2013 Opinions
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ERIE COUNTY LEGAL JOURNAL (Published by the Committee on Publications of the Erie County Legal Journal and the Erie County Bar Association) Reports of Cases Decided in the Several Courts of Erie County for the Year 2013 XCVI ERIE, PA - 1 - JUDGES of the Courts of Erie County during the period covered by this volume of reports COURTS OF COMMON PLEAS HONORABLE ERNEST J. DISANTIS, JR. ----------- President Judge HONORABLE SHAD CONNELLY --------------------------------- Judge HONORABLE STEPHANIE DOMITROVICH ------------------- Judge HONORABLE WILLIAM R. CUNNINGHAM ------------------- Judge HONORABLE ELIZABETH K. KELLY ---------------------------- Judge HONORABLE JOHN J. TRUCILLA -------------------------------- Judge HONORABLE JOHN GARHART ----------------------------------- Judge HONORABLE DANIEL J. BRABENDER, JR., ------------------- Judge - 2 - Volume 96 TABLE OF CONTENTS -A- Anderson v. Perhacs ------------------------------------------------------- 67 -B- Brown, et al. v. Cummings, et al.; Palkovic v. AND Carlisle, et al. v. Hertel, et al. v. Cummings, et al. --------------- 51 -C- Carlisle, et al. v. Hertel, et al. v. Cummings, et al. AND Palkovic v. Brown, et al. v. Cummings, et al. --------------------- 51 C.B. Enterprizes, Inc., et al. v. Union City Volunteer Fire Department, et al.v John A. Luebbert, Sr., et al. ------------------------------------------ 62 Commonwealth v. Gillespie ---------------------------------------------- 44 Commonwealth v. Lucas -------------------------------------------------- 24 Commonwealth v. Wheeler ----------------------------------------------- 42 Cummings, et al.; Carlisle, et al. v. Hertel, et al. v. AND Palkovic v. Brown, et al. v. Cummings, et al. --------------------- 51 -D- Dakas, et al.; Landrich and Reigelman v. ------------------------------- 17 -E- Erie Insurance Exchange; Gill v. ----------------------------------------- 11 -F- -G- Gill v. Erie Insurance Exchange ------------------------------------------ 11 Gillespie; Commonwealth v. --------------------------------------------- 44 -H- Hertel, et al. v. Cummings, et al.; Carlisle, et al. v. AND Palkovic v. Brown, et al. v. Cummings, et al. --------------------- 51 -I- -J- -K- -L- Landrich and Reigelman v. Dakas, et al. -------------------------------- 17 Lucas; Commonwealth v. ------------------------------------------------- 24 Luebbert, Sr., et al.; C.B. Enterprizes, Inc., et al. v. Union City Volunteer Fire Department, et al.v --------------------------------------------------- 62 - 3 - -M- -N- -O- -P- Palkovic v. Brown, et al. v. Cummings, et al. AND Carlisle, et al. v. Hertel, et al. v. Cummings, et al. --------------- 51 Perhach; Anderson v. ------------------------------------------------------ 67 -Q- -R- -S- S.J.S. v. M.J.S. -------------------------------------------------------------- 27 -T- Times Publishing Company, d/b/a Erie Times-News; Wiley v. -------- 1 -U- Union City Volunteer Fire Department, et al.v John A. Luebbert, Sr., et al.; C.B. Enterprizes, Inc., et al. v. -------------------------------------- 62 -V- -W- Wheeler; Commonwealth v. ---------------------------------------------- 42 Wiley v. Times Publishing Company, d/b/a Erie Times-News --------- 1 -X- -Y- -Z- - 4 - Volume 96 SUBJECT MATTER INDEX -A- -B- -C- CIVIL PROCEDURE Motion for Summary Judgment ------------------------------------- 1 CRIMINAL PROCEDURE Automobile Stops ----------------------------------------------------- 42 Initial Traffi c Stop ---------------------------------------------------- 24 Investigatory Detention ---------------------------------------------- 24 Miscellaneous Traffi c Offenses ------------------------------------- 42 Search & Seizure Warrantless Searches ------------------------------------------- 44 Suppression Motion -------------------------------------------------- 24 -D- DAMAGES Punitive Damages ---------------------------------------------------- 17 -E- -F- FAMILY LAW Child Custody ---------------------------------------------------------- 27 -G- -H- -I- INSURANCE Exclusions Auto Insurance --------------------------------------------------- 11 Interpretation of Policies --------------------------------------------- 11 Exclusions Auto Insurance ------------------------------------------------ 11 -J- JUDGMENTS Summary --------------------------------------------------------------- 11 -K- -L- -M- - 5 - -N- NEGLIGENCE Duty -------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 Necessary Allegations of Pleadings -------------------------------- 51 -O- -P- PLEADINGS General Requirements ----------------------------------------------- 17 Preliminary Objections ------------------------------------- 17, 51, 67 POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS Municipal Corporation Governmental Immunity --------------------------------------- 62 PRODUCT LIABILITY Negligence ------------------------------------------------------------- 51 -Q- -R- -S- STATUTES Pennsylvania Whistleblower Act ----------------------------------- 67 -T- TORTS Corporate Negligence ------------------------------------------------ 17 Defamation Abuse of Privilege ------------------------------------------------ 1 Burden of Proof --------------------------------------------------- 1 Fair Report Privilege ---------------------------------------------- 1 Medical Professional Negligence ----------------------------------- 17 Unfair Competition --------------------------------------------------- 17 -U- -V- -W- -X- -Y- -Z- - 6 - ERIE COUNTY LEGAL JOURNAL Wiley v. Times Publishing Company, d/b/a Erie Times-News 1 GARY N. WILEY, Plaintiff v. TIMES PUBLISHING COMPANY, d/b/a ERIE TIMES-NEWS, Defendant CIVIL PROCEDURE / MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT Any party may move for summary judgment in such time as not to unreasonably delay trial. Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine issue of material fact as to a necessary element of the cause of action or defense. The non-moving party may not rest upon pleadings but must identify issues of fact or evidence establishing facts the motion cites as not having been produced. The Court must examine the record in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and all doubts as to the existence of an issue of material fact must be resolved against the moving party. It is not the function of the Court to decide issues of fact but solely to determine if there is an issue of fact. TORTS / DEFAMATION / FAIR REPORT PRIVILEGE The fair report privilege as delineated in the Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 611, is the controlling law in Pennsylvania. The fair report privilege is a conditional defense shielding the publisher of defamatory matter which is contained in a report of offi cial action or proceeding of a meeting open to the public that deals with a matter of public concern and the report is accurate and complete or a fair abridgment of the occurrence. TORTS / DEFAMATION / BURDEN OF PROOF The fair report privilege is a conditional privilege which triggers a shifting burden of proof. The plaintiff initially bears the burden of establishing the defamatory nature of the publication. The burden then shifts to the defendant to establish the privilege. If the fair report privilege applies, the burden reverts to the plaintiff to prove abuse of the privilege. Applicability of the privilege is a question for determination by the Court. TORTS / DEFAMATION / FAIR REPORT PRIVILEGE The fair report privilege applies to an arrest or the charge of crime made and to the publication of mug shots. Restatement (Second) of Torts § 611, Comment h. The application of the fair report privilege to a mug shot is not defeated where the mug shot is issued by a prison rather than the arresting police agency. The prison qualifi es as suffi ciently offi cial and/or an agency which suffi cient authority to release the mug shot. Further, the fair report privilege applies where the information is released by a high ranking offi cial with responsibility for handling media requests and the mug shot was released through the prison's established policy. The fair report privilege is not rendered inapplicable either because the offi cial release was a matter of courtesy or because the request of the reporter was generic in nature. TORTS / DEFAMATION / ABUSE OF PRIVILEGE The fair report privilege is abused if the report is not accurate and complete or a fair abridgement. Exaggerated additions or embellishments abuse the privilege. The publisher must take steps to reasonably insure the report is accurate and a complete or fair abridgment of the offi cial action. TORTS / DEFAMATION / ABUSE OF PRIVILEGE Where a newspaper reporter requested the mug shot of "Gary Wiley" without specifying the middle initial, and the prison provided the only mug shot it had in its computer records, - 7 - ERIE COUNTY LEGAL JOURNAL 2 Wiley v. Times Publishing Company, d/b/a Erie Times-News which was the mug shot of the plaintiff, the publication of the mug shot in conjunction with a story about the arrest of a different Gary Wiley may constitute abuse of the fair report privilege because of the failure of the defendant to verify the accuracy of its own report. A question of material fact as to the manner in which the reporter requested the mug shot must therefore be submitted to a jury. IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ERIE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA CIVIL DIVISION No. 11392-2011 Appearances: Paul J. Susko, Esquire, Attorney for Plaintiff Craig A. Markham, Esquire, Attorney for Defendant OPINION Connelly, J. October 30, 2012 This matter is before the Court pursuant to a Motion for Summary