A federal judge has dismissed a sex discrimination suit a female attorney filed against a Pittsburgh law firm saying because she is a shareholder the attorney is, essentially, her own employer.

The lawyer for 46-year-old Alyson Kirleis, of Upper St. Clair, says he'll appeal Tuesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab.

Kirleis sued Dickie McCamey & Chilcote in 2006 claiming she got less pay than male colleagues and was excluded from office parties because they often include sexually explicit entertainment.

But Schwab says because Kirleis is a member of her firm's board, she is an employer, not an employee.

Police a student caused a minor fire in a Pittsburgh public school by trying to use an aerosol can as a "blow torch" of sorts.City firefighters and an arson squad responded to the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy about 8 a.m. Tuesday.School district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh says the fire involved an aerosol that was sprayed through a flame. The can exploded and damaged a toilet and a backpack in the restroom, which caught fire.The eighth-grader was taken to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center. Police are not releasing his name because he is only 14.Students were evacuated safely and returned to classes about 10:20 a.m. The school has students in grades 6 through 9.