Court Opinion

ID: 9697960
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 19:38:07.951631+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:37.350899
License: Public Domain

OLSZEWSKI, Judge,
concurring:
I concur in the well-reasoned majority decision, and write separately only to note that the exclusive remedy defense does not necessarily apply to co-employee defendants. If the acts of the co-employee defendants were “intentional wrongs,” then the Workers’ Compensation remedy is not the exclusive source of relief. 77 P.S. § 72. In order to determine whether the co-employees’ acts were “intentional wrongs,” we ask if the alleged wrong is one that is not normally expected in the workplace. Vosburg v. Connolly, 405 Pa.Super. 121, 130, 591 A.2d 1128, 1133 (1991).
In this case, appellant was fired from his place of work in a completely professional manner. He was first suspended and notified of such suspension. After investigation, he was terminated, but he was allowed several appeals. The co-employee defendants never publicized anything about the termination. In such a case, appellant was not subjected to an unexpected wrong. Compare Vosburg, 405 Pa.Super. at 130, 591 A.2d at 1133 (finding an unexpected, and therefore intentional, wrong when employee suffered physical assault at the hands of a co-employee). Unfortunately, terminations do occur in the workplace, and this one was handled in a professional and competent manner.
Thus, the co-employees’ acts were not “intentional wrongs” within the meaning of Section 205 of the Workers’ Compensa*195tion Act, 77 P.S. § 72, and appellant’s exclusive remedy is under the liability provisions of that Act. 77 P.S. § 1, et seq. Since appellant was not entitled to maintain this action at law, summary judgment was properly granted in appellees’ favor.