Court Opinion

ID: 9704958
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 00:53:10.970862+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:06.881882
License: Public Domain

ROWLEY, Judge,
concurring and dissenting:
I join in the order vacating the summary judgment entered in favor of appellee, Allstate Insurance Company, and remanding this case to the trial court for further proceedings. I also join in the holding that summary judgment at this time is premature and that a final determination of the amount due the appellee must await the resolution of appellant’s claim against the city of Pittsburgh. Therefore, I join in Judge Brosky’s careful and persuasive analysis of this issue.
However, I find myself in disagreement with the majority’s disposition of the issue concerning counsel fees and expenses as discussed at pages 1026-1027 of their opinion. I agree that, if properly raised, the subrogee’s recovery should be reduced by an amount equal to a reasonable attorney’s fee for creation of the fund from which recovery is to be had. Appellant, however, did not, in his pleadings, raise any claim for such a reduction. The trial court held, therefore, that the issue was not properly before it. The majority, however, holds that “appellant was not obliged to plead attorney’s fees as a counterclaim or setoff____” I respectfully dissent from that holding and agree with the trial court’s conclusion.
*209Initially I note that, contrary to the statement of the majority, this is not an action in equity. Although equitable principles are to be considered in deciding the issue raised, the fact is that the proceedings and progress of this case through the trial court make it clear that it is a “civil action.” See Pa.R.C.P. 1001, as amended December 16, 1983. Thus the rules governing pleadings are those contained in Pa.R.C.P. 1001-1048. However, even should this be considered as an action in equity (which it is not), Pa.R.C.P. 1501 provides that actions in equity are governed by the procedural rules governing “civil actions” unless specifically otherwise provided in the equity rules. My review of the equity rules discloses no provision excusing the necessity to properly plead a setoff or counterclaim merely because equitable principles are involved. In fact, Rule 1510A provides that the defendant in an equity action may plead a legal counterclaim.
Under Pennsylvania’s fact-pleading procedure, each party to a lawsuit is entitled to be informed of the facts material to the original claim and defenses thereto. It is felt that such a system of pleading is necessary to enable the parties to properly prepare and present their case at the time of trial. Moreover, such a system of pleading is useful in narrowing the factual and legal issues to be resolved at trial. See II Goodrich-Amram 2d § 1017:1. Therefore, I would hold that appellant was obliged to plead the necessary facts giving rise to his claim to reasonable attorney’s fees and that his failure to do so precluded the trial court from deciding that issue. However, since I agree that the judgment must be vacated and the case remanded to the trial court, my decision on this issue would be without prejudice to the right of appellant to seek permission to file an appropriate amendment to his answer and new matter upon remand. Given my conclusion that the issue of attorney’s fees is not properly before us at this time, I do not join in the majority’s discussion thereof contained in its opinion, pages 1026-1027.