Court Opinion

ID: 9765330
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 04:00:22.72189+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:08.989077
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice CAPPY,
concurring.
I agree with the majority that the time limit set forth in Pa.R.C.P. No. 2959(a)(3) does not apply to a petition seeking relief from a judgment by confession that is allegedly void. This conclusion is a matter of rule construction. See Pa. R.C.P. No. 127(a), 101. In my view, it was the intent of this Court in adopting Pa.R.C.P. No. 2959(a)(3) to continue the long-standing distinction under the common law between void*497able and void confessed judgments, and to retain the rule that while petitions challenging the former are subject to the doctrine of laches, petitions challenging the latter may be brought at any time. See Romberger v. Romberger, 139 A. 159, 160 (1927). That is not to say, as the majority indicates, that this Court did not have the authority to extend the time limit in Pa.R.C.P. No. 2959(a)(3) to petitions seeking relief from a confessed judgment that is alleged to be void. I know of no principle that would have prevented this Court from doing so, if that had been our intent.
Justice CASTILLE and BAER join this concurring opinion.