Opinion ID: 2088514
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appeal of Esther Williams and Aluminum Shapes

Text: Having found that Cerene and Becker's praecipe for writ to join Laughlin as an additional defendant was untimely filed under the rules of civil procedure, we must now determine whether the lower court properly denied the request of appellants Esther Williams and Aluminum Shapes, for late joinder. Appellants contend that they received no notice of the basis of Cerene and Becker's assertions of liability against Laughlin until Cerene and Becker filed their answers to plaintiff's request for the production of witness statements on February 7, 1984. Appellants then raised their claim against Laughlin in their answer and new matter filed on February 21, 1984. At that time, they believed that Laughlin had been properly joined by Cerene and Becker through the latter's filing of the praecipe for writ. Appellants also claim that they could not have filed their answer and new matter earlier because the case was transferred from Philadelphia to Schuylkill County. Then, upon receiving notice of the defective service of the praecipe for writ, appellants promptly filed a motion for leave to join Laughlin nunc pro tunc. We find that appellants' reasons for their delay in joining Laughlin are inadequate. Even assuming that Esther Williams and Aluminum Shapes did not know of the defective service of the praecipe for writ of joinder upon Laughlin until Laughlin filed his preliminary objections on March 19, 1984, they should have known that this praecipe was filed after the expiration of the sixty-day period in violation of Rule 2253. Thus, their reliance upon the praecipe joinder in asserting their cross-claim against Laughlin was unjustified. Additionally, appellants' arguments sidestep the fact that they themselves failed to join Laughlin within the sixty days following service of the complaint. Appellants' only profferred excuse is that they were unaware of Laughlin's possible liability. Appellants apparently failed to conduct their own investigation as to the cause of the accident and the potential liability of other persons. This Court has upheld an order refusing to permit joinder of an additional defendant where the failure to effect a timely joinder was attributable to defendant's failure to conduct an adequate investigation. Welch Foods, Inc. v. Bishopric Products Co., supra 254 Pa.Super. at 261, 385 A.2d at 1009. Here, appellants could have acted promptly after receiving the complaint, e.g., by taking the depositions of their co-defendants, Cerene and Becker, and thereby discovered the existence and potential liability of Laughlin. Instead, they let the sixty-day period lapse and only asserted a claim against Laughlin after Cerene and Becker belatedly filed a praecipe for writ of joinder. Although we seek to avoid a multiplicity of suits, the procedural rules have been promulgated for a purpose and should not be ignored. Parties should not be encouraged to disregard time limitations in favor of relying upon the grace of the court. Therefore, under the circumstances of this case, we do not believe that appellants have met their burden of demonstrating sufficient cause to justify the delay. Therefore, we also affirm that part of the October 12, 1984 order dismissing the motion of Esther Williams and Aluminum Shapes for leave to join an additional defendant nunc pro tunc. Accordingly, we hold that the lower court did not abuse its discretion in entering the order below. [5] Affirmed. CAVANAUGH, J., files a dissenting opinion. CAVANAUGH, Judge, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. After reviewing the record and the briefs in this case, I would find that the defendants have reasonably explained their delay in seeking to join additional defendant Laughlin. Accordingly, I would conclude that the lower court abused its discretion in refusing to grant leave to join the additional defendant nunc pro tunc.