TJOKROWIDJOJO v. SAN LUCAS

District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania·Decided April 21, 2021·No. 2:20-cv-06564·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

AMELIA TJOKROWIDJOJO : CIVIL ACTION : v. : NO. 20-6564 : KLEBER X. SAN LUCAS, et al. :

MEMORANDUM KEARNEY, J. April 21, 2021 An injured woman seeks compensatory and punitive damages for personal injuries arising with a freightliner driven by a man looking at his cellphone collided with her car and pushed her car forward for almost thirty seconds. She pleads the freightliner driver’s potential recklessness by, among other things. looking at his cellphone while driving a freightliner for so long as to push her car for about thirty seconds without noting her presence. Her allegations pertain to this issue. The freightliner driver and his employer now move to dismiss the punitive damages claim arguing looking at his cellphone while driving a freightliner is not, in and of itself, grounds for punitive damages. We reviewed the specific allegations and disagree. The injured woman pleads facts giving rise to potential liability for punitive damages under Pennsylvania law at this early stage. The freightliner driver and his employer may later move for summary judgment should the evidence adduced in discovery not support these allegations. We also deny the freightliner driver’s and his employer’s motion for more definitive statement or to strike. I. Alleged facts Truck driver Kleber X. San Lucas used his cell phone while driving a freightliner in the course and scope of his employment with Real Trucking, Inc. on January 14, 2020.1 Mr. San Lucas knew he could not use his cell phone while driving a freightliner. Mr. San Lucas then changed lanes without signaling and hit Amelia Tjokrowidjojo’s car.2 The collision spun Ms.

Tjokrowidjojo’s car in front of Mr. San Lucas’s freightliner.3 Mr. San Lucas, who heard a loud bang but did not see the collision, believed he blew out one of his tires.4 He continued driving for about thirty seconds before stopping not realizing he was pushing Ms. Tjokrowidjojo’s car.5 The police came and cited Mr. San Lucas for failing to drive within a single lane and/or unsafely moving from a lane.6 Emergency responders transported Ms. Tjokrowidjojo to the hospital.7 The accident resulted in Ms. Tjokrowidjojo suffering a cervical injury, lumbar injury, left thumb injury, left hand injury, cervical radiculopathy, lumbar radiculopathy, and an impairment of her hearing capacity/potential.8 Ms. Tjokrowidjojo incurred hospital and medical expenses, and she

continues to require medical treatment.9 Ms. Tjokrowidjojo sues Mr. San Lucas and Real Trucking, Inc. for negligence and recklessness, seeking compensatory and punitive damages.10 II. Analysis Real Trucking, Inc. and Mr. San Lucas move to dismiss Ms. Tjokrowidjojo’s “claims of punitive damages” under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).11 Mr. San Lucas and Real Trucking, Inc. further ask us to either: (1) order Ms. Tjokrowijojo to make a more definite statement of the allegations in paragraphs 41(h), 41(k), 41(q), 41(r), 41(s), 41(t), 44(h), 44(k), 44(q), 44(r), 44(s), and 44(t) of the amended Complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(e);12 or (2) strike the allegations in these paragraphs under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f).13 We deny Mr. San Lucas’s and Real Trucking’s motion in its entirety. A. We deny Mr. San Lucas’s and Real Trucking’s motion to dismiss Ms. Tjokrowidjojo’s prayer for punitive damages.14

We deny Mr. San Lucas’s and Real Trucking’s motion to dismiss Ms. Tjokrowidjojo’s prayer for punitive damages, finding dismissal premature at this early stage of litigation. We apply Pennsylvania substantive law in this case invoking our subject matter jurisdiction based upon the diversity of the parties.15 “In Pennsylvania, punitive damages are available as a remedy for negligence actions where ‘(1) a defendant had a subjective appreciation of the risk of harm to which the plaintiff was exposed and . . . (2) he acted, or failed to act, . . . in conscious disregard for that risk.’”16 “This remedy is only available ‘in cases where the defendant’s actions are so outrageous as to demonstrate willful, wanton or reckless conduct.’”17 “As a general rule, the courts have deemed . . . motions to dismiss punitive damages claims to be premature and inappropriate where . . . the complaint alleges reckless conduct.”18 We are guided by Judge Pappert’s analysis in recently denying a motion to dismiss a punitive damages claim where the defendant driver used a cellphone while driving in Simpson v. Buchanan.19 In Simpson, the plaintiff alleged she observed the driver in her rearview mirror “looking down and . . . not paying attention to the roadway.”20 The plaintiff beeped her horn and tried to avoid the defendant but the defendant nevertheless crashed into her.21 After the collision, the defendant said, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”22 Judge Pappert held,

“[t]aking these facts as true, a reasonable jury could conclude that if [the defendant] was actually looking down and texting at the time of the collision, she was operating the vehicle in a reckless manner sufficient to give rise to an award of punitive damages.”23 He reiterated the import of deferring to allegations in the early stage of the litigation and reminded the parties they would have the opportunity to renew their arguments at summary judgment.24 Chief Judge Hornak reached a similar conclusion in Scott v. Burke.25 In Scott, a tractor- trailer driver struck another car while using a cell phone, killing one of the passengers and severely injuring one of her children.26 Chief Judge Hornak denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss the punitive damages claim holding “[t]aking plaintiff’s allegations as true, there exists what at this point is at least a plausible claim for punitive damages against both Defendants.”27

He explained, “[a] reasonable jury could conclude, if [the driver], was indeed using his cell phone at the time of the accident, that he was operating his vehicle with reckless indifference to the rights of others and a jury could conclude that UPS recklessly allowed him to do so.”28 Chief Judge Hornak, like Judge Pappert, emphasized the early stage of the litigation and reminded the parties they could renew these arguments at summary judgment after discovery.29 Mr. San Lucas and Real Trucking cite Magistrate Judge Sitarski’s decision in Piester v. Hickey30 to argue allegations of cell phone usage do not, on their own, support a claim for punitive damages. In Piester, the defendant looked at his phone while driving a Ford F150 and struck the plaintiff.31 The defendant moved to dismiss the claims for punitive damages, and Magistrate Judge Sitarski granted the motion.32 Magistrate Judge Sitarski noted, “there is very

limited case law analyzing this specific issue” and looked to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas’ decision in Xander v. Kiss.33 She explained, “the Xander court concluded that a properly- pled punitive damages claim requires additional facts, such as well-pled allegations that defendant exceeded the posted speed limit, or disregarded traffic signals, or otherwise drove erratically.”34 Magistrate Judge Sitarski determined the allegation the defendant “looked at his cell phone just before driving into the rear of [plaintiff’s car] did not support a claim for punitive damages.”35 We respectfully decline to apply this analysis to the freightliner driver looking at this cell phone and continuing to drive for about thirty seconds after the collision not knowing he hit Ms. Tjokrowidjojo’s car and continued to move her car. Ms.

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