Court Opinion

ID: 9516238
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 23:38:54.885346+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:27.432811
License: Public Domain

CAVANAUGH, Judge,
concurring and dissenting:
Based on the facts in the record, I am in complete agreement with the majority’s reasoning that the lower court had jurisdiction in this matter. I also agree that this case should at least be remanded to enable the mother to appear and address the merits of the father’s petition for redetermination of custody.
However, since the record may not contain relevant facts due to what I believe to be a procedural irregularity, I would expand the scope of the issues on remand to provide the appellant with an opportunity to argue and present evidence on the issue of jurisdiction in the lower court.
Instantly, the appellant had notice that a hearing was scheduled September 14, 1979. However, Westmoreland County Rule W501 provided that her preliminary objections as to jurisdiction would be argued weeks later. Appellant, therefore, relied on Rule W501’s provisions as to the time when argument on her preliminary objections would be heard. Nevertheless, the lower court decided appellant’s preliminary objections without notice to appellant that Rule W501 would not be followed and without notice that appel*116lant’s preliminary objections would be considered on September 14th, the time when a hearing on the merits of the custody issue was originally scheduled. On September 14th the court heard argument from appellee’s counsel on the issue raised by the preliminary objections; appellant and her counsel did- not appear, thus no evidence or argument by appellant was presented. Since appellant did not have notice that her preliminary objections would be considered at a time earlier than that provided by Rule W501, appellant was denied procedural due process by the lack of such notice. The lack of notice may have prejudiced appellant by preventing her from presenting evidence and argument on the jurisdiction issue. I would, therefore, expand the scope of remand to allow appellant the opportunity to argue and present evidence on the jurisdiction issue.