Court Opinion

ID: 9705884
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:25:21.512257+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:17.251725
License: Public Domain

OPINION OF THE COURT
FLAHERTY*, Justice.
This is an appeal, by allowance, from an order of the Commonwealth Court which reversed a judgment entered by the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County. Marshall v. Port Authority of Allegheny County, 106 Pa. Commw.Ct. 131, 525 A.2d 857 (1987). In the Court of Common Pleas the appellees herein, the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) and Michael Baker, Jr., Inc. (Baker), were held jointly and severally liable for injuries sustained by the appellant, Edward J. Marshall. The injuries were sustained in 1981 when appellant, an employee of the Mosites Construction Company (Mosites), was performing demolition work on a railway bridge that had been acquired by PAT. Mosites had been engaged by PAT to demolish the bridge in connection with the construction of a busway. Baker had been engaged to provide certain engineering and other services for the project. The accident occurred as appellant stepped onto a bridge beam, which, unbeknownst to him, had been cut with a torch. The beam collapsed, causing him to fall to the ground and suffer permanent injuries.
In 1982 appellant brought the present action against PAT, alleging negligence by PAT and vicarious liability for negligent conduct of Mosites, and against Baker, alleging negligence in its supervision of Mosites. At trial, a verdict was returned finding PAT seventy percent liable, Baker twenty percent liable, and appellant ten percent contribu*4torily negligent. Damages in the sum of $800,000.00 were awarded.1
On appeal, the Commonwealth Court reversed, holding that PAT is a “local agency” insulated from liability under the governmental immunity statute, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8541. The primary issue to be addressed in this appeal is whether PAT is entitled to immunity. We affirm that PAT is immune from suit, but upon different statutory grounds, to wit, that PAT is an agency of the Commonwealth protected from liability under the sovereign immunity statute, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8522.2
In its amended pleadings, PAT claimed immunity as an “agency of the Commonwealth,” thereby invoking sovereign immunity as a bar to liability. The Pennsylvania sovereign immunity statute provides:
(a) Liability imposed. — The General Assembly, pursuant to section 11 of Article I of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, does hereby waive, in the instances set forth in subsection (b) only and only to the extent set forth in this subchapter and within the limits set forth in section 8528 (relating to limitations on damages), sovereign immunity as a bar to an action against Commonwealth parties, for damages arising out of a negligent act where the damages would be recoverable under the common law or a statute creating a cause of action if the injury were caused by a person not having available the defense of sovereign immunity.
42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(a) (emphasis added).
Clearly, PAT may claim sovereign immunity if it is a “Commonwealth party.” A “Commonwealth party” is defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 8501 as “[a] Commonwealth agency and any employee thereof____” Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 102, *5“Commonwealth agency” is defined as “[a]ny executive agency or independent agency.” Agencies are classified as “executive” if they are under the supervision and control of the Governor, and, if they are not, as “independent.” Id. Both of these types of agencies are expressly defined as including entities such as boards, commissions, authorities, and other agencies “of the Commonwealth government.” Id. “Commonwealth government” is, in turn, defined as encompassing the following:
... the departments, boards, commissions, authorities and officers and agencies of the Commonwealth, but the term does not include any political subdivision, municipal or other local authority, or any officer or agency of any such political subdivision or local authority.
42 Pa.C.S. § 102 (emphasis added). The question presented, therefore, is whether PAT is an “agency of the Commonwealth,” rather than one of the types of local agencies excluded from the definition of “Commonwealth government.” If PAT is an “agency of the Commonwealth,” it is plainly a “Commonwealth party” entitled to immunity under 42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(a), supra.
Express statutory language contained in the legislation which created PAT makes it eminently clear that PAT is an agency of the Commonwealth. PAT’s genesis lies in the Second Class County Port Authority Act, 55 P.S. § 553(a), which provides:
There are hereby created bodies corporate and politic in counties of the second class, to be known as Port Authority of (insert name of county), which shall constitute public bodies corporate and politic; exercising the public powers of the Commonwealth as an agency thereof.
(Emphasis added). In view of this plain statutory language, it would be impossible to conclude that PAT is anything other than an agency of the Commonwealth. PAT was created by the Commonwealth, rather than by local government, and acts as an agency of the Commonwealth (even though PAT’s Board is appointed by county commissioners pursuant to 55 P.S. § 556). See also Feingold v. Southeast*6ern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 512 Pa. 567, 517 A.2d 1270 (1968) (holding that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is an agency of the' Commonwealth for liability purposes, where the relevant enabling statute provided, in part, that SEPTA shall “exercise the public powers of the Commonwealth as an agency and instrumentality thereof.”). As an agency of the Commonwealth, PAT is entitled to the protection of sovereign immunity.
Appellant has asserted that, despite the clear import of the statutory immunity provisions, the legislature did not intend when it enacted the sovereign immunity provisions in 1978 and 1980 to confer immunity upon entities which had not been immune from suit prior to our decision abolishing common-law sovereign immunity in Mayle v. Pennsylvania Department of Highways, 479 Pa. 384, 388 A.2d 709 (1978). We have repeatedly held, however, that in cases such as the present one where the language of a statute is clear and explicit, consideration of arguments based upon supposed contrary legislative intent or legislative history is improper. Commonwealth v. Bell, 512 Pa. 334, 339-40, 516 A.2d 1172, 1175 (1986); Fisher v. Department of Public Welfare, 509 Pa. 164, 169, 501 A.2d 617, 619 (1985) (plurality opinion), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 911, 107 S.Ct. 308, 93 L.Ed.2d 283 (1986); Hellertown Manufacturing Co. v. Commonwealth, 480 Pa. 358, 365, 390 A.2d 732, 735 (1978); Davis v. Sulcowe, 416 Pa. 138, 143-44, 205 A.2d 89, 91-92 (1964). See also 1 Pa.C.S. § 1921(b) (“When the words of a statute are clear and free from all ambiguity, the letter of it is not to be disregarded under the pretext of pursuing its spirit.”). The best indicium of legislative intent regarding the scope of sovereign immunity is the plain language employed in the statute, and we are constrained to give effect to that language. See Toombs v. Manning, 835 F.2d 453, 459 (3rd Cir.1987) (holding that SEPTA is protected by the Pennsylvania sovereign immunity statute, and that the scope of sovereign immunity is governed by express statutory provisions and is not dependent upon whether entities now *7immune from suit were protected from liability prior to the decision in Mayle, supra).
Having determined that PAT is protected by sovereign immunity, we turn to a consideration of whether the acts underlying appellant’s cause of action are encompassed by any of the exceptions to immunity set forth in the statute. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(b) (exceptions enumerated).3 Although appellant has argued that PAT does not fall within the general ambit of the immunity statute, appellant has not specifically argued in this appeal that any of the exceptions to immunity are applicable. Indeed, the only exception of conceivable relevance is the one pertaining to injuries caused by dangerous conditions upon the real property of Commonwealth agencies:
(b) Acts which may impose liability. — The following acts by a Commonwealth party may result in the imposition of liability on the Commonwealth and the defense of sovereign immunity shall not be raised to claims for damages caused by:
(4) Commonwealth real estate, highways and sidewalks. — A dangerous condition of Commonwealth agency real estate and sidewalks, including Commonwealth-owned real property, leaseholds in the possession of a Commonwealth agency and Commonwealth-owned real property leased by a Commonwealth agency to private persons, and highways under the jurisdiction of a Commonwealth agency, except conditions described in paragraph (5) [relating to potholes].
42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(b) (emphasis added).
We have held that the real property exception must be strictly and narrowly construed, because the legislature intended to exempt Commonwealth parties from immunity only in limited situations. Snyder v. Harmon, 522 Pa. 424, *8562 A.2d 307, 311-12 (1989). See also 42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(a), supra (immunity to be waived “in the instances set forth in subsection (b) only and only to the extent set forth____”). The exceptions provided in the statute expressly contemplate acts “by a Commonwealth party” as providing the requisite basis for liability. The acts must be ones of negligence. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8522(a), supra. Mosites’ negligence in allowing appellant to step onto a beam that had been cut with a torch was the action that caused appellant’s injury. There was no action, however, by a Commonwealth party that contributed to appellant’s injury. As discussed supra, “Commonwealth party” is defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 8501 as “[a] Commonwealth agency and any employee thereof____” Plainly, independent contractors, such as Mosites, performing work for Commonwealth agencies are not employees of the agencies, and, thus, do not constitute Commonwealth parties.
Further, the only Commonwealth party involved in this case, PAT, was expressly found by the jury to have been not negligent. The verdict against PAT rested solely upon vicarious liability for negligence of the general contractor, Mosites, on grounds that Mosites was engaged in inherently dangerous work. See generally Philadelphia Electric Co. v. James Julian, Inc., 425 Pa. 217, 228 A.2d 669 (1967) (adopting Restatement (Second) of Torts §§ 416, 427 (pertaining to vicarious liability for actions of independent contractors engaged in inherently dangerous work)).
We need not further address the scope of the real estate exception’s possible application, or the scope of vicarious liability under the facts presented, for, where there has been no negligent act by a Commonwealth party, there is no basis for applying any of the exceptions to sovereign immunity. PAT is protected by that immunity, and the judgment entered against PAT by the Court of Common Pleas was, therefore, improper.
The next issue presented in this appeal is whether the Commonwealth Court erred in reversing the judgment *9entered against the engineering firm, Baker. The basis for the Commonwealth Court’s decision was that, under the contract between PAT and Baker, there was no duty for Baker to discover or correct safety hazards posed by Mosites’ operations. Hence, the judgment, which rested on grounds that Baker was negligent in its supervision of safety requirements, could not be sustained. We agree.
Absent a breach of duty, a negligence claim cannot be sustained. Morena v. South Hills Health System, 501 Pa. 634, 642, 462 A.2d 680 (1983). The contract between Baker and PAT, specifying Baker’s duties in connection with the construction of PAT’s busway, consisted of an initial agreement and a number of supplemental agreements. The initial agreement imposed duties with regard to planning, design, engineering, and construction management. In connection with construction management Baker was expressly charged with “[reviewing contractors’ practices and procedures to minimize hazards associated with construction operations.” This duty and all other construction management duties were, however, expressly eliminated in a subsequently entered agreement, Supplemental Agreement No. 4. The issue presented is whether yet another subsequent agreement, Supplemental Agreement No. 6, reinstated the duty to supervise jobsite safety procedures. It was this latter agreement that was in effect at the time of appellant’s accident. Supplemental Agreement No. 6 provides for “engineering management of the construction phase” and states in Section B(l) that Baker shall:
B(l) Provide field engineers, inspectors and support personnel to monitor the construction performed under Authority issued contracts, to assure delivery of the specified systems and facilities in accordance with contract drawings and specifications.
(Emphasis added).
The contract specifications referred to in Agreement No. 6 are those governing the agreement between PAT and the contractor, Mosites. The PAT-Mosites agreement contained a section denoted as “Safety and First Aid Require*10ments,” which stated that the contractor would not require laborers to work under conditions that posed dangers to their safety as determined by standards promulgated under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA). General Provision 4.11.1. The agreement further provided that, in the event Mosites failed to comply with such standards, where “such failure create[s] a hazard to life, limb or property, the Engineer may stop any operation of the Contractor affected by the failure until the failure is remedied.” General Provision 4.11.5 (emphasis added). Clearly, under the PAT-Mosites agreement, the engineering firm, Baker, was permitted to take action against perceived safety hazards. Although this authority was given to Baker, the PAT-Mosites contract also provided that Mosites “shall supervise and direct” the work and “be solely responsible for all construction means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures____” General Provision 6.4.1. The determinative question is not, however, whether Baker could have acted to prevent the instant accident, but rather whether it had a duty to do so.
The PAT-Mosites contract obviously cannot impose a duty upon Baker, for Baker was not a party to the contract. See Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational-Technical School Authority v. Bogar & Bink, 261 Pa.Super. 350, 354, 396 A.2d 433, 435 (1978) (contract cannot legally bind persons not party thereto). Hence, even if the contract had contained language requiring rather than merely permitting Baker to stop the contractor’s operations, Baker would not have been bound thereby.
Appellant alleges that Baker’s duty can be ascribed to the PAT-Baker contract, specifically Section B(l) of Supplemental Agreement No. 6, supra. Due to Baker’s obligation thereunder to “monitor the construction ... to assure delivery of the specified systems and facilities in accordance with contract drawings and specifications,” it is claimed that the earlier described provisions, regarding safety, in the PAT-Mosites contract were to be monitored by Baker. We do not agree.
*11Viewed in context, with reference to the provisions of the contract between PAT and Mosites, the PAT-Baker contract must be understood as imposing a duty upon Baker to assure that the finished product for which PAT bargained would comply with the design drawings and specifications. See International Organization Master, Mates, etc. v. International Organization Master, Mates & Pilots, Inc., 497 Pa. 102, 110, 439 A.2d 621, 625 (1981) (when construing a contract which by necessary implication refers to another document, the other document may be looked to for evidence of surrounding circumstances in an effort to ascertain the intention of the parties). Baker’s obligation under its contract with PAT was to “assure delivery,” see Section B(l) supra, of a completed project that met PAT’s specifications. To hold otherwise, by imposing a duty on Baker to be actively involved in procedures for safety compliance, would be inconsistent with the provision in the PAT-Mosites contract stating that Mosites “shall supervise and direct” the work and be “solely responsible for all construction means____” (Emphasis added).
Further, it is settled that the various provisions of a contract are to be construed together, so as to ascertain the intention of the parties from the entire instrument. Foulke v. Miller, 381 Pa. 587, 593, 112 A.2d 124, 127 (1955). One of the other provisions in the PAT-Baker contract indicates that Baker’s duties pertaining to jobsite safety were to be passive in nature, not involving a duty to continually oversee the jobsite and seek out safety hazards. It is provided in Section B(16) of Supplemental Agreement No. 6 that Baker shall:
B(16) Require contractors to provide written safety program coordinated as to all prime and subcontractors working on a site and obtain periodic reports from the contractors as to implementation of the program, and provide copies to the Authority.
To no extent did Baker incur a duty to actively inspect jobsite safety procedures through its contractual obligation to merely obtain, and forward to PAT, periodic reports from Mosites regarding implementation of the contractor’s safety *12program. Section B(16) clearly contemplated that Baker’s involvement with safety concerns would be of an indirect sort, requiring contractors to furnish certain paperwork and forwarding that paperwork to PAT, rather than being an on-site inspector. This duty is plainly of a lesser sort than that in the original PAT-Baker contract which, prior to its modification by Supplemental Agreement No. 4, required Baker to review “contractors’ practices and procedures to minimize hazards associated with construction operations.”
Supplemental Agreement No. 6 cannot, therefore, be viewed as allocating to Baker a duty to seek out or take action against jobsite safety hazards. The Commonwealth Court properly determined that, inasmuch as such a duty was lacking, the judgment against Baker could not stand. Having determined that the judgments against PAT and Baker were properly reversed by the Commonwealth Court, we affirm.
Order affirmed.
NIX, C.J., and STOUT, former J., did not participate in the decision of this case.
PAPADAKOS, J., files a dissenting opinion, which is joined by LARSEN, J.

This case was reassigned to this writer.

. Such remedies against Mosites as may be available to appellant under workmen's compensation law are not involved in this appeal.

. We do not address appellant’s contention that PAT failed to adequately plead immunity as a "local agency,” under the governmental immunity statute, supra, inasmuch as we find PAT to be protected by sovereign immunity.

. The exceptions pertain to the following: operation of motor vehicles; acts of health care personnel; care or control of personal property; dangerous conditions of real estate; potholes in highways; care or control of animals; liquor store sales; National Guard activities; and use of toxoids or vaccines.