Court Opinion

ID: 9702347
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:07:40.408612+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:36.862851
License: Public Domain

DEL SOLE, Judge,
concurring:
I join the analysis of the majority in its opinion. I write separately however to express my disagreement with the existing case law relative to what constitutes a “final and appealable order”.
First, I hasten to add that I believe that the majority’s analysis of counts two, three and four and the dismissal thereof is correct under existing case law. I believe that the existing case law should be re-examined and the concept “out of court” should be reassessed.
An order dismissing various counts in a multi-count complaint, or an order refusing to allow the amendment of an answer, new matter, or counterclaim, does not put a litigant out of court. Rather, it postpones the litigants right to have that issue revie wed until a later date.
I would point out that I believe that the doctrine contained in Praisner v. Stocker, 313 Pa.Super. 322, 459 A.2d 1255 (1983) and Cloverleaf Development Inc. v. Horizon Financial F.A., 347 Pa.Super. 75, 500 A.2d 163 (1985) should be re-examined.
In my view the better practice would be to disallow appeals from any order that occurs during the course of *223litigation at the trial level until a party has been totally dismissed from the case or the case is ended for all purposes at the trial court level. The only exceptions to this rule should be those enumerated in Pa.R.A.P. 311 or where the postponement of review would cause the claimed right to be irrevocably lost. See: Bell v. Consumer Discount Company, 465 Pa. 225, 348 A.2d 734 (1975). The present status of the law in this area is confusing to say the least. Further, our appellate courts have held that the failure to appeal one of these misnomered “final and appealable orders” results in a loss of the right to have the trial court action reviewed if not immediately appealed. Mineo v. Tancini, 349 Pa.Super. 115, 502 A.2d 1300 (1986). See: Fidelity Bank v. Duden, 361 Pa.Super. 124, 521 A.2d 958 (1987) (dissenting Opinion by Del Sole, J.). This in and of itself invites cautious counsel, when faced with the difficult question of determining whether or not an order is “appeal-able”, to take the appeal, delay the litigation at the trial level and further burden the appellate courts of Pennsylvania.
Further, the application of the rule of “final and appeal-able” is inconsistent. As an example, an order striking the affirmative defense raised in a new matter which alleges forgery of a document would be “final and appealable” for interlocutory appeal purposes. However, a trial court’s ruling during trial disallowing expert testimony to establish the fact of that forgery is not “final and appealable”. In either event the result to the litigant is the same and in both cases the review of the respective orders can be postponed until the conclusion of the actions at the trial court level. Further support for this view is gained by the recent decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Bruno v. Elitzky, 515 Pa. -, 526 A.2d 781 (1987) where that court, speaking through Mr. Justice Papadakos, held that the dismissal of new matter as a result of a sanction order entered pursuant to the discovery rules is not a final and appealable order, but rather an interlocutory one, the review of which can await the final outcome of the litigation.
*224It must be pointed out that the concept that a litigant is “out of court” with regard to a particular issue is a misnomer. Actually, the litigant is not out of court but in fact still “in court” merely having the right to review of the subject issue postponed.
Believing as I do that a definition of what is an “appeal-able nonlitigation ending order” is difficult and creates traps to litigants and their lawyers alike, that area of the law should be re-evaluated and changed. However, I conclude that the majority in this case has properly analyzed the existing case law, and therefore I am constrained to join the opinion of my learned colleague Judge Kelly.