Higdon v. Hartman

42 Pa. D. & C. 251, 1941 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 68
Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County·Decided July 19, 1941·Published

Opinion

Davison, P. J.,

— On April 1, 1941, the above-entitled action was entered, summons issued, and service of it accepted and appearance entered for defendant by Edmund C. Wingerd, Esq., on April 26, 1941. A statement of claim was filed by plaintiff on April 12, 1941, and on May 10, 1941, a petition was filed on behalf of said defendants for a rule to show cause why the said summons should not be quashed and the rule as prayed for was granted returnable in 20 days and an answer filed by plaintiff on May 29, 1941. The reasons assigned for quashing the summons are as follows:

“1. The above action is brought in violation of Pa. R. C. P. 2202 (b), in that it is there provided that, after the expiration of six months from the death of decedent, an action can be brought for decedent’s death only by decedent’s personal representative, or by any person entitled to recover as trustee ad litem on behalf of all persons entitled to share in the damages, and [252] the present suit is brought neither by decedent’s personal representative, nor by any person as trustee ad litem.
“2. The statement of claim filed in the above-stated action is not in accordance with Pa. R. C. P. 2202(b), in that it fails to allege that plaintiff brings this action either as personal representative of decedent or as trustee ad litem.
“3. The statement of claim is not in accordance with Pa. R. C. P. 2204, in that it fails to set forth that no other action for the alleged wrongful death of decedent has been commenced against defendants in this action, or against either of them.”

The answer filed on behalf of plaintiff was as follows:

“1. This action is not brought in violation of Pa. R. C. P. 2202(b) because plaintiff is, under said rule, a person entitled by law to recover damages.
“2. Civil Procedural Rule 2202(b) is not a rule of pleading and does not require that the statement of claim allege that plaintiff brings this action either as trustee ad litem or as personal representative. The statement of claim adequately sets forth the status of plaintiff as being that of sole surviving heir and only person entitled by act of assembly to recover for the wrongful death of decedent.
“3. Procedural Rule 2204 does not require that the statement of claim allege that no other action has been commenced against defendants and pendency of another action is a matter of defense for defendants under Pa. R. C. P. 2202(c).”

The statement of claim filed in this case sets forth that plaintiff, Pearl K. Higdon, was the mother of one James L. Higdon; that on September 9, 1940, said James L. Higdon died from injuries he received in an automobile collision caused by the negligence of defendants; that said James L. Higdon did not in his lifetime institute any legal proceedings for the recov[253] ery of damages for injuries so received by him; that said deceased was unmarried, had no children, and left surviving him as the only person entitled to recover damages for his wrongful death his mother, the said plaintiff, a widow; that said deceased had contributed largely to the support of his said mother and that she has by his death lost said assistance and maintenance and that she has paid out certain sums for his funeral expenses.

Rule 2202 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure governing actions for wrongful death, under the heading “Parties Entitled to Bring Action for Wrongful Death” provides:

“(a) Except as otherwise provided in clause (b) of this rule, an action for wrongful death shall be brought only by the personal representative of the decedent for the benefit of those persons entitled by law to recover damages for such wrongful death.
“(b) If no action for wrongful death has been brought within six months after the death of the decedent, the action may be brought by the personal representative or by any person entitled by law to recover damages in such action as trustee ad litem on behalf of all persons entitled to share in the damages.
“(c) While an action is pending it shall operate as a bar against the bringing of any other action for such wrongful death.”

Rule 2204, “Averments in Plaintiff’s Pleading”, is as follows:

“In addition to all other facts required to be pleaded, the initial pleading of the plaintiff in an action for wrongful death shall state the plaintiff’s relationship to the decedent, his right to bring the action, the names and last known residence addresses of all persons entitled by law to recover damages, their relationship to the decedent and that the action was brought in their behalf.”

In the instant case the action seems to have been instituted and the statement of claim filed without a [254] consideration of the above rules of civil procedure. The suit is brought as an individual and not in any capacity except her relationship to the deceased. The statement of claim sets forth a right to recover only as his mother and for her loss because of his death. Nowhere does plaintiff hold herself out in the caption of the suit as acting as trustee ad litem, nor does she in any place in said statement set forth that she brings the action in behalf of all persons entitled by law to receive damages for his death, nor that no other action for the wrongful death of decedent has been commenced against said defendants. The suit has been brought and statement filed for the mother’s claim for damages for the death of her son as would have been proper before the adoption of said rules, but in our opinion is not sufficient under their terms.

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Higdon v. Hartman, 42 Pa. D. & C. 251, 1941 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 68 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1941).

42 Pa. D. & C. 251 (Higdon v. Hartman) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.