Dennis v. City of Philadelphia

620 A.2d 625, 153 Pa. Commw. 81, 1993 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 41
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 27, 1993
StatusPublished

This text of 620 A.2d 625 (Dennis v. City of Philadelphia) 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
Dennis v. City of Philadelphia, 620 A.2d 625, 153 Pa. Commw. 81, 1993 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 41 (Pa. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

McGINLEY, Judge.

Before this Court for reconsideration is an appeal by Joan Dennis, Administratrix of the Estate of Dominique, by Joan Dennis as Trustee Ad Litem, and by David and Joan Dennis in their own right (Mr. and Mrs. Dennis) from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (common pleas court) entering summary judgment in favor of the City of Philadelphia (City).1 We vacate our February 28, 1992, [83]*83order, 145 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 691, 604 A.2d 771 in this matter and affirm the common pleas court.2

At approximately 10:30 P.M. on April 1, 1985, Police Officer Benny James Noble and Police Officer Abram Cobert observed a 1975 yellow Cadillac proceed through a red traffic signal. A pursuit was initiated and escalated into a high-speed chase. The yellow Cadillac collided with the Dennis vehicle seriously injuring Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and killing their six-month-old daughter, Dominique.

On November 16, 1987, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis filed a civil action alleging that the City through its “agents, servants and employees” was negligent, careless and reckless in initiating a pursuit and in otherwise failing to exercise due care. Complaint, November 16, 1987, paragraph 8; Brief of Appellant (Brief), Exhibit A. The City filed a motion for summary judgment which the common pleas court granted, concluding that “there are no facts establishing a special relationship between themselves [plaintiffs] and the police” and that “[p]laintiffs have failed to establish the necessary elements for a cause of action in negligence.” Opinion of the Common Pleas Court, March 22, 1991.

On appeal Mr. and Mrs. Dennis contend: (1) that pursuant to Section 3105 of the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S. § 31053 and [84]*84Philadelphia Police Directive No. 45,4 the City’s police officers were required to exercise due care in the operation of their vehicles; (2) that recent appellate court decisions have expanded the class of people who possess a “special relationship”; and (3) that the City waived governmental immunity pursuant to Chapter 21-700 of the Philadelphia Code.

In their complaint, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis allege that the City, “acting through its agents, servants, and employees, within the course and scope of their employment” for the City was negligent in “[pjursuing a vehicle at an excessive rate of speed on a public street or highway in reckless disregard for the safety of plaintiffs.” Complaint, paragraph 8; R.R., Exhibit A.

In Dennis v. City of Philadelphia, 145 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 691, 604 A.2d 771 (1992), we noted our decisions in Bickert v. Borough of Riverside, 118 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 91, 545 A.2d 962 (1988) and Dickens v. Upper Chichester Township, 123 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 226, 553 A.2d 510 (1989) and reversed the common pleas court’s grant of summary judgment [85]*85on behalf of the municipality. In Bickert the plaintiff was rendered a quadriplegic as a result of a high speed chase. The plaintiff had filed a complaint alleging that the police “negligently engaged in pursuit.” Id., 118 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. at 93, 545 A.2d at 693. In Bickert we stated:

Paragraph 26(a) of the complaint avers that a high-speed vehicular pursuit was initiated by police from which it is easily inferred that the police vehicle was operated in excess of the speed limit. Thus a fact question as to the degree of care exercised by the police officer in operating his own vehicle while pursuing the Share vehicle is raised, which question is not properly decided by a Court in this procedural posture.

Id. at 95, 545 A.2d at 964.

In Dickens the plaintiffs vehicle was also involved in a collision with a vehicle involved in a high-speed police pursuit. We stated that there is no requirement that a vehicle operated by a local government agent must physically collide with the injured party for liability to attach. Id. 123 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. at 229, 553 A.2d at 512. Citing our decision in Bickeri, we held that the plaintiff (Dickens) had sufficiently pleaded a cognizable theory of liability based on allegations of a high-speed pursuit through a residential neighborhood and failure to exercise due care. Dickens, 123 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. at 230-31, 553 A.2d at 512-13. Accordingly, we held that the common pleas court in Dickens did not err or abuse its discretion in concluding that the plaintiffs allegations raised factual questions as to the degree of care exercised by the police officer involved in the high-speed pursuit. Id.

However, we have been reversed by our Supreme Court. In Dickens v. Homer the Supreme Court cites its decision in Mascaro v. Youth Study Center, 514 Pa. 351, 523 A.2d 1118 (1987) for the proposition that acts of third parties are specifically excluded in the general immunity section of Section 8542 of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8542, and may not be imputed to the local agency or its employees. Id., 531 Pa. at 126, 611 A.2d at 693. In White v. Moto Laverda (S.R.L.), 152 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 488, 620 A.2d 52 (1993) we followed the [86]*86Supreme Court’s decision in Dickens v. Homer and reviewed a similar controversy wherein the plaintiff sought to impose liability upon the City, of Philadelphia for injuries sustained in a collision at an intersection involving a vehicle being pursued by the police. In White the plaintiff contended that Section 8542(b)(1) of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8542(b)(1) imposed liability upon the police for the negligent operation of their vehicles, that Section 3105 of the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S. § 3105 imposed an express duty of care owed to all persons by the police while engaged in the vehicular pursuit of a violator of the law, and that a protected special relationship existed between the plaintiff and the police. We rejected these arguments and stated that “liability cannot be imposed upon a pursuing police officer because of the superseding criminal acts of the fleeing suspect.” White at 493-94, 620 A.2d at 55.

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis also contend that the City has waived governmental immunity pursuant to Chapter 21-700 of the Philadelphia Code and as a result the City is responsible for the negligent acts of its police officers in the performance of their official duties. Section 21-701 of the Philadelphia Code states:

WAIVER OF GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY
§ 21-701. Police Officers.
(a) The City shall not plead governmental immunity as a defense in any civil action commenced by any person sustaining bodily injury or death caused by negligent or unlawful conduct of any police officer while the latter is acting within the scope of his office or employment.

On December 4, 1990, the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia signed into law an ordinance repealing Chapter 21-700 of the Philadelphia Code.

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Related

Bickert v. Borough of Riverside
545 A.2d 962 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1988)
White v. Moto Laverda (SRL)
620 A.2d 52 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1993)
Mascaro v. Youth Study Center
523 A.2d 1118 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1987)
Dickens v. Upper Chichester Township
553 A.2d 510 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1989)
City of Philadelphia v. Patton
609 A.2d 903 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)
Dickens v. Horner
611 A.2d 693 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1992)

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620 A.2d 625, 153 Pa. Commw. 81, 1993 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dennis-v-city-of-philadelphia-pacommwct-1993.