Court Opinion

ID: 9747652
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 15:25:58.374488+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:25.248991
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING STATEMENT BY
ORIE MELVIN, J.:
¶ 1 While I do not disagree with the rationale expressed by the majority, I write separately to express my view that the reason stated by the trial court likewise supports its decision to deny Appellant’s motion to compel arbitration. As noted by the majority the subject of Thermal’s motion to compel arbitration is directly related to the pending case of Refrigerated Food Distributors, et al. v. Thermal C/M Services, Inc., in which Appellees are among the plaintiffs. Thermal filed preliminary objections in that action seeking dismissal of Appellees contract claim based upon the arbitration clause here at issue. Thus, in effect the Appellant’s preliminary objections were the same as the instant motion to compel arbitration and has already been decided adversely to Appellant in that still pending action. Appellant’s remedy was to seek appellate review of the decision in Refrigerated rather than the filing of a subsequent motion to compel arbitration. I find the filing of the instant motion was an improper attempt at a second bite of the apple. I also find unpersuasive Appellant’s argument that the arbitration issue was not ruled upon in Refrigerated because its supporting brief and proposed order makes no mention of the claim. What Appellant is admitting is that it waived the issue. See Highmark, Inc. v. Hospital Service Assoc. of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 785 A.2d 93, 100 (Pa.Super.2001) (stating “[t]he right to enforce an arbitration clause can be waived. A waiver of the right to proceed to arbitration may be expressly stated, or it may be inferred from ‘a party’s undisputed acts-”’). Once an issue is waived that claim is lost and may not be revived by a subsequent filing.