Bonnett v. Ginn

22 Pa. D. & C.3d 243, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 491
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Alleghany County
DecidedJanuary 20, 1982
Docketno. 7462 of 1981
StatusPublished

This text of 22 Pa. D. & C.3d 243 (Bonnett v. Ginn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Alleghany County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bonnett v. Ginn, 22 Pa. D. & C.3d 243, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 491 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

WETTICK, J.,

Plaintiff, Henry Bonnett, Jr., instituted a trespass action against Rabia B. Ginn and Fay E. Bunyan before a justice of the peace. The justice of the peace found for plaintiff against defendant Ginn and for defendant Bunyan against plaintiff. Ginn filed a timely notice of appeal which referred only to the judgment entered in plaintiff’s favor against this defendant. Notice of the appeal was given only to plaintiff, and plaintiff filed no appeal from the judgment entered in Bunyan’s favor.

The initial complaint which plaintiff filed in this court named only Ginn as a defendant. Ginn filed an answer in which he denied negligence. Subsequently, and without leave of court, plaintiff filed an amended complaint which included Bunyan as a second defendant. Ginn then filed an amended answer which included a cross claim against Bunyan.

Bunyan has filed preliminary objections requesting that the amended complaint and cross claim be [244]*244stricken with prejudice because (a) the amended complaint and answer containing the cross claim were filed without leave of court, and (b) neither plaintiff nor Ginn appealed from the judgment entered in Bunyan’s favor against plaintiff in the justice of the peace proceedings.

Plaintiff’s complaint could not be amended to add an additional party defendant in the absence of a court order allowing the joinder entered pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 2232(c). Goodrich-Amram 2d § 1033:3. Thus, because the amended complaint naming Bunyan as a defendant was filed without leave of court, Bunyan’s preliminary objections in the nature of a motion to strike the amended complaint because of lack of conformity to law are sustained.

Since we have struck plaintiff’s amended complaint, defendant Ginn’s answer to this amended complaint has no validity. We, therefore, strike this entire answer, including the cross claim against Bunyan.

At oral argument, the parties to this proceeding focused on whether the failure of plaintiff and defendant Ginn to appeal the judgment entered in Bunyan’s favor against plaintiff bars Bunyan’s joinder as a defendant. Eventually, it will be necessary to decide this issue. Plaintiff undoubtedly will request this court to order Bunyan’s joinder pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 2232(c), and the only colorable argument against the joinder will be plaintiff’s failure to appeal the justice of the peace judgment in Bunyan’s favor. Consequently, since this is a small claims proceeding and this court is reluctant to require three counsel to make an additional appearance to reargue the same issue once proper procedure is followed, we will consider at this time the joinder issue in order to expedite these proceedings. [245]*245have addressed the issue of whether an appeal from compulsory arbitration by one party inures to the benefit of another party. From these decisions evolved a general rule that “the mere appeal of one defendant in compulsory arbitration is of no avail to another defendant, so that a judgment entered after the lapse of appeal time will not be opened or stricken.” Fante v. Philadelphia Transportation Company, 222 Pa. Superior Ct. 276, 277, 294 A. 2d 776, (1972). However, the appellate courts recognized an exception to this general rule where it appeared that it was the intention of the appealing party to have the appeal operate as an appeal on behalf of other parties. See Mitchell v. Pittsburgh, 233 Pa. Superior Ct. 119, 335 A. 2d 403 (1975). While at first glance the hne between the general rule and the exception appears to be readily ascertainable, this is not the case. As Judge Price frequently observed, the courts developed a series of rules for determining the intent of appellant which “render the issue confused and the result uncertain.” Berkey v. Puliafico, 254 Pa. Superior Ct. 119, 385 A. 2d 554, 556 (1978) (Price, J., dissenting). For this reason, Judge Price favored the adoption of a rule that an appeal by one party from compulsory arbitration be treated as an appeal by all parties.

This result was achieved through the Compulsory Arbitration Rules adopted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on March 16, 1981. Pa.R.C.P. 1309 provides that “An appeal by any party shall be deemed an appeal by all parties as to all issues unless otherwise stipulated in writing by all parties.” According to the explanatory note, the purpose of this rule was to “end the interminable litigation as to when an appeal by one party inures to the benefit of one or more other parties to the action.”

On numerous occasions, our appellate courts

[246]*246If the present case were governed by the appellate court case law governing appeals from compulsory arbitration awards, it is likely that Ginn’s appeal would not operate as an appeal of the judgment entered in Bunyan’s favor against plaintiff. Compare Romanovich v. Hilferty, 212 Pa. Superior Ct. 570, 245 A. 2d 701 (1968) and Delmarmol v. Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Md., 225 Pa. Superior Ct. 90, 310 A. 2d 363 (1973) with Hammerman v. Lee, 207 Pa. Superior Ct. 370, 217 A. 2d 853 (1966) and Portlock v. Philadelphia Transportation Co., 203 Pa. Superior Ct. 385, 198 A. 2d 617 (1964). We must, therefore, decide whether appeals of justice of the peace judgments should be governed by this case law or by the rule that an appeal by any party shall be deemed an appeal by all parties.

Although discussed in the case of Maybee v. McKnight, 264 Pa. Superior Ct. 16, 398 A. 2d 1034 (1979), the issue of whether an appeal of a justice of the peace judgment by one party inures to the benefit of other parties has never been decided by our appellate courts. In Maybee v. McKnight, the justice of the peace entered judgment in favor of plaintiff and against defendant Coryea and in favor of defendant McKnight against plaintiff. Coryea appealed; plaintiff did not. Pursuant to the appeal, plaintiff filed a complaint naming Coryea and McKnight as defendants, and, subsequently, plaintiff also obtained a court order permitting McKnight to be joined as a defendant. McKnight filed a preliminary objection to plaintiff’s complaint contending that plaintiff’s failure to appeal from the judgment entered in his favor deprived the court of jurisdiction over the case as it relates to this defendant. The court considered only this issue and held that the common pleas court had jurisdic[247]*247tion over McKnight.

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Related

Maybee v. McKnight
398 A.2d 1034 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1979)
Berkey v. Puliafico
385 A.2d 554 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Hammerman v. Lee
217 A.2d 853 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Romanovich v. Hilferty
245 A.2d 701 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1968)
Portock v. Philadelphia Transportation Co.
198 A.2d 617 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1964)
Delmarmol v. Fidelity & Deposit Co.
310 A.2d 363 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1973)
Mitchell v. Pittsburgh
335 A.2d 403 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
Fante v. Philadelphia Transportation Co.
294 A.2d 776 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
22 Pa. D. & C.3d 243, 1982 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bonnett-v-ginn-pactcomplallegh-1982.