Opinion ID: 2075607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Roddy and Clark Petitions.

Text: The estates represented by Roddy and Clark both have received the full $15,000 in work loss benefits for which they are entitled under the No-Fault Act. In this action they attempt to recover interest on the award and attorney fees claiming the award was not paid in a lump sum thirty days after notice to the insurer. While arguing that they are members of the class in this suit, appellants present evidence of the legislative intent in passing the No-Fault Act, and extensive case history to prove that interest and attorney fees are available for those receiving work loss benefits. We agree. There is no question of the right of decedent's estates to receive interest and attorney fees under the No-Fault Act. However, the question before us is not one concerning the interpretation of the No-Fault Act. The question instead concerns the court's ability to expand the membership of a class in a class action suit. This court has in the past interpreted class descriptions strictly rather than broadly. See Egenrieder v. Ohio Casualty Group, 365 Pa.Super 400, 529 A.2d 1118 (1987). Therefore, we will not expand the class definition in this case by reading into the class action claims for attorney's fees and interest. Appellants were not prohibited from including these claims in their class description at the time the suit was initiated. To include them now would be unjust to appellee. Assuming compliance with the statute of limitations, Roddy and Clark, as well as any others with a claim of this type, can bring suit. We determine only that it can not be done in this action. As appellants Roddy and Clark are excluded from the existing definition of class membership in this case, their petitions to intervene in the instant action are denied.