HARRISBURG, Pa. — Attorney General Bruce R. Beemer today announced the elevation of two respected attorneys within the Office of Attorney General.
John G. Knorr III has been appointed Acting Executive Deputy Attorney General of the OAG’s Civil Law Division. Meanwhile, Sarah A. E. Frasch has been appointed as the Director of the OAG’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“John and Sarah are both respected attorneys who have proven themselves as leaders in this office through years of public service,” Attorney General Beemer said. “They bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to their respective positions.”
Knorr appointment
Knorr has been a Deputy Attorney General since 1979. He was promoted in 1988 to Chief Deputy Attorney General of the OAG’s Litigation Section. In 1998, Attorney General Mike Fisher appointed him as Chief Deputy Attorney General of the office’s Appellate Litigation Section. Knorr has continued to serve in that role since his appointment.
He has earned a reputation as one of the OAG’s most talented litigators. He has argued countless cases before Pennsylvania courts and has represented the state on numerous occasions before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Knorr on multiple occasions has been the recipient of the National Association of Attorneys General Supreme Court of the United States Best Brief Award. He earned the award in 2005 for his work on Jeffrey Beard v. Ronald Banks, a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections policy imposing restrictions on inmates in long term segregation. Knorr and other OAG attorneys represented Beard, the Secretary for the Department of Corrections.
Knorr also was part of the team that authored a brief and worked to prepare then-Attorney General Ernest D. Preate Jr. to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which dealt with the constitutionality of the Pennsylvania law governing abortions.
Last year, Knorr successfully represented the Office of Attorney General before the state Commonwealth Court in a case that provided clarity to which OAG emails are considered public records under the state’s Right to Know Law.
Knorr studied history and political science at Penn State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He earned his law degree from Yale Law School.
Knorr’s appointment as Acting Executive Deputy Attorney General of the Civil Law Division follows Attorney General Beemer’s appointment earlier this month of Robert A. Mulle as First Deputy Attorney General. Prior to his appointment as First Deputy, Mulle headed the Civil Law Division as its Executive Deputy Attorney General.
Frasch appointment
Frasch has served as a Deputy Attorney General, and in more recent years as a Senior Deputy Attorney General, in the Bureau of Consumer Protection since graduating in 2006 from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. She will now serve as a Chief Deputy Attorney General.
During her tenure with the Bureau, Frasch has led more than 200 investigations and filed more than 100 legal actions related to businesses engaged in trade or commerce in the Commonwealth that have allegedly violated Pennsylvania consumer protection laws.
Frasch recently helped reach a $1 million settlement with Internet Order LLC, an online marketing company with offices in Philadelphia that was accused of deceiving consumers through its marketing of language audio courses. The settlement, which resolved a lawsuit filed by the Bureau, provided considerable restitution for consumers and required the company to change its business practices.
In addition to managing her caseload, Frasch directed the Bureau’s legal internship program in the OAG’s Philadelphia Regional Office, acting as a mentor to law students as they gained professional experience to further their careers as future attorneys.
Frasch also has presented continuing legal education programs related to consumer issues and has spoken at various law school events and before different groups about the role of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Frasch graduated from Temple University’s Honors Program in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in computer informational science
SOURCE: Attorney General’s Press Office
