would really consider lobbying: standing in line at the Municipal Services Building to get a zoning permit or a building permit,” PBA Chancellor Rudy Garcia told WHYY’s Lizz Fiedler in a July 4 interview. “If somebody gets a tax notice and they ask their lawyer to call the law department at the city to try to straighten it out, that could be lobbying.”

But after meeting with the city’s Board of Ethics today, the PBA will pull the suit since the ethics board has decided to put all of the ordinance’s requirements on hold until revised regulations are finalized.

Look for more details later from Lizz on the basis of the suit and the decision to pull it.