Title: City of Philadelphia v. Civil Service Comm. & Howard Ryder (Concurring Opinion)
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 55 EAP 1999
State: Pennsylvania
Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Date: May 24, 2001

[J-129-00] IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA EASTERN DISTRICT CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Appellant v. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA AND HOWARD RYDER, Appellees : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 55 EAP 1999 Appeal from the Order of the Commonwealth Court entered on May 22, 1998 at No. 2930 C.D. 1997, affirming the Order entered on October 7, 1997 in the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Civil Division at No. 9705-1128 712 A.2d 350 (Pa. Commw. 1998) ARGUED: October 16, 2000 CONCURRING OPINION MADAME JUSTICE NEWMAN DECIDED: May 21, 2001 I agree with the Majority that regardless of whether a claimant’s psychic injury stems from a single event or a series of stresses over a period of time, a claimant must prove that the cause of the psychic injury was an abnormal working condition. Also, I concur with the decision to reverse the Commonwealth Court’s Order granting Harold Ryder civil service disability benefits because the standoff between Ryder and the armed suspect constituted a normal part of Ryder’s duties as a police officer. I write separately to note that I do not read the Opinion of the Majority as foreclosing any possible recovery for psychic injuries suffered by law enforcement officers. The finding of abnormal working conditions is a very fact-sensitive process. Wilson v. W.C.A.B. (Aluminum Co. of America), 669 A.2d 338, 343 (Pa. 1996). Therefore, our decision today does not create a per se rule banning recovery [J-129-00] - 2 by all police officers for psychic injuries caused by truly abnormal incidents involving armed suspects. Mr. Justice Saylor joins this concurring opinion.