McKeesport Municipal Water Authority v. McCloskey

690 A.2d 766, 1997 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 83, 1997 WL 78199
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 24, 1997
DocketNo. 692 C.D. 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 690 A.2d 766 (McKeesport Municipal Water Authority v. McCloskey) 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
McKeesport Municipal Water Authority v. McCloskey, 690 A.2d 766, 1997 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 83, 1997 WL 78199 (Pa. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

KELLEY, Judge.

The McKeesport Water Authority (authority) appeals by permission from the order of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County (trial court) denying the authority’s motion for summary judgment. We affirm the trial court’s order denying the authority’s motion for summary judgment.

The facts of this case may be summarized as follows. On March 5, 1984, Harry J. MeCloskey (plaintiff) filed a class action complaint in assumpsit against the authority alleging a cause of action which arose out of a giardia infestation of the McKeesport area water supply in 1984. Subsequently, on September 7, 1984, plaintiff filed a seven count Third Amended Complaint alleging a class action in assumpsit against the authority.

In this complaint, plaintiff, a customer of the authority, alleged that the authority contracted to supply and sell “potable water” to residents of the City of McKeesport and certain surrounding communities. Plaintiff also alleged that he was a representative of a class of persons who, on or before February 24, 1984, entered into an express month to month contract with the authority wherein the authority agreed to continuously supply potable water as required by their respective households. Plaintiff also alleged that on February 24,1984, the authority advised him and the members of the class that the water being supplied by the authority was unsafe for human consumption because of contamination by a parasite.

In Count V of the Third Amended Complaint, plaintiff alleged that the authority was a merchant with respect to the water it sold, and implicitly warranted that the water sold would be of merchantable quality. Plaintiff alleged that in failing to supply potable water to him and the members of the class the authority breached this warranty, thereby asserting a cause of action for breach of the implied warranty of merchantability under the Pennsylvania Uniform Commercial Code (UCC).1 As a result, the plaintiff alleged that he and the members of the class were required to purchase potable water from oth[769]*769er sources at prices or costs which exceeded those contained in the contract, and they would continue to incur additional expenses in obtaining potable water from these alternative sources. Based on a number of prior court rulings in the extensive procedural history of this case, only Count Y of the plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint remains.

On August 3, 1995, the authority filed a motion for summary judgment and in support thereof incorporated, inter alia, the Answer and New Matter to Count V of the plaintiffs Third Amended Complaint it had filed on February 2, 1993. In the Answer and New Matter the authority alleged, inter alia, that as a local agency, the plaintiffs claim for relief was barred in whole or in part by what is commonly referred to as the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act (Act).2

After argument on the authority's motion for summary judgment, the trial court issued an order and opinion on January 10, 1996 denying the authority's motion for summary judgment. The trial court determined that a cause of action based on breach of an implied warranty of merchantability is a cognizable cause of action against a local agency under the exceptions contained in section 8542(b)(5) of the Act. In making this determination, the trial court noted that section 8542(b)(5) of the Act requires a showing that the authority had actual or constructive notice of an alleged dangerous condition in order for the plaintiff to maintain a cause of action. The court also noted that a letter dated October 21,1980 from the chairperson of the authority was attached to the authority’s complaint to join the city as an additional defendant which had been filed on November 21, 1989. The letter indicated that at that early date, both the authority and the city were aware of defects in the water system. In addition, paragraph six of the complaint alleged that the authority notified the Mayor and the City Council of the need for major improvements to the water system. As a result, the trial court determined that the authority had sufficient notice of the dangerous condition in order for the plaintiff to maintain the cause of action alleged in Count V of his Third Amended Complaint.

On February 21, 1996, the trial court issued an order amending its January 10th order, stating that because its order involves a controlling question of law as to which there is a substantial ground for difference of opinion, an immediate appeal of the order may materially advance the ultimate termination of this case. As a result on April 9, 1996, pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1311,3 this court granted the authority’s petition for permission to appeal the trial court’s January 10th order, stating that the issues on appeal shall be limited to:

1. Where a plaintiff asserts liability against a local agency for tort damages under a breach of implied warranty theory, is such a claim barred by the immunity provisions of the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act?
2. Even assuming, arguendo, that the exceptions to immunity contained in § 8542 of the Act are applicable to this breach of warranty claim, are the notice provisions of § 8542(b)(5) satisfied where the only evidence presented by McCloskey related to problems with the water supply generally and not the specific dangerous condition (a giardia infestation) which is alleged to have caused the injuries claimed?

In this appeal the authority claims that, in denying its motion for summary judgment, the trial court erred in determining: (1) that the plaintiffs claim for tort damages under a breach of implied warranty theory was not barred by the immunity provisions of the Act; and (2) that the notice requirement of an allegedly dangerous condition under § 8542(b)(5) of the Act was satisfied where the only evidence of notice was the letter dated October 21, 1980 from the chairperson of the authority, and it merely related to problems with the water supply generally and not the specific dangerous condition (a [770]*770giardia infestation) which was the cause of injury in this case.

We initially note that our scope of review of a grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment is limited to determining whether the trial court committed an error of law or abused its discretion. Salerno v. LaBarr, 159 Pa.Cmwlth. 99, 632 A.2d 1002 (1993), petition for allowance of appeal denied, 537 Pa. 655, 644 A.2d 740 (1994). Summary judgment is only appropriate when, after examining the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, there is no genuine issue of material fact, and the moving party clearly establishes that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id.

The authority first claims that the plaintiffs claim for tort damages under a breach of implied warranty theory is barred by the immunity provisions of the Act. In particular, the authority contends that the exceptions to the immunity provisions apply only to “negligent acts” and do not apply to claims for tort damages under a breach of implied warranty theory.

In Count V of his Third Amended Complaint, plaintiff alleged:

26.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
690 A.2d 766, 1997 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 83, 1997 WL 78199, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mckeesport-municipal-water-authority-v-mccloskey-pacommwct-1997.