Court Opinion

ID: 9734265
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 17:30:14.519629+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:47.462875
License: Public Domain

ROBERTS, Justice,
concurring.
I join that portion of the majority opinion holding that the Public Utility Commission (PUC) is the appropriate forum for resolution of appellant’s claim. It is the clear mandate of the Legislature that claims of inadequate service are to be resolved by the PUC, the regulatory agency charged with the responsibility, and possessing the expertise, to adjudicate such claims. See Public Utility Law, Act of May 28, 1937, P.L. 1053, § 401, 66 P.S. § 1171 (1959). As recognized by the majority, the nature of the relief sought by an aggrieved customer of a public utility does not determine the tribunal which will adjudicate a claim of inadequate service. Feingold v. Bell of Pennsylvania, 477 Pa. 1, 383 A.2d 791 (1977) (Roberts, J., dissenting).
It is of concern, however, that the majority’s “test” for deferral may unnecessarily require courts preliminarily to determine whether a case “is a complex matter requiring special competence,” or whether it is “one which the court or jury are equally well-suited to determine.” It is my view that our courts must defer to the PUC in all cases presenting issues involving the reasonableness, adequacy and sufficiency of public utility services. This legislative allocation of jurisdiction promotes the quality, efficiency and integrity of both the administrative and judicial processes.
The doctrine of primary jurisdiction requires “judicial abstention in cases where protection of the integrity of a *137regulatory scheme dictates preliminary resort to the agency which administers the scheme.” United States v. Philadelphia National Bank, 374 U.S. 321, 353, 83 S.Ct. 1715, 1736, 10 L.Ed.2d 915 (1963). Neither uniform regulatory policy nor the legislative objective can be achieved if courts and fact-finders throughout the Commonwealth are permitted to impose differing service standards in individual cases, merely because the issues presented are not “complex.” Even in non-complex cases the statutory authority to adjudicate claims is vested in the PUC. Moreover, a regulatory agency, “by specialization, by insight gained through experience and by more flexible procedure,” is far better equipped to clarify and resolve the issues underlying an inadequate service claim. Far East Conference v. United States, 342 U.S. 570, 574-75, 72 S.Ct. 492, 494, 96 L.Ed. 576 (1952).
Thus, in any case involving the furnishing and maintenance of “adequate, efficient, safe and reasonable service and facilities,” deferral to the PUC is not only appropriate but legislatively required. Where, as here, the PUC determines that the service rendered by the utility is adequate and reasonable, that determination, reviewable through the administrative process, is binding and conclusive. Where it is determined by the PUC that a utility’s service falls short of the statutory standard, only in that instance may a court utilize that determination in a proceeding for damages.