Court Opinion

ID: 9766530
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:52:14.880567+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:23.615681
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Mr. Chief Justice Bell:
Statements of a Judge to a jury in the absence of counsel and in answer to a jury’s request, do not constitute reversible error or justify a new trial unless the communication from the Judge amounted to an instruction to the jury, as that term has always been used and understood, and constituted prejudice to one or both of the parties. Sebastianelli v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America, 337 Pa. 466, 12 A. 2d 113; Allegro v. Rural Val. Mut. F. Ins. Co., 268 Pa. 333, 112 Atl. 140; Cunningham v. Patton, 6 Pa. 355.
In my judgment, the law now established by the majority is unrealistic, unfair to society, and will substantially increase litigation which we are striving to reduce.