Court Opinion

ID: 9753310
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 19:07:22.033679+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:33.637874
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION BY
Senior Judge FRIEDMAN.
I respectfully dissent. The majority holds that the doctrine of technical res judicata bars Hakif Namani’s (Claimant) Review Petition, which Claimant filed to amend the notice of compensation payable (NCP) to include additional injuries, because Claimant could have litigated whether he sustained additional injuries during proceedings on the Termination Petition filed by Claimant’s employer. For the following reasons, I cannot agree that technical res judicata applies.
The majority’s own explanation of technical res judicata is that there must be: (1) identity of the thing sued upon or for; (2) identity of the cause of action; (3) identity of the persons or parties to the action; and (4) identity of the quality or capacity of the parties suing or sued. (Majority Op. at 856-57) (quoting Weney v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Mac Sprinkler Systems, Inc., 960 A.2d 949, 954 (Pa.*859Cmwlth.2008))). When all four elements are present, technical res judicata bars matters that should have been raised in the prior proceeding. Id.
The first two elements are missing in this case. Claimant filed a Review Petition seeking to correct the NCP to include additional injuries. Claimant’s employer filed the Termination Petition to end Claimant’s benefits due to his full recovery from the injury described in the NCP. These are different causes of action, seeking different things. Thus, technical res judicata does not bar Claimant’s Review Petition.
Accordingly, I would reverse.