Court Opinion

ID: 9698503
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 19:52:14.94492+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:41.357715
License: Public Domain

*161PAPADAKOS, Justice,
dissenting.
The remand by the Board was based upon the failure of the referee to consider a memorandum of law. This was a defect that is intended to be cured by the consideration of all legal issues by the Board on appeal to them from the decision of the referee. The record was complete. Only the proper application of the law was left to consider. The Board abrogated their responsibilities by the remand and caused unwarranted delay to the parties. This was the real cause of injustice. The Cudo case stands for the proposition that a remand for a rehearing is proper to complete a record. Rehearings are for the purpose of receiving evidence — not legal arguments. The Board does not receive new and additional evidence in the appeal process but they must review all legal arguments posed by memoranda of law whether presented to the referee or directly to the Board. That is their statutory duty under 77 P.S. § 855. To remand to the referee to avoid that statutory duty was error, in my view. If the remand was for some other unknown purpose, the Board was obligated to explain their reasons for the remand. See, Pennsylvania Social Services Local 668 v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, 481 Pa. 81, 392 A.2d 256 (1978). They did not do so.
I would affirm the decision of the Commonwealth Court.