City of Phila v. Estate of T. Labrosciano ~ Appeal of: R. Labrosciano

202 A.3d 145
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 18, 2018
Docket1178 C.D. 2017
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 202 A.3d 145 (City of Phila v. Estate of T. Labrosciano ~ Appeal of: R. Labrosciano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Phila v. Estate of T. Labrosciano ~ Appeal of: R. Labrosciano, 202 A.3d 145 (Pa. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

OPINION BY JUDGE FIZZANO CANNON

Rocco Labrosciano (Appellant) appeals from the July 21, 2017 order of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (trial court) denying his Motion to Set Aside Sheriff Sale (Motion to Set Aside) regarding a property located at 1731 South Mole Street, Philadelphia (Property). Appellant presents five claims of error in this appeal. Appellant claims that: (1) the trial court erred by not holding a hearing prior to issuing the decree permitting the sale of the Property; (2) Section 39.2 of the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act (MCTLA), 1 53 P.S. § 7193.2, unconstitutionally violates the separation of powers clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution; (3) the trial court erred in determining that the testimony of a private process server established that the most public part of the Property had been properly posted; (4) the trial court erred in admitting third-party business records into evidence; and (5) the trial court erred by holding that the City of Philadelphia (the City) was not required to comply with Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure Nos. 3129.1-2, 3181(a)(6) and 3190.

Background and Procedural Posture

Appellant has lived his entire life in the Property. Notes of Testimony (N.T.) 3/21/2017 at 13-19. During their lifetimes, Appellant's parents, Marie and Thomas Labrosciano, were the record owners of the Property. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 13 & 31. Appellant's mother passed away intestate in February 1988 followed by Appellant's father, also intestate, in June 2002, leaving Appellant as the Property's legal owner. Id. at 14 & 30-31. Although the legal owner, Appellant never registered or recorded his ownership interest in the Property. Id. at 30 & 38.

While the Property's real estate taxes were paid prior to 2011, the taxes went unpaid in 2011, 2012 and 2013. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 31-32. As a result, the City filed a claim for unpaid real estate taxes against the Property. Thereafter, on March 10, 2015, the City's law department real estate tax collection co-counsel, GRB Law (GRB), mailed a pre-foreclosure notice to the Property that explained that the City intended to commence foreclosure proceedings against the Property for the outstanding tax balance. 2 Id. at 47 & 49. In response, on March 16, 2015, Appellant telephoned GRB and requested a payment plan to rectify the Property's delinquent taxes. Id. at 48. As a result of this telephone call, GRB forwarded to the Property an application for an Owner Occupied Payment Agreement (OOPA), a statement of the taxes owed, and a Taxpayer Assistance Brochure. Id. at 48-49. Appellant did not return the OOPA application.

Receiving no response to the OOPA application, on April 14, 2015, the City filed a Tax Sale Petition against the Property seeking to collect the delinquent real estate taxes (Tax Sale Petition). See Tax Sale Petition. The City included with the Tax Sale Petition a Tax Information Certificate (TIC) that identified all interested parties and their addresses, and listed Thomas and Marie Labrosciano as owners of the Property based on available property records. Id.

On April 25, 2015, the trial court issued a Rule to Show Cause why a decree should not be entered allowing the sale of the Property (Rule to Show Cause) and directing interested parties to file an answer to the Tax Sale Petition within 20 days of service of the Rule to Show Cause or face the possibility that the Property may be scheduled for a sheriff's sale. See Rule to Show Cause. The Rule to Show Cause did not schedule or otherwise include information regarding a hearing on the Tax Sale Petition or the Rule to Show Cause. Id.

The City served copies of the Rule to Show Cause, together with the Tax Sale Petition, on Thomas Labrosciano, Marie Labrosciano, and also on the "current resident" of the Property via first-class mail addressed to the Property on June 17, 2015 and via certified mail also addressed to the Property on June 12, 2015. See Affidavit of Service of Mailing Petition and Rule, filed June 19, 2015 (Affidavit of Mailing); Affidavit of Posting, filed June 23, 2015 (Affidavit of Posting); N.T. 3/21/2017 at 64-66. Additionally, a private process server posted the Rule to Show Cause and the Tax Sale Petition onto the "most public part" of the Property on June 20, 2015. See Affidavit of Posting; N.T. 3/21/2017 at 7-8 & 10. The City filed its Affidavit of Mailing and Affidavit of Posting on June 19, 2015 and June 23, 2015, respectively.

Also in June of 2015, Appellant submitted an incomplete OOPA application to GRB. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 49-50. The submitted OOPA application was missing both proof of residency and proof of property ownership. Id. at 50. Because the OOPA application was incomplete, on June 15, 2015, GRB returned the application to Appellant together with a request for additional information/documentation. Id. at 51. Neither Appellant nor anyone on his behalf returned a completed OOPA application to GRB or the City. Id. at 52.

On June 29, 2015, Appellant left a telephone message with GRB, which returned his call on the same day, but was unable to reach Appellant or leave him a voicemail message. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 52. On August 4, 2015, Appellant again called GRB and was informed that, although he had no payment plan in place, he could still make payment arrangements. Id. at 52-53.

In early August 2015, still having received no additional proof of residency and proof of ownership documentation from Appellant, GRB mailed Appellant an OOPA application denial letter. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 53. In response, Appellant again telephoned GRB on August 10, 2015. Id. at 53-54. GRB again advised Appellant of the documentation required to complete his OOPA application. Id. The following day, on August 11, 2015, GRB mailed Appellant a new OOPA application and advised him to either mail the required information or deliver it to GRB's office in person. Id. at 54-55.

On August 28, 2015, the trial court entered a decree authorizing the sale of the Property without holding a hearing to determine the City's strict compliance with the service requirements of the MCTLA. See Decree dated August 28, 2015.

In early September of 2015, GRB sent a final notice before sheriff's sale to the Property. N.T. 3/21/2017 at 55. The notice included a response deadline of September 30, 2015, with a warning that a sheriff's sale could be scheduled for the Property if Appellant failed to respond to the notice by that date. Id. On September 24, 2015, Appellant left a voicemail message claiming he had faxed the OOPA application and supporting documentation to GRB, but had not received a confirmation of the transmission. Id. GRB did not receive a faxed OOPA application or supporting documents, and so telephoned Appellant to advise him to present to GRB's office on September 29, 2015 to turn in the OOPA application and documentation. Id. at 56. Appellant did not present to GRB's office on September 29, 2015. Id.

Appellant next telephoned GRB on October 2, 2015.

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Bluebook (online)
202 A.3d 145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-phila-v-estate-of-t-labrosciano-appeal-of-r-labrosciano-pacommwct-2018.