Reverse Ruling Affirms Township Acted Legally
Posted on December 21st, 2012
December 21, 2012
Norris McLaughlin, P.A.
721 Route 202-206, Suite 200
P.O. Box 5933
Bridgewater, NJ 08807-5933
Contact: Edward C. Miller, Jr.
Chief Marketing Officer
(908) 722-0700 x4224
ecmillerjr@nmmlaw.com
Reverse Ruling Affirms Township Acted Legally
Allentown, PA (December 21, 2012) – Lower Macungie Township, its Board of Commissioners, and Solicitor Richard B. Somach, received confirmation that their actions were legal when the Commonwealth Court reversed Lehigh County Judge Michele A. Varricchio’s decision declaring invalid the approval of a rezoning that benefited Developer David Jaindl’s plan to develop 700 acres in the township. Somach, a member of Norris McLaughlin, P.A., was appointed as Solicitor of the township in November 2010.
“We are pleased that the Commonwealth Court has upheld the actions of the Board of Commissioners and found the actions to be transparent and in compliance with the letter of the law,” said Somach.
Somach focuses his practice on real estate, commercial law, and creditors’ remedies, representing real estate development companies, shopping centers, and local banks. In the banking area, Somach assists clients with their transactional, litigation, and operational needs, and has extensive experience handling collections, foreclosures, and complex commercial workouts. He has represented real estate owners, developers and investors in a broad range of real estate transactions including zoning matters, residential subdivisions, and shopping center development.
Rich serves as Solicitor for Lower Macungie Township and as Assistant Lehigh County Solicitor, advising the Sheriff’s Office, the Tax Assessment Office and the Tax Claim Bureau, and frequently writes and lectures on real estate matters, sheriff’s sales and real estate tax sales. He moderated “Sheriff’s Sales in Pennsylvania” and authored “Sheriff’s Sales and Real Estate Tax Sales” for “A Day on Real Estate” sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI). He has presented lectures on mortgage foreclosures, “Issues in Commercial Mortgage Foreclosure” and “Issues in Residential Mortgage Foreclosure” for PBI and lectured at the annual Real Estate Institute Program.
Active in many community organizations, Rich is a past president of the Salisbury Township School Board. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association; and of the Lehigh County Bar Association, where he served as President in 1992.
Somach earned his J.D. in 1974 from Hofstra University and his B.A., with honors, from Lehigh University in 1971.
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