Gallagher v. COM. OF PA., BUR. OF CORR.

545 A.2d 981, 118 Pa. Commw. 516, 1988 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 651
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 12, 1988
DocketAppeal 60 T.D. 1987
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 545 A.2d 981 (Gallagher v. COM. OF PA., BUR. OF CORR.) 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
Gallagher v. COM. OF PA., BUR. OF CORR., 545 A.2d 981, 118 Pa. Commw. 516, 1988 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 651 (Pa. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

Opinion by

Judge Barry,

Jay Gallagher appeals from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Centre County which granted a motion for summary judgment filed by the Commonwealths Bureau of Correction and the State Correctional Institution at Rockview (SCIR) and dismissed appellants complaint.

Appellant is incarcerated at the SCIR. At the time in question, he shared a cell with another inmate. The cell had bunk beds, appellant occupying the upper [518]*518bunk. Because no ladder is in the cell, appellant could reach the upper bunk only by using the cell bars to climb to the upper bunk. Appellant was using the cell bars to get out of his bunk when his cellmate closed the cell door, severing appellants left ring finger.

Appellant filed a complaint alleging negligence on the part of the defendants. The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment, alleging immunity under 42 Pa. C. S. §8522(b). The trial court granted the motion and dismissed the complaint. This appeal followed.

Appellant makes three allegations of error. He first argues that this case falls within the real property exception contained in 42 Pa. C. S. §8522(b)(4). He also argues that the case falls within the personal property exception of 42 Pa. C. S. §8522(b)(3). Finally, he argues that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because it was the cellmate who put the door in motion. We affirm.

We shall consider the first and third argument together. 42 Pa. C. S. §8522(b)(4) waives sovereign immunity for a claim of damages caused by “[a] dangerous condition of Commonwealth agency real estate ... , including Commonwealth owned real property. ...” A number of recent cases establish that this section is inapplicable to this case.

The exceptions to the rules of immunity must be strictly construed and narrowly interpreted. Mascaro v. Youth Study Center, 514 Pa. 351, 523 A.2d 1118 (1987), reversing, 89 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 388, 492 A.2d 786 (1985). In that case, the plaintiffs were severely injured by the criminal acts of a third party who had escaped from the defendants detention facility. The plaintiffs alleged that the real property exception applied because defective locks at the detention facility had allowed the third party to escape. The trial court granted judgment on the pleadings in favor of the defendant; we reversed and remanded for trial. In reversing our decision, the [519]*519Supreme Court stated, “[T]he real estate exception can be applied only to those cases where it is alleged that the artificial condition or defect of the land itself causes the injury, not merely when it facilitates the injury by the acts of others, whose acts are outside the statutes scope of liability.” 514 Pa. at 363, 523 A.2d at 1124 (emphasis in original). Since the alleged defect in the real property involved in Mascaro, the locks at the detention facility, did not cause the injury complained of, the Supreme Court reversed.

Appellant argues that this case is controlled by Mistecka v. Commonwealth, 46 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 267, 408 A.2d 159.(1979), and not by Mascaro. In Mistecka, we held that the Commonwealth could be liable for injuries caused when unknown individuals threw rocks from an overpass onto cars travelling upon a Commonwealth owned highway. Because such rock throwing incidents had occurred in the past, we held that a jury could find that since there was no protection from rock throwers, this was a “dangerous condition” of the Commonwealth highway. However, because of Mascaro and cases that followed it, we have expressed real doubts about the validity of Mistecka. Rippy v. Fogel, 108 Pa. Commonwealth Ct, 296, 529 A.2d 608 (1987).

In Johnson v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 516 Pa. 312, 532 A.2d 409 (1987), the court held that the real property exception did not apply where the plaintiff was beaten inside a SEPTA facility which was a known haven for criminal activity. In Chevalier v. City of Philadelphia, 516 Pa. 316, 532 A.2d 411 (1987), the court held that the. exception did not apply where the plaintiff was mugged in a municipal parking lot which was poorly lighted. The. court stated:

In Mascaro, we held that the Tort Claims Act . . . clearly precludes the imposition of liability on the Commonwealth or its local agencies for the acts of third parties, and the Legislature has [520]*520not seen fit to waive immunity for such actors or their acts in any of the eight exceptions.
Since [plaintiffs] injuries were caused by the criminal acts of a third party, the City is insulated from all liability for the harm caused by such a party.

516 Pa. at 319, 532 A.2d at 413 (emphasis in original). Because the rock throwing in Mistecka is akin to criminal conduct mentioned in Mascaro and its progeny, we doubt the case would be decided the same way today.

Appellant argues, however, that none of these cases are applicable because each of them involves an exception to local government immunity as set forth in 42 Pa. C. S. §8542 rather than sovereign immunity. While the Commonwealth can be liable for a dangerous condition of real estate, Section 8542(b)(3) waives immunity for local governmental units with regard to the “care, custody and control of real property. . . ” Id. In Gratkie v. Air Wisconsin, 107 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 461, 528 A.2d 1032 (1987), we noted the differences between the two waivers of immunity and stated:

It seems to us that the concept of a dangerous condition of real estate may more easily be said to include the acts of third parties than can the concept of damage caused by the care, custody or control of the real property. The latter seems to focus more on the actual defects of the real estate itself, not any ‘dangerous condition which may be caused by third parties.

Id. at 468, 528 A.2d at 1035. However, in a decision which followed Gratkie involving Commonwealth defendants, we stated without equivocation in a case involving injuries caused by criminal conduct of a third party, “Although [Mascaro, Chevalier and Johnson] addressed the governmental immunity of local agencies, the reasoning of these decisions mandates the same conclusion with respect to the Commonwealth under [42 [521]*521Pa. C. S. §8522].” Moore v. Commonwealth, 114 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 56, 60, 538 A.2d 111, 113 (1988).

Appellant aptly notes that all of the aforementioned cases involve criminal conduct and no criminal conduct is involved in the present case. While- that is true, we believe that McCloskey v. Abington School District, 115 Pa. Commonwealth Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
545 A.2d 981, 118 Pa. Commw. 516, 1988 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 651, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gallagher-v-com-of-pa-bur-of-corr-pacommwct-1988.