State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Nationwide Insurance

30 Pa. D. & C.3d 213, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 166
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County
DecidedMay 17, 1983
Docketno. 608 of 1982
StatusPublished

This text of 30 Pa. D. & C.3d 213 (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Nationwide Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Nationwide Insurance, 30 Pa. D. & C.3d 213, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 166 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1983).

Opinion

KUNSELMAN, J.,

This case was initiated by State Farm’s complaint against Nationwide. State Farm seeks to recover $32,517.78 which it paid for medical and rehabilitative expenses and $15,000 which it paid for uninsured benefits. According to the complaint, these benefits were paid .as a result of injuries to Michelle Lee Plumley which she sustained when struck by an uninsured vehicle on July 27, 1980.

Michelle Lee Plumley is the daughter of Randy Lee Plumley who was insured by State Farm. When [214]*214an application for benefits was submitted by it, State Farm paid the benefits because of the impression created that Michelle was a relative of its insured and therefore, also an insured under its policy definition.

However, on the date of the accident, Michelle was residing with her grandmother. Her grandmother was an insured of Nationwide. Therefore, State Farm alleges that the payments made by State Farm should have been made by Nationwide. And, since State Farm made the payments under an erroneous belief, which was induced by a mistake of fact and a mistake of law, that it was discharging a duty owed by it, Nationwide is required to make State Farm whole.

Nationwide has joined Michelle and her parents, Pamela Graboski and Randy Plumley, as additional defendants. It alleges that, if the additional defendants misrepresented material facts which caused State Farm to make the payments, then the additional defendants are alone liable to State Farm.

State Farm filed preliminary objections to the complaint against the additional defendants and a motion to strike late joinder. However, these pleadings were withdrawn by State Farm at the time of oral argument and are not before us for disposition.

The additional defendants, Michelle Lee Plumley and Pamela Graboski, also filed preliminary objections. The first objection raises a question of jurisdiction and attacks service because Nationwide failed to attach copies of all pleadings theretofore, filed and failed to serve such prior pleadings. The second objection is a demurrer, alleging that there is no allegation of any conduct on their part which would support a cause of action against them; no allegation of any misrepresentation made by them; and, no allegation that any other party justifiably re[215]*215lied upon any misrepresentation. The third objection is a motion for a more specific pleading, alleging that the complaint joining them does not identify the misrepresentation allegedly made or when or to whom it was made. These objections are presently before us for disposition.

FAILURE TO ATTACH AND SERVE PRIOR PLEADINGS

Pa. R.C.P. 2252 (a) grants the right to join as an additional defendant any person who may be jointly or severally liable to the plaintiff or liable over to the original defendant on the cause of action declared upon by the plaintiff or who may be liable to the original defendant on his cause of action if it arises out of the same or series or transactions or occurrences as plaintiff’s cause of action. Joinder may be accomplished either by a praecipe for a writ or a complaint which must be in the manner and form required of the plaintiff’s initial pleading and which must set forth facts relied upon to establish the additional defendant’s liability.

Rule 2254 (b) requires the joinder complaint to be served by the sheriff. It also provides that “Copies of all pleadings theretofore filed in the action shall also be served by the sheriff with the complaint, if the joinder is commenced by complaint...” Since Nationwide did not serve copies of all prior pleadings upon the additional defendants, Michelle Lee Plumley and Pamela Graboski are requesting the court to dismiss them as parties for improper service.

In Goodrich-Amram, 2d §2254 (b):3, these noted commentators say that service of the prior pleadings is not necessary to confer jurisdiction. This is for the reason that it is the first sentence of subdivision (b) of the rule which is the jurisdictional provision. [216]*216Once service of the writ or the complaint is effected, jurisdiction in personam is obtained. The requirement in the Rule to also serve prior pleadings is directory only and not mandatory, at least insofar as jurisdiction is concerned.

We agree with this analysis. This is especially so because failure to serve prior pleadings when joinder is accomplished by writ does not affect jurisdiction. See Almart Stores v. Liberty Shopping Center, 54 D.&C. 2d 415 (1972). If they are not necessary to confer jurisdiction where joinder is commenced by writ alone, they should not be necessary to confer jurisdiction where joinder is commenced by complaint.

This is not to say that this procedural irregularity should be ignored. We are only saying that it does not divest this court of in personam jurisdiction over the additional defendants and that it is sufficient if the additional defendants do, in fact, receive copies of the prior pleadings. We would, therefore, ordinarily direct Nationwide to serve copies of all prior pleadings upon the additional defendants and would relieve the additional defendants of any duty to answer the complaint until 20 days after receipt thereof. However, by reason of our disposition of the Demurrer, such an order is unnecessary.

DEMURRER

As hereinabove stated, the sole basis of Nationwide’s Joinder of additional defendants is that, if they misrepresented certain material facts to State Farm which caused State Farm to make the payments, then they alone are liable to State Farm. This theory of liability of the additional defendants to State Farm is insufficient in law for two reasons.

[217]*217First, there are five elements which must exist in order for fraud to be actionable. They are:

1. a false representation of an existing fact;

2. the fact must be material if the misrepresentation is innocently made;

3. scienter — either actual knowledge of the truth or falsity; reckless ignorance of the falsity; or mere falsity if a duty to know is imposed;

4. justifiable reliance; and

5. damage to the person relying thereon. See Shane v. Hoffman, 227 Pa. Super. 176 324 A.2d 532 (1974).

There is no averment of who made what misrepresentation of what fact; of scienter; of justifiable reliance by State Farm; and, arguably, of damage to State Farm. Pa. R.C.P. 1019 (a) and (b) requires the material facts upon which a cause of action is based to be stated in a concise and summary form and fraud must be averred with particularity. We think that the complaint must set forth the essential facts, such as outlined above, of the alleged misrepresentation. See Shinn v. Stember, 163 Pa. Super. 363 (1948).

Second, and more important, the joinder is on the basis of sole liability. However, . . if an original defendant is primarily hable, he may not require a party secondarily fiabfie to be joined as an additional defendant.” Eckrich v. DiNardo, 283 Pa. Super. 84, at 88 and 89, 423 A.2d 727 (1980). In footnote 2, Pg. 88, the Eckrich court distinguished secondary from primary liability as resting “. . . upon fault that is imputed or constructive only, being based on some legal obligation between the parties or arising from some positive rule of statutory or common law . . . ”

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Related

Eckrich v. DiNardo
423 A.2d 727 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1980)
Shinn v. Stemler
61 A.2d 777 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1948)
Shane v. Hoffmann
324 A.2d 532 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
30 Pa. D. & C.3d 213, 1983 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-farm-mutual-automobile-insurance-v-nationwide-insurance-pactcomplbeaver-1983.