Commonwealth v. Borough of Wellsboro

62 Pa. D. & C.2d 338, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 206
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Tioga County
DecidedJuly 12, 1973
Docketno. 4 of 1973
StatusPublished

This text of 62 Pa. D. & C.2d 338 (Commonwealth v. Borough of Wellsboro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Tioga County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Borough of Wellsboro, 62 Pa. D. & C.2d 338, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 206 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

KEMP, P.J.,

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a complaint in equity requesting a preliminary injunction on January 8, 1973.

Defendant filed preliminary objections on January 17, 1973.

A hearing was held on January 17, 1973, at which time the court entered the following order: “And now, January 17, 1973, the above proceedings are stayed for a period of thirty (30) days to allow the Commonwealth to correct the record, and to answer preliminary objections. The defendants are hereby granted twenty (20) days from the date of filing to answer any pleadings filed by the Commonwealth.”

The Commonwealth filed an amended complaint requesting a permanent injunction on February 13, 1973.

Defendant filed preliminary objections on March 5, 1973.

The preliminary objections were argued before the court on June 13, 1973.

[340]*340The questions raised by the preliminary objections were as follows:

1. Petition raising the defense of lack of capacity to sue.

2. Petition raising question of jurisdiction.

3. Motion for more specific complaint.

COUNTS I, II, III OF COMPLAINT

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania saw fit to grant the court of common pleas jurisdiction under the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act of July 31, 1968, P. L. 788, 35 PS §6013, which provides:

“In addition to any other remedies provided in this act, the secretary may institute a suit in equity in the name of the Commonwealth in the court of common pleas of the county where the violation or nuisance exists for an injunction to restrain a violation of this act or the rules, regulations or standards adopted thereunder and to restrain the maintenance of a public nuisance.” And, in addition, and under section 6011(c): “The department may institute an action in mandamus in the court of common pleas of the county in which the municipality is located to compel compliance with an order issued under subsection (a) of this section.”

Under counts I, II, and III of the amended complaint, the allegations deal with the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act.

The legislature provided in Act of April 9, 1929, P. L. 177, sec. 20, as amended December 3, 1970, P. L. 834, 71 PS §510-1, that the Department of Environmental Resources shall, subject to any inconsistent provisions in this act contained, continue to exercise the powers and perform the duties by law heretofore vested in and imposed upon; subsection (15) the Department of Flealth by the Act of July 31, 1968, art. no. 241, known as the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act.

[341]*341LACK OF CAPACITY TO SUE

The legislature granted to the court of common pleas jurisdiction in those matters provided in the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act all other matters would be under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court. Since the jurisdiction is granted by statute and the statute sets forth who shall institute such action, it is the opinion of this court that the capacity to bring suit rests only in those persons specifically named. In this action, the suit would be required to be instituted by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources.

The Commonwealth argued that section 1901-A of the Administrative Code of April 9, 1929, P. L. 177, as amended December 3, 1970, 71 PS §510-1, subsection 6, provides that the Secretary of Health has powers pertaining to the control of nuisances and that further, under section 28 of the Administrative Code of April 9, 1929, 71 PS §510-101, gives persons other than the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources authority to institute actions under the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act.

The Commonwealth, however, ignores paragraph 15 of 71 PS §510-1 heretofore referred to in this opinion. The opinion of this court is that the Administrative Code does not amend the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act to the effect that an action in equity can be instituted by anyone other than the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources.

The Commonwealth ignores the Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 2002, which states the following:

“(a) Except as otherwise provided in clauses (b), (c), and (d), of this rule, all actions shall be prosecuted by and in the name of the real party in interest, without distinction between contracts under seal and parol contracts.
[342]*342“(c) Clause (a) of this rule shall not apply to actions where a statute or ordinance provides otherwise.”

If, therefore, a statute or ordinance designates a person entitled to bring an action or statute in whose name an action should be brought, it should be given full effect regardless of the real parties in interest rule: Steinert v. Galasso, 363 Pa. 393.

It would appear to this court that defendant is entitled to know who the person or persons are that are responsible for instituting any action in equity. Since it is permissible for the caption under this statute to state only the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it appears only equitable to this court that a defendant know who is responsible for bringing the action and to what administrative agency he may look to examine regulations regarding the particular matter.

PETITION RAISING QUESTION OF JURISDICTION

The Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act provides as heretofore recited that “the secretary may institute a suit in equity in the name of the Commonwealth in the court of common pleas of the county where the violation or nuisance exists [where an ordinance] to restrain a violation of this act or the rules, regulations or standards adopted thereunder and to restrain the maintenance of a public nuisance.”

It is clear that the act uses the word restrain, which would mean an injunction prohibiting further acts and not a mandatory injunction. If the legislature had granted the court general equity powers in this matter, it could have very easily stated that fact. The limitations placed on the equity powers of the court of common pleas of the county leads this court to believe that it has no powers to issue a mandatory injunction. [343]*343Section 6011 of the act, under section (c), provides the department may institute an action in mandamus in the court of common pleas in the county in which the municipality is located to compel compliance with an order issued under section (a) of that section.

It is, therefore, the opinion of this court that the Commonwealth has a remedy provided by statute, that being mandamus.

The writ of mandamus was one of the high prerogative writs of the Kings Bench. As we have often said, it “lies to compel the performance of a ministerial act or mandatory duty where there is clear legal right in the plaintiff, a corresponding duty in the defendant, and a want of any other appropriate and adequate remedy”: Travis v. Teter, 370 Pa. 326, 330, 87 A.2d 177 (1952). See also Martin v. Garnet Valley School District, 441 Pa. 502, 272 A.2d 913 (1971); Philadelphia Presbytery Homes, Inc. v. Abington Board of Commissioners, 440 Pa.

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Related

Philadelphia Presbytery Homes, Inc. v. Abington Board of Commissioners
269 A.2d 871 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Travis v. Teter
87 A.2d 177 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1952)
Steinert v. Galasso
69 A.2d 841 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1949)
Unger v. Hampton Township
263 A.2d 385 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Gallagher v. Springfield Township Board of Commissioners
264 A.2d 699 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1970)
Martin v. Garnet Valley School District
272 A.2d 913 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 Pa. D. & C.2d 338, 1973 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 206, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-borough-of-wellsboro-pactcompltioga-1973.