Cumberland-Perry Area Vo-Tech School Authority v. Bogar

42 Pa. D. & C.3d 14, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 49
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Cumberland County
DecidedJuly 31, 1985
Docketno. 2273 Civil 1984
StatusPublished

This text of 42 Pa. D. & C.3d 14 (Cumberland-Perry Area Vo-Tech School Authority v. Bogar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Cumberland County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cumberland-Perry Area Vo-Tech School Authority v. Bogar, 42 Pa. D. & C.3d 14, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 49 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1985).

Opinion

SHEELY, P.J.,

HISTORY

This is an action to recover damages for an allegedly defective roof installed on the plaintiff’s school building in 1969-1970. Under provisions of the contract between plaintiff and the architect (Bogar and Bink) and plaintiff and the general contractor (H. B. Alexander and Son), the claims against both parties were referred to arbitration. The arbitrators found in favor of defendants and a timely appeal was filed in this court. It is stipulated by agreement of the parties and order of court dated January 16, 1985, that the issues presented are:

(a) Whether the arbitration provided for under the contracts of June 20, 1967, between the authority and architect and June 6, 1969, between the authority and contractor, was statutory arbitration or common-law arbitration, and if found to be statutory, is under the Arbitration Act of April 25, 1927, P.L. 381, 5 P.S. §161 et seq., as amended, (hereinafter Act of 1927), or under the Act of October 5, 1980, P.L. 693, 42 Pa. C.S. §7301 et seq., as amended (hereinafter Act of 1980).

(b) Under the petition and answer filed, what are the extent and parameters of the court’s review of the arbitration proceedings previously held and concluded between the parties, and particularly that which petitioner must establish to permit the court’s review to proceed.

[16]*16DISCUSSION

The underlying circumstances that resulted in this cause of action clearly arose prior to the passage of the Act of 1980. In Vogel v. National Grange Mutual Insurance Co., 332 Pa. Super. 384, 481 A.2d 668 (1984), the Superior Court held that “[t]he lower court mistakenly concluded that repeal of the 1927 Act rendered the dispute subject to arbitration under the Uniform Arbitration Act. (Citation omitted.) It is well settled that the law extant at the time the cause arose governs the subsequent arbitration. See Couch on Insurance 2d (Rev. ed.) §50:15.” Id. at 386-87, 481 A.2d 669, fn. 2. See Gaslin, Inc. v. L.G.C. Exports, Inc., 334 Pa. Super. 132, 482 A.2d 1117 (1984). Therefore the Act of 1980 is not applicable to the case at bar.

Section 176 of the Act of 1927 states: “The provisions of this act shall apply to any written contract to which the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or any agency or subdivision thereof, or any municipal corporation or political division of the Commonwealth shall be a party. (Emphasis supplied.) This use of the word shall has been held to be mandatory by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Seaboard Surety Co. v. Commonwealth, 345 Pa. 147, 27 A.2d 27 (1942). An agency, instrumentality, or political division of the Commonwealth may not contract for binding common law arbitration. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission v. Sanders and Thomas, 461 Pa. 420, 336 A.2d 609 (1975); Flamini v. General Accident, Fire and Life Assurance Corporation, 328 Pa. Super. 406, 477 A.2d 508 (1984); Lisbon Contractors, Inc. v. South Middleton Township Municipal Authority, 28 Cumberland L.J. 106 (1978). “The Act of 1927 applies to contracts to which the Commonwealth and its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions are parties and which contain [17]*17general agreements to arbitrate without reference to any statutory authority. International Brotherhood of Fireman and Oilers, AFL-CIO Local 1201 v. School District of Philadelphia, 465 Pa. 356, 350 A.2d 804 (1976).

Petitioner-school authority is an agency of the Commonwealth, as it is a creature of the legislature. Muhlenberg Township School District Authority v. Pennsylvania Fortunato, 460 Pa. 260, 333 A.2d 184 (1975); Chartiers Valley Joint Schools v. Allegheny County Board of School Directors, 418 Pa. 520, 544, 211 A.2d 487, 500 (1965). Therefore, because the statute is mandatory, the Act of 1927 is applicable to any review of the arbitrator’s award.

When reviewing a common law arbitration award the scope of judicial review was extremely narrow.

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Related

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477 A.2d 563 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
Flamini v. General Accident Fire & Life Assurance Corp.
477 A.2d 508 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
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414 A.2d 100 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Vogel v. National Grange Mut. Ins. Co.
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Bluebook (online)
42 Pa. D. & C.3d 14, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 49, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cumberland-perry-area-vo-tech-school-authority-v-bogar-pactcomplcumber-1985.