Court Opinion

ID: 9711488
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 04:33:00.71933+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:01:52.685521
License: Public Domain

*576CAVANAUGH, Judge,
dissenting:
Because in my opinion the majority errs in interpreting the complaints and errs in applying the law, I dissent.
The plaintiffs are citizens of New York and the defendant, union local, is an unincorporated association with its principal office located in New York. The plaintiffs seek to recover certain amounts allegedly due them under an employment contract which was negotiated and substantially performed in New York. They allege that the defendant failed to pay, inter alia, the amount due them for “out of town” trips. Both plaintiffs do not know how many such trips were not adequately paid for, but one “reasonably believes” there were 50 such trips; the other “reasonably believes” there were 100 trips. Of these 50 and 100 trips neither plaintiff has specified how many such trips were to Pennsylvania. For all we know, plaintiffs could have gone to Pennsylvania twice. Nevertheless, the majority states that “on their face the complaints suggest significant activity in Pennsylvania,” Majority Opinion, ante at 642. I respectfully suggest that such a statement misinterprets the complaints.1
Despite the uncertainty of the number of trips in Pennsylvania and the possibility that the actual number may be *577quite small, the majority decides that Pennsylvania has personal jurisdiction over the defendant union local and that Pennsylvania courts should not decline to exercise jurisdiction on the basis of forum non conveniens. I agree with the lower court that even if Pennsylvania has personal jurisdiction over the local union, the court should decline to exercise its jurisdiction under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. Thus, I find it unnecessary to discuss the issue of personal jurisdiction even though I also disagree with the majority’s view of that issue.
The lower court held that under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(e) Pennsylvania was not a proper forum for this case. Although 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(e) does not explicitly refer to the doctrine of forum non conveniens,2 the considerations which govern the applicability of forum non conveniens are relevant when the court applies 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(e). See Washington v. May Department Stores, 388 A.2d 484 (D.C. App.1978) (court used forum non conveniens criteria in applying D.C.Code 1973 § 13^425, which is substantially similar to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(e)).
The lower court’s decision that it should decline jurisdiction under the doctrine of forum non conveniens will be reversed only if the decision constitutes an abuse of discretion. Plum v. Tampax, 402 Pa. 616, 618, 168 A.2d 315 (1961). In my opinion the lower court did not abuse its discretion in declining jurisdiction.
In deciding whether a court should decline jurisdiction, the interest of the parties and the interest of the public must be considered. Plum v. Tampax, 399 Pa. 553, 160 A.2d 549 (1960). Here the plaintiffs are citizens of New York, the defendant union local is an unincorporated association which was organized in New York and which has its principal place of business in New York; and the contract was negotiated and substantially performed in New York. Moreover, ap*578parently at least some of defendant’s witnesses would be required to travel from New York to Pennsylvania. Under these circumstances, the interest of the parties weighs in favor of litigation elsewhere.
Factors relevant to the public interest were enunciated by our Supreme Court in Plum v. Tampax, 399 Pa. 553, 160 A.2d 549 (1960):
Factors of public interest also have place in applying the doctrine. Administrative difficulties follow for courts when litigation is piled up in congested centers instead of being handled at its origin. Jury duty is a burden that ought not to be imposed upon the people of a community which has no relation to the litigation. There is an appropriateness, too, in having the trial * * * in a forum that is at home with the state law that must govern the case, rather than having a court in some other forum untangle problems in conflict of laws, and in law foreign to itself.
Id., 399 Pa. at 561-62, 160 A.2d at 553.
Here, since the plaintiffs performed some of their work in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania has some relation to the litigation. However, the relation of the instant case to New York is very substantial compared to the relation to Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs seek damages for the alleged failure of the defendants to pay them the proper wages and benefits for every day they worked. Plaintiff Brommage claims he worked 345 days, of which 5Q were out of town; plaintiff Koenig claims he worked 1824 days, of which 100 were out of town.3 The number of these out of town trips which were in Pennsylvania is not stated in the complaints. Both in terms of the amount of days worked in New York as *579compared to those worked outside New York and in terms of the amount of damages claimed to be attributable to work in New York as compared to the amount of damages attributable to work outside New York, the relation to New York is substantial. Moreover, New York law would apply here.
The substantial relation to New York and slight relation to Pennsylvania and the requirement that a Pennsylvania court interpret and apply New York laws convince me that the public interest favors litigation elsewhere.
Considering both the interests of the parties and the public as Plum v. Tampax, 399 Pa. 553, 160 A.2d 549 (1960), mandates, I believe there are sufficient reasons to disturb plaintiff’s choice of forum and I cannot say the lower court abused its discretion. Therefore, I would affirm.4

. Brommage’s complaint alleges:
13. During the time that Plaintiff was employed, he made frequent trips out of town on official business for [defendants], ... including trips to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and other points in Montgomery County for the purpose of attempting to organize employees and to attend meetings as a union trustee of the Boilermakers Medical Plan.... Plaintiff does not now know how many such out-of-town trips he made in the course of his employment but reasonably believes there to have been at least 50 such trips since February 14, 1977, for which he was not reimbursed. Koenig’s complaint alleges:
20. During the time that Plaintiff was employed, he made frequent trips out of town on official business for [defendants] ... including trips to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and other points in Montgomery County for the purpose of attempting to organize employees and to attend meetings as a union trustee of the Boilermakers Medical Plan and the Boilermakers Pension Plan.... Plaintiff does not know how may such out-of-town trips he made in the course of his employment, but reasonably believes there to have been at least 100 such trips since July 27, 1972.

. 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5322(e) provides:
(e) Inconvenient forum.—When a tribunal finds that in the interest of substantial justice the matter should be heard in another forum, the tribunal may stay or dismiss the matter in whole or in part on any conditions that may be just.

. I conclude this from the allegations in the complaints, including the demand for damages. Brommage is claiming to have worked from February 14, 1977 to May 25, 1978, 67 weeks; 67 weeks X 5 days/week = 335; on 10 occasions he alleges he worked 6 days/week, 335 + 10 = 345; of these 345 days he alleges about 50 days were out of town. Similarly, Koenig claims to have worked from July 27, 1972 to May 25, 1978, 304 weeks; during this time he alleges he worked 6 days/week, 304 weeks X 6 days/week = 1824; of these 1824 days he alleges about 100 days were out of town.

. The lower court dismissed the action against the local union. Dismissal under the doctrine of forum non conveniens is proper as long as there is an alternative forum available to the plaintiff. Plum v. Tampax, supra. In voting to affirm I assume the existence of an alternative forum. New York would probably be an alternative forum.