Heist v. Henny Penny Farms Inc.

23 Pa. D. & C.5th 508, 2011 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 515
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Monroe County
DecidedMarch 11, 2011
Docketno. 7536 CV 2009
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 23 Pa. D. & C.5th 508 (Heist v. Henny Penny Farms Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Monroe County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heist v. Henny Penny Farms Inc., 23 Pa. D. & C.5th 508, 2011 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 515 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2011).

Opinion

SIBUM, J.,

This matter comes before the court on defendant’s motion to disqualify plaintiff’s counsel. Plaintiff commenced this action seeking damages for wrongful termination from his employment with defendant, Henny Penny Farms, Inc. Plaintiff filed a complaint on August 13, 2009. A subsequent amended complaint was filed on September 16, 2009 which also included a claim for defamation. Defendant filed a motion to compel discovery on November 1, 2010. Upon receiving and reviewing said discovery, defendant filed a motion to disqualify plaintiff’s counsel on November 17, 2010. Defendant avers that based upon plaintiff’s responses to the discovery, plaintiff’s counsel will be a fact witness in the case and had ex parte communications with defendant’s owner, thus violating the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. Both parties appeared before the court to argue their respective positions on February 7, 2011. We are now prepared to address this matter.

[510]*510DISCUSSION

APennsylvania trial court has the authority to disqualify an attorney whose behavior threatens to violate the rules of professional conduct. See Maritrans GP Inc. v. Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, 529 Pa. 241, 254, 602 A.2d 1277, 1283-84 (Pa. 1992); McCarthy v. Southeastern Pa. Transp. Auth., 772 A.2d 987, 991 (Pa. Super. 2001)(Pennsylvania trial courts may sanction counsel by disqualification for violating the rules of professional conduct). This authority, however, is limited to those circumstances “where disqualification is needed to [e]nsure the parties receive the fair trial which due process requires.” Id. citing In re Estate of Pedrick, 505 Pa. 530, 542, 482 A.2d 215, 221 (Pa. 1984). In addition, “[a] party seeking to disqualify opposing counsel has the burden of establishing that counsel’s continued participation in the case would violate the disciplinary rules.” Petition of Kenvue Dev. Inc., 602 A.2d 470, 476 (Pa. Super. 1992).

In his motion to disqualify plaintiff’s counsel, defendant argues that plaintiff’s answers to requested discovery imply that his counsel, attorney Vincent Coppola (“Coppola”), violated rules 3.7 and 4.2 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. The undisputed facts and procedural history of this case are as follows:

Plaintiff was employed by defendant as a truck driver, [amended complaint, ¶3; answer, ¶3.]1 Plaintiff suffered a work related injury while in the course and scope of his employment as an employee of defendant and [511]*511subsequently filed a Workman’s compensation claim. Id. at 4,5. Plaintiff notified defendant of his work related injury and thereafter received medical care and therapy under defendant’s workers’ compensation-policy. Id. at 5. Plaintiff later returned to work yet continued to receive physical therapy. Id. at 7. Plaintiff alleges that defendant’s owner, Lee Hoffner (“Hoffner”), contacted plaintiff by phone in June of2009 and accused plaintiff of committing “serious insurance fraud” for receiving physical-therapy after he had returned to work for the work related injury. Id. at 11,12. Plaintiff’s employment was subsequently terminated in June 2009. Id. at 16.

Plaintiff’s instant action arises from his belief that defendant terminated his employment in retaliation for exercising his rights under Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Act, and that Hoffner subsequently made defamatory statements about plaintiff regarding the circumstances of his alleged workers’ compensation claim, [amended complaint, ¶18, 24]

On July 10, 2009, Coppola sent a letter to Hoffner informing him that plaintiff was represented by counsel and that said counsel was aware of the defamatory statements made accusing plaintiff of “committing insurance fraud.” [response, ¶22] Coppola also advised Hoffner of the illegality of firing an at-will employee in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. Id. Several weeks later, yet prior to the institution of this action, two meetings with Hoffner took place to discuss the resolution of plaintiff’s claims, [response, ¶22, Tab 3; defendant’s brief, p. 2, exhibit C] Plaintiff and Coppola each attended at least one of the meetings. Id. Hoffner attended both meetings where he was again apprised that [512]*512it was illegal to fire plaintiff for exercising his right to workers’ compensation benefits. Id. The underlying issue was not resolved at either meeting, and plaintiff instituted the present action against defendant by filing a complaint on August 13, 2009.

On August 6, 2010, defendant served interrogatories and document demands on plaintiff’s counsel. Plaintiff responded to defendant’s discovery requests on November 8, 2010. Defendant now bases his motion to disqualify plaintiff’s counsel on plaintiff’s answers to interrogatories no. 15 & 16.

Interrogatory No. 15 requested plaintiff to provide the factual basis for an allegation in the amended complaint in which plaintiff alleges that defendant refused to rehire plaintiff even after defendant was expressly apprised that it is unlawful to fire an employee for exercising one’s statutorily protected right of workers’ compensation, [motion, ¶6; response, ¶4; amended complaint, ¶21]2

Plaintiff initially responded that plaintiff’s counsel, Vincent A. Coppola, personally met with Mr. Hoffner. [motion, ¶6; response, ¶5] Plaintiff then submitted a supplemental answer to interrogatory no. 15, in which he clarified that Coppola personally met with Hoffner prior to the date on which the initial complaint was filed to advise Hoffner that it is illegal to fire someone for exercising a right to workers’ compensation benefits, [response, ¶22, 23; defendant’s brief in support of defendant’s motion to disqualify, p. 2] Plaintiff claims the meeting occurred [513]*513prior to the filing of his original complaint as an attempt to negotiate plaintiff’s return to work and thus obviate litigation, [response, ¶13] Coppola had previously sent Hoffner a letter dated July 10, 2009, in which he had apprised Hoffner of the same information, [response, ¶22, tab 3] Subsequent to both Hoffner’s receipt of the July 10 letter and the meeting with Coppola, Hoffner visited plaintiff’s home and was again apprised that it was illegal to fire someone for exercising a right to workers’ compensation benefits, [response, ¶22, tab 3; defendant’s brief, p. 2]

Interrogatory No. 16 asked plaintiff to provide the factual basis for plaintiff’s allegation that the defamatory statements were published with knowledge that they were false, or with reckless disregard for the truth of such statements, [motion, ¶7; response, ¶ 6; amended complaint, ¶28]

Plaintiff responded that Mr. Hoffner was apprised of the falsity of such statement by plaintiff and his representative, [motion, ¶7; response, ¶7] Plaintiff also clarified in his response that “plaintiff’s representative” in interrogatory no. 16 does not refer to plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Coppola, as evidenced by the use of the word “representative” in interrogatory no.

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23 Pa. D. & C.5th 508, 2011 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 515, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heist-v-henny-penny-farms-inc-pactcomplmonroe-2011.