Title: Jaden Elec. v. Wyoming Val. W. Sch. Dist.

State: pennsylvania

Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Document:

342 Pa. Superior Ct. 587 (1985) 493 A.2d 746 JADEN ELECTRIC DIVISION OF the FARFIELD COMPANY and Corbit's, Inc. v. WYOMING VALLEY WEST SCHOOL DISTRICT, Inryco, Inc., Safeco Insurance Company of America, the Sutter Corporation, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company, Caudill Rowlett Scott and C.M. Associates, Inc. Appeal of INRYCO, INC. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Argued March 25, 1985. Filed May 24, 1985. Reargument Denied July 17, 1985. *588 Gene E.K. Pratter, Philadelphia, for appellant. Richard F. Wells, Philadelphia, for C.M., appellee. Before BECK, POPOVICH and TROMMER, JJ.[*] POPOVICH, Judge: This is an appeal from an order of the trial court which ordered appellant, Inryco, Inc., to produce the materials which had been previously sealed by judicially supervised settlements negotiated in other litigation. We reverse and remand the matter for proceedings consistent with this opinion. The history of this case has been set forth previously by this Court and is as follows: Inryco, Inc. v. Helmark Steel Inc., 305 Pa.Super. 239, 239-243, 451 A.2d 511, 511-2 (1982) (plurality opinion) (hereinafter referred to as Inryco I). In Inryco I, we quashed the appeal from the trial court's order which denied a petition to intervene and to modify the order which placed the entire record under seal because the petitioners[, appellees in the instant case,] had "the right to reapply to the Court on the basis that a particular witness's deposition or a particular document included in the sealed record would not be otherwise available." Id., 305 Pa.Superior Ct. at 244, 451 A.2d at 513. *591 In Luzerne County, another lawsuit was pending. Appellees-defendants, the architect and the construction manager, filed a motion to produce documents, which was granted by the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County. The procedural scenario surrounding this case was set forth in the following manner: *593 Trial Court's Opinion at 1-4. This motion was granted by the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County. Appellant then filed a reconsideration petition which was denied. The trial court certified the instant case as one which involved an interlocutory order and which presented a controlling question of law. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 702(b).[1] This appeal followed. Appellant contends that (1) a judge of coordinate jurisdiction does not have jurisdiction to issue a discovery order which essentially collaterally attacks and overrules, reverses or modifies the final order entered which reflects the terms of a settlement and compromise of litigation pending before the court which issues the final order; (2) the burden of proof should rest on the party who attacks a final order; and (3) that non litigants do not have an unfettered right of access to sealed court records and other judicially protected documents. Because we are convinced that the trial court erred, we must reverse that court's decision. The trial court in reversing the confidentiality order stated that the issue "is a unique question, previously passed upon by Judge Stanley M. Greenberg and considered by Judge Richard Conaboy of the Federal District Court, in another proceeding." Trial Court's Opinion on the Reconsideration Petition at 3. The trial court also stated its "[d]ecision turn[ed] on the fact that if counsel for the respective parties agreed to a confidentiality agreement, even with Court approval, without the Court passing upon the confidentiality of the material, would do violence to the rules of discovery." Id. at 2. In a similar case, our Supreme Court held that "[a]bsent some new evidence, it is improper for a trial judge to overrule an interlocutory order by another judge of the *594 same court in the same case." Commonwealth v. Brown, 485 Pa. at 370, 402 A.2d at 1008. In the instant case, appellees are launching a collateral attack which even the trial court concedes was "previously passed upon by Judge Stanley M. Greenberg [of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County] and considered by Judge Richard Conaboy of the Federal District Court." Trial Court's Reconsideration Opinion at 3. Because appellees have presented no new evidence, the confidentiality ruling must stand. We are not persuaded that the decision of a court of coordinate and competent jurisdiction should be reversed. See Moeller v. Washington County, 352 Pa. 640, 44 A.2d 252, 254 (1945); Flagship First National Bank v. Bloom, 288 Pa. Super. 347, 431 A.2d 1082 (1981). Order is reversed and the matter is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion. Jurisdiction is relinquished. [*] Judge Evelyn M. Trommer, Senior Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, is sitting by designation. [1] The instant case does present a controlling question of law and therefore jurisdiction is vested in this Court. See Commonwealth v. Brown, 485 Pa. 368, 370, 402 A.2d 1007, 1008 (1979) (where the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania granted permission to appeal although this Court denied permission to appeal on the issue of whether a judge had the authority to review a decision of a judge from another division of the same court of common pleas).