Roverano, W. v. John Crane, Inc. , 177 A.3d 892 ( 2017 )

J. A10014/17
2017 PA Super 415WILLIAM C. ROVERANO AND : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
JACQUELINE ROVERANO, H/W : PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
JOHN CRANE, INC. AND BRAND :
INSULATIONS, INC. :
:
APPEAL OF: BRAND INSULATIONS, INC. :
: No. 2837 EDA 2016
Appeal from the Order July 27, 2016
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
Civil Division at No(s): No. 1123
WILLIAM C. ROVERANO : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
v. :
:
JOHN CRANE, INC., :
:
APPELLANT :
: No. 2847 EDA 2016
Appeal from the Order July 27, 2016
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
Civil Division at No(s): March Term, 2014 No. 1123
BEFORE: DUBOW, J., SOLANO, J., and FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.
OPINION PER CURIAM: FILED DECEMBER 28, 2017
Appellants, John Crane, Inc., and Brand Insulations, Inc., appeal from
the July 27, 2016 Order denying Post-Trial Motions and entering Judgment in
favor of Appellees William and Jacqueline Roverano. We affirm in part,
reverse in part, and remand for a new trial to apportion damages among the
tortfeasors.
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We briefly summarize the relevant facts, as gleaned from the certified
record, as follows.
Appellee William Roverano was employed at PECO from 1971 until his
retirement in 2001. As part of his employment, Mr. Roverano was exposed
to a variety of asbestos products over a ten-year period from 1971 until
1981.
In November of 2013, Mr. Roverano was diagnosed with lung cancer in
both lungs. Despite extensive treatment, his prognosis is poor.
On March 10, 2014, Mr. Roverano filed a Complaint against thirty
named defendants, averring that exposure to asbestos products attributable
to those defendants caused his lung cancer.1 In addition, Mrs. Roverano
made a claim for loss of consortium.
Prior to trial, the trial court ruled that the Fair Share Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §
7102, did not apply to asbestos cases.
At trial, the parties presented evidence that focused primarily on
Roverano’s exposure to Appellants’ products that contained asbestos and
whether such exposure caused Roverano’s lung cancer. The thrust of
Appellants’ defense was that it was Roverano’s history of smoking that
caused his lung cancer and any exposure to Appellants’ products was
insignificant and could not have caused his lung cancer. In contrast,
1 More than a dozen of those named defendants had filed for bankruptcy. Of
the remaining named defendants, all but Appellants Crane and Brand settled
with the Roveranos prior to the jury’s verdict.
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Appellees’ experts opined that it was both his smoking and the exposure to
Appellants’ products that caused his lung cancer.
After deliberating, the jury found in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Roverano
and against the Appellants as well as six of the eight other defendants. The
jury awarded $5,189,265 to Mr. Roverano and $1,250,000 to Mrs. Roverano.
Appellants filed separate Motions for Post-Trial Relief. On July 27,
2016, the trial court denied Appellants’ Motions and entered judgment in
favor of the Roveranos. The trial court apportioned the judgment equally
among the eight defendants whom the jury determined to be tortfeasors. In
particular, the trial court entered separate judgments against Appellant
Crane and Appellant Brand each in the amount of $648,858 plus $29,604 for
delay damages for the verdict in favor of Mr. Roverano and $156,250 for the
verdict in favor of Mrs. Roverano.
Appellants timely appealed. The trial court did not order, and
Appellants did not file, a Statement of Errors Complained of on Appeal
pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).
Although Appellants have filed separate briefs, the issues raised are
largely overlapping. We, therefore, paraphrase and re-number the collective
issues Appellants raised as follows:2
2 Appellant Crane also argues in one paragraph that we should reverse the
trial court because its errors are cumulative. Since Appellant does not
develop this argument or cite any law or references to the record to support
this argument, we find this argument waived. See J.J. DeLuca Co., Inc. v.
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1. The trial court erred in defining “factual cause” in its
instructions to the jury and in response to a written question
from the jury.
2. The trial court erred by denying Appellant Crane’s proposed
Verdict Form that addressed whether Roverano’s injuries were
caused by exposure to asbestos, or, as Appellant Crane
maintains, smoking.
3. The trial court erred by failing to provide the jury a Verdict
Form that allowed them to determine whether Appellant Crane’s
packing was defective in the absence of a warning.
4. The trial court erred by allowing Roveranos’ experts to offer
“each and every” or “whatever” asbestos exposure causation
testimony in a case where Roverano did not have mesothelioma,
asbestosis, or any other medical marker of asbestos exposure.
5. The trial court erred when it refused to mold the verdict to
account for named-defendants Georgia Pacific Cement and
Hajoca Corporation.
6. The trial court erred in failing to apply the Fair Share Act and
erred specifically as follows:
A. The trial court should have required the jury to
apportion liability among the alleged tortfeasors; and
B. The trial court should have included certain alleged
tortfeasors on the verdict sheet, notwithstanding the fact
that those alleged tortfeasors had filed for bankruptcy
protection, or to mold the verdict to reflect settlement
payments received from the bankruptcy estates of
alleged tortfeasors
Appellant Crane’s Brief at p. 5-6; Appellant Brand’s Brief at p. 3.
Toll Naval Associates, 56 A.3d 402, 412 (Pa. Super. 2012) (citing
Pa.R.A.P. 2119).
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Standard of Review
Our standard of review on appeal is a clear abuse of discretion or an
error of law that controls the case:
Our standard of review regarding a trial court's denial of a
motion for a new trial is limited. The power to grant a new trial
lies inherently with the trial court and we will not reverse its
decision absent a clear abuse of discretion or an error of law
which controls the outcome of the case.
Maya v. Johnson and Johnson, 97 A.3d 1203, 1224 (Pa. Super. 2014)
(citation omitted). When determining whether the trial court committed an
error of law controlling the outcome of the case, “our standard of review
is de novo, and our scope of review is plenary.” Fizzano Bros. Concrete
Prods., Inc. v. XLN, Inc., 42 A.3d 951, 960 (Pa. 2012).
1. Factual Cause Jury Instructions
Appellants argue that the trial court erred in defining “factual cause” in
its instructions to the jury and in response to a written question from the
jury. In particular, Appellants argue that the “law requires a ‘but for’
causation standard for the definition of factual [causation], which was an
error of law that controlled the outcome of the case.” Crane’s Brief at 30.
This Court reviews a challenge to jury instructions under the following
well-settled principles of Pennsylvania law.
[O]ur standard of review when considering the adequacy of jury
instructions in a civil case is to determine whether the trial court
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committed a clear abuse of discretion or error of law controlling
the outcome of the case. It is only when the charge as a whole is
inadequate or not clear or has a tendency to mislead or confuse
rather than clarify a material issue that error in a charge will be
found to be a sufficient basis for the award of a new trial.
Further, a trial [court] has wide latitude in [its] choice of
language when charging a jury, provided always that the court
fully and adequately conveys the applicable law.
Phillips v. Lock, 86 A.3d 906, 916–917 (Pa. Super. 2014) (citation
omitted).
In asbestos products liability cases, “Pennsylvania law requires that a
plaintiff prove two elements: “that the product was defective, and that the
defect was the substantial factor in causing the injury.” Rost v. Ford
Motor Company, 151 A.3d 1032, 1037 n.2 (Pa. 2016) (citations omitted;
emphasis added.). When a plaintiff was exposed to more than one product
that contained asbestos, the jury, when applying the “substantial factor”
test, should consider the “frequency, regularity and proximity” of the
plaintiff’s exposure to each asbestos product. Gregg v. V-J Auto Parts
Co., 943 A2d 216 (Pa. 2007). This assessment requires a “focus on the
precise nature of plaintiff’s exposure to the defendant’s product, not on
other asbestos containing product.” Rost, 151 A.3d at 1048 (emphasis in
original).
When a jury focuses on the defendant’s product, the jury should
consider the plaintiff’s exposure to each defendant’s product “was on the one
hand, a substantial factor or a substantial cause or, on the other hand,
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whether the defendant’s conduct was an insignificant cause or a negligible
cause.” Id. at 1049 (quoting Ford v. Jeffries, 379 A.2d 111, 114 (Pa.
1977)).
The Supreme Court concluded that it has never “insisted that a
plaintiff exclude every other possible cause for his or her injury and in fact,
we have consistently held that multiple substantial causes may combine and
cooperate to produce the resulting harm to the plaintiff.” Rost, supra at
1051.
Finally, the Rost Court noted with approval the analysis in Tragarz v.
Keene Corp., 980 F.2d 411 (7th Cir. 1992), adopted by Gregg, supra at
226, that rejected any notion that the test of “frequency, regularity and
proximity” requires a comparative analysis of different exposures to
asbestos and instead made clear that the focus must be on the level of
exposure to the defendant’s product. Rost, supra at 1050 n.13. Using this
analysis, our Supreme Court rejected a “but for” causation analysis.
Suppose a plaintiff shows that the amount of exposure that it
received from defendant’s A’s asbestos product was alone
sufficient to cause mesothelioma. If such a plaintiff was not
exposed to any other products, the plaintiff would have sufficient
evidence to support a finding that but for exposure to the
defendant A’s product, the plaintiff would not have gotten ill. On
the other hand, under a [comparative approach], if the plaintiff
was exposed to numerous other asbestos products, the plaintiff
might not be able to prove cause in fact in a suit against
defendant A because the same exposure to defendant A’s
product might not be substantial in comparison to the exposure
to the other products. Such a result does not promote the
purposes of the substantial factor test, which is aimed at
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alleviating the inequities that result when applying the but for
test in a multi-defendant case, not at creating such inequities.
Id., quoting Tragarz, 980 F.2d at 425 (emphasis omitted).
Based on our review of the foregoing precedential authority, we
conclude that the trial court in the instant case properly rejected Appellant’s
request for a “but for causation” jury charge. The Pennsylvania Supreme
Court has clearly rejected such a standard for causation and requires, when
addressing a situation in which a plaintiff is exposed to more than one
asbestos containing products, that the jury determine whether the plaintiff’s
exposure to each defendant’s product was “frequent, regular and proximate”
to determine whether such exposure was a substantial factor in causing the
plaintiff’s injury.
Appellants further argue that the “trial court’s instruction did not
provide a sufficient and correct legal basis to guide the jury.” Crane’s Brief at
33.
First, while explaining the Verdict Sheet, the court stated:
The first question I said deals with exposure to the particular
product of the defendant. Now, these are the elements the
plaintiff has to prove that exposure. Number one, was the
plaintiff exposed to the product of the defendant, did it contain
asbestos, was the plaintiff exposed to the asbestos fibers of that
particular defendant on a regular frequent and proximate basis.
Now, the second question deals with whether these products
manufactured, distributed, or supplied by the individual
defendants was a factual cause in bringing about the plaintiff’s
lung cancer. In other words, did this exposure, if you find it, was
it a factual cause in bringing about his lung cancer, did the
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plaintiff suffer from an asbestos-related disease, the lung cancer,
that is, was it caused by the exposure.
N.T., 4/13/16, at 336-37; RR 687a.
After the attorneys made their closing arguments, the court explained
to the jury the need for Mr. Roverano to establish that he was exposed to
the asbestos fibers that Appellants had manufactured, distributed or supplied
on a “regular, frequent and proximate basis.” N.T. at 122; RR. 709a. The
court then instructed the jurors on the definition of factual cause as:
And here the question is, were the asbestos products
manufactured, distributed or supplied by that particular
defendant, John Crane, Brand Insulation, you discuss these
separately, was it a factual cause in bringing about lung cancer.
In short, did the plaintiff suffer from an asbestos-related disease,
that is, was the lung cancer an asbestos-related disease.
Now, what do I mean by factual cause? Well, you imagine with
lawyers and with judges there’s been a lot of discussion as to
what do we mean by factual cause. I used to use the word
substantial factor. I think they mean the same, but today we’re
using factual cause.
Factual cause is a legal cause. In order for the plaintiff to recover
in this case, the exposure to the defendant’s asbestos products
must have been a factual cause in bringing about his lung
cancer. This is what the law recognizes as a legal cause.
A factual cause is an actual real factor, although the result may
be unusual or unexpected, but it is not an imaginary or fanciful
factor or a factor having no connection or only an insignificant
connection with Mr. Roverano’s lung cancer.
N.T. at 118-19; RR at 708a.
By instructing the jury that Mr. Roverano must establish that his
exposure was regular, frequent, and proximate and such exposure was a
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substantial cause of plaintiff’s lung cancer, the trial court “fully and
adequately convey[ed] the applicable law.” Philips, 86 A.3d at 916-17.
We, thus, conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion or commit an
error of law.
Appellants also argue that the trial court erred in responding to the
jury’s question regarding the definition of “factual” cause. Crane’s Brief at
34; Brand’s Brief at 29. In response to the question, the trial court charged
the jury correctly by instructing the jury that factual cause is “legal cause,
sometime referred to as substantial factor:”
Factual cause is a legal cause, sometimes referred to as substantial
factor, but it’s the same—in my opinion they’re the same definition,
so I’m going to give you the definition of factual cause as a legal
cause.
In order for the plaintiff to recover in this case, the exposure to
defendant’s products based on the elements that I gave you must
have been a substantial—must have been a factual cause in bringing
about Mr. Roverano, the plaintiff’s lung cancer. This what the law
recognizes as legal cause.
A factual cause is a real actual-a factual cause is an actual real
factor, although the result may be unusual or expected, but it is not
an imaginary or fanciful factor or a factor having no connection or
only an insignificant connection with the lung cancer.
Keep in mind you could have more than one cause which is a factual
cause, but that’s for you to decide. If you’ve got a couple of causes
and you say one is not a factual cause and one is, the it can only be
the one that you find the factual cause, but you can find that both
were factual cause. That’s up to you. You’re the factfinders.
N.T. at 136-37; RR 712a.
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Appellants contend that the court’s response to the jury’s inquiry
was improper because it “changed [the jury’s] mind.” Crane’s Brief at 37;
see also Brand’s Brief at 32-33. The trial court properly instructed the
jurors on the law. It is for the jurors to apply the law and determine
liability. We can only focus on the trial court’s instruction to the jury and
not speculation about the timing of the jury’s verdict.
2. Causation Question on Verdict Sheet
Appellant Crane argues that a principal theory of Appellants’ defense
“was that Mr. Roverano’s lung cancer was not caused by his exposure to
asbestos at all; rather [the cancer,] along with his emphysema and COPD,
was caused by his extensive smoking history.” Crane’s Brief at 29.
Appellant contends that by denying a specific question on the Verdict Sheet
reflecting this theory, the trial court precluded Appellant Crane from
presenting this theory to the jury. Id.This is a challenge to the trial court’s discretion in fashioning questions
on the Verdict Sheet and we review such challenges for an abuse of
discretion. “An abuse of discretion is more than just an error of judgment
and, on appeal, a trial court will not be found to have abused its discretion
unless the record discloses that the judgment exercised is manifestly
unreasonable, or the result of partiality, prejudice, bias, or ill-will.”
Commonwealth v. Lane, 424 A.2d 1325, 1328 (Pa. 1981) (citation and
internal quotation marks omitted).
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Appellant Crane argues that the trial court should have specifically
included a question on the Verdict Sheet about whether smoking caused Mr.
Roverano's lung cancer.
The questions on the Verdict Sheet were as follows:
1. “Was the Plaintiff, Mr. Roverano, exposed to asbestos products
manufactured, distributed or supplied by Defendant, John Crane,
Inc.
2. Were the asbestos products manufactured, distributed, or supplied
by John Crane, Inc, a factual cause in bring about the Plaintiff’s
lung cancer.”
RR 1058a-1059a (emphasis added.).
In explaining the second question, the trial court instructed the jury,
inter alia: “In other words, did this exposure if you find it, did the plaintiff
suffer from an asbestos-related disease, the lung cancer, that is was it
caused by the exposure.” N.T., 4/13/16, at 37; RR 687a.
The purpose of the Verdict Sheet is to provide a general guidepost to
the jury of the general issues the jury must decide. It is not to reflect either
party’s specific theories.
In this case, the second question about factual cause on the Verdict
Sheet required the jury to consider whether it was smoking that caused Mr.
Roverno’s lung cancer. If the jury had found that it was smoking that had
caused Mr. Roverano's lung cancer, the jury would have answered “no” to
the second question.
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Therefore, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion
by denying Appellant’s request to include a question on the Verdict Sheet
that reflected its theory of the case.
3. “Unreasonably Dangerous” Question on Verdict Sheet
Appellant Crane also argues that the trial court erred by failing to
provide the jury a question on the Verdict Sheet asking the jury whether
Crane’s asbestos products were “unreasonably dangerous” and thus,
defective.
The trial court rejected Crane’s request for such a question because
“the issue in this case was one of exposure and causation, not an issue of
the defect of the product.” Trial Ct. Op., dated 7/25/15, at 6. The trial
court further noted that “neither defendant disputed that their products
contained asbestos without proper warnings. Their defenses were based on
the fact that the exposure to their products was minimal at best or, as with
Crane, encapsulated.” Id. The trial court concluded that “[a] question
about defect was irrelevant.” Id. at 7.
We agree with the trial court’s conclusions that the trial was primarily
focused on exposure and causation. Appellant did not dispute that its
product contained asbestos. As discussed above, the questions on the
Verdict Sheet are to provide generalized guideposts to the jurors. To add a
question about defect when the parties did not present evidence on the issue
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or argue about it in their opening or closing statements would have confused
the jury.
Moreover, the trial court properly relied upon the analysis in Moore v.
Ericsson, 7 A.3d 820 (Pa. Super. 2010), in which this Court noted with
approval the trial court’s determination as a matter of law that wire and
cable containing asbestos was defective. See id. at 826.
As the trial judge stated, the issue was not whether a product
was defective because it contained asbestos; “instead, the trial
issues, and therefore the factual issues remaining for the jury
were limited to whether the Defendant's particular product
contained asbestos, whether the Plaintiff was exposed to it, and
whether such exposure caused Plaintiff's mesothelioma.” We find
no error or abuse of discretion.
Id. (citing Trial Court Opinion).
As the trial court in the instant case noted, “neither defendant
disputed that their products contained asbestos without proper warnings.”
Trial Ct. Op. at 6. Therefore, the trial court properly rejected Appellant
Crane’s request that the Verdict Sheet contain a question about whether the
asbestos was unreasonably dangerous and limited the questions on the
Verdict Sheet to whether Appellee was exposed to the defendant’s asbestos
and whether that exposure caused his lung cancer.
4. “Each and Every” Exposure Testimony
Appellant Crane argues that the trial court erred by allowing
Roveranos’ experts to offer evidence that “each and every” or “whatever”
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asbestos exposure caused Mr. Roverano’s injury where Mr. Roverano did not
have mesothelioma, asbestosis, or any other marker of asbestos exposure.
We disagree with Appellant Crane’s characterization of the expert
testimony of the Roveranos. A review of the entire testimony of the
Roverano experts demonstrates that Roveranos' experts did not testify that
it was a single exposure to the Appellants' products that caused Mr.
Roverano's lung cancer; rather, that it was multiple exposures that were a
substantial factor in causing Roverano’s lung cancer.
For instance, Dr. Frank testified at length that both smoking and
regular, proximate, and frequent exposure to asbestos in Appellant Crane’s
products caused Mr. Roverano’s lung cancer. Dr. Frank first testified about
general causation:
Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. Asbestos exposure causes
lung cancer. When you put the two together, is there some
interaction between the two that increases the possibility of
getting lung cancer, and the answer is yes. And there are
numbers on this and it varies depending on which study you look
at which time…So there is what we call a multiplicative or
synergistic response. And again other studies vary by what that
number. Some are higher, some are lower, but it more than
simply an additive effect when you put the two together.
N.T., 4/7/16, at 36-38; RR. 533a-34a.
Dr. Frank later provided testimony regarding specific causation by
testifying that based upon Mr. Roverano’s testimony of his regular,
proximate, and frequent exposure to Appellant Crane’s asbestos products,
that, to a degree of medical certainty,
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whatever exposure Mr. Roverano had to John Crane packing
products as described in the hypothetical would have been a
substantial contributing cause or would have been a factual
cause of his lung cancer and would have added to his total
exposures, were part of his cumulative exposure and therefore
are part of what caused his lung cancer.”
N.T., at 63; RR R540a.3
Dr. Frank did not base his conclusions on the premise that Mr.
Roverano had a single exposure to asbestos. In fact, Appellant Crane failed
to point to testimony of any expert who based his opinion on the premise of
a single exposure.
Appellant Crane argues that the trial court should have precluded the
Roverano’s experts’ opinions because they failed to provide “any serious
assessment of the causal attribution by assessing the frequency, regularity
and proximity of Mr. Roverano’s exposure to JCI’s products.” Appellant
Crane’s Brief, at 40, citing Rost, supra. By characterizing the experts’
testimony as lacking “any serious assessment,” Crane’s averment challenges
the weight, not the admissibility, of the evidence.
It is within the province of the jury to determine the weight to give the
evidence and this Court will not disturb the fact-finder’s weight
3 Dr. Frank also opined that “the Brand Insulation materials to which Mr.
Roverano was exposed to were a factual cause and contributed to his
developing his lung cancer. The basis of that is the same, that it’s part of
his cumulative exposure, it added to his risk, and when he got the disease,
you have to say it was one of the factors that contributed to the totality of
his dose which ended up giving his lung cancer.” N.T., 4/7/16, at 67; RR.
541a.
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determination. See Commonwealth v. Champney, 832 A.2d 403, 408 (Pa.
2003) (noting that “the weight of the evidence is exclusively for the finder of
fact” and “an appellate court cannot substitute its judgment for that of the
finder of fact.”). Accordingly, we will not disturb the factfinder’s weight
determination.
Appellant also avers that “the Plaintiff’s experts’ testimony should
additionally have been barred because this is not a mesothelioma case.”
Crane’s Brief at 43. Again, Crane’s argument pertains to the weight, not the
admissibility, of the evidence.
Appellants presented evidence that asbestos exposure can only cause
mesothelioma,4 and argued that because Mr. Roverano developed lung
cancer, it had demonstrated that it was not asbestos that caused his lung
cancer. However, Dr. Frank testified on this general causation factor and
concluded that exposure to asbestos can cause lung cancer. Dr. Gelfand
also testified that, based on the medical literature and his experience, Mr.
Roverano’s exposure to asbestos was a “substantial contributing factor to his
lung cancer and to his poor prognosis for survival.” See Crane Brief at 16-
17, citing N.T. at RR 540a, 765a.
Appellant Crane essentially argues that because the jury believed the
Roveranos' experts and not the Appellants' experts on the question of
4Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs. Gregg v. V-J Auto
Parts Co., 943 A.2d 216, 217 (Pa. 2007).
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general causation, the court erred in permitting the experts to testify. We
decline to disturb jury’s weight determination.
5. Molding the Verdict to Include Non-Liable Defendants
Georgia Pacific Cement and Hajoca Corporation were both included on
the Verdict Sheet, and the jury was specifically instructed to determine
whether either named defendant “manufactured, distributed, or supplied”
products which “were factual causes in bringing about Plaintiff’s lung
cancer.” Jury Verdict – Questions to be Answered by the Jury, filed 4/15/16,
at 3. After hearing the evidence presented at trial, the jury found that
Georgia Pacific Cement and Hajoca Corporation were not liable for the harm
to Appellees. Id.In light of the fact that the jury did not find that Georgia Pacific
Cement and Hajoca Corporation to be tortfeasors,5 the trial court did not err
in refusing to mold the verdict to include them.
6. Fair Share Act
Appellants contend that the trial court erred as a matter of law by
refusing to apply the Fair Share Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 7102(a.1)-(a.2), to this
case because the litigation involves exposure to asbestos. They argue that
5 In light of our holding in the next section that finds that it is a jury who
must apportion liability among tortfeasors, we note that since the jury did
not find Georgia Pacific Cement and Hajoca Corporation to be tortfeasors,
they should not be included in a jury determination apportioning damages
among tortfeasors. See note 11, infra.
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the Roveranos’ claim falls within the ambit of the Act and that nothing in the
plain language of the Act supports the trial court’s decision to exempt
asbestos litigation from the Act’s requirements. We agree.6
Statutory interpretation is a question of law. Therefore, our standard
of review is de novo, and our scope of review is plenary. Commonwealth
v. Hall, 80 A.3d 1204, 1211 (Pa. 2013). “In all matters involving statutory
interpretation, we apply the Statutory Construction Act, 1 Pa.C.S. § 1501 et
seq., which provides that the object of interpretation and construction of
statutes is to ascertain and effectuate the intention of the General
Assembly.” Commonwealth v. McCoy, 962 A.2d 1160, 1166 (Pa. 2009)
(citation omitted).
Generally, a statute’s plain language provides the best indication of
legislative intent. In re Trust of Taylor, 164 A.3d 1147, 1155 (Pa. 2017).
We will look beyond the plain language of the statute only when the words
are unclear or ambiguous, see id., or the plain meaning would lead to “a
6 Application of the Fair Share Act to strict liability cases involving asbestos
exposure is a question of first impression in this Court. Appellants argue
that dicta in Rost 151 A.3d at 1044 n.7, another case dealing with personal
injuries caused by exposure to asbestos, establishes that the Act applies to
these cases. The cited footnote in Rost discussed policy issues underlying
some of the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding liability from asbestos
exposure, including issues stemming from application of joint and several
liability, and then added: “Pennsylvania has now eliminated joint and
several liability in most cases through amendment of the Fair Share Act.”
This sentence is a far cry from a clear statement about the statute’s
application to asbestos cases, and, although we address this issue mindful of
the Supreme Court’s guidance in Rost, we do not find the footnote
determinative.
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result that is absurd, impossible of execution or unreasonable.” 1 Pa.C.S. §
1922(1). Therefore, when ascertaining the meaning of a statute, if the
language is clear, we give the words their plain and ordinary meaning. Hall,
80 A.3d at 1211.
The Fair Share Act was enacted in 2011 as an amendment to the
section of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102, that had provided for
comparative negligence. See Act No. 2011-17, P.L. 778 (June 28, 2011). It
replaced subsection (b) of that statute with two new subsections:
(a.1) Recovery against joint defendant; contribution. —
(1) Where recovery is allowed against more than one
person, including actions for strict liability, and where liability is
attributed to more than one defendant, each defendant shall be
liable for that proportion of the total dollar amount awarded as
damages in the ratio of the amount of that defendant’s liability
to the amount of liability attributed to all defendants and other
persons to whom liability is apportioned under subsection (a.2).
(2) Except as set forth in paragraph (3), a defendant’s
liability shall be several and not joint, and the court shall enter a
separate and several judgment in favor of the plaintiff and
against each defendant for the apportioned amount of that
defendant’s liability.
(3) A defendant’s liability in any of the following actions
shall be joint and several, and the court shall enter a joint and
several judgment in favor of the plaintiff and against the
defendant for the total dollar amount awarded as damages:
(i) Intentional misrepresentation.
(ii) An intentional tort.
(iii) Where the defendant has been held liable for
not less than 60% of the total liability apportioned to all
parties.
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(iv) A release or threatened release of a hazardous
substance under section 702 of the act of October 18,
1988 (P.L. 756, No. 108), known as the Hazardous
Sites Cleanup Act.
(v) A civil action in which a defendant has violated
section 497 of the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L. 90, No.
21), known as the Liquor Code.
(4) Where a defendant has been held jointly and severally
liable under this subsection and discharges by payment more
than that defendant’s proportionate share of the total liability,
that defendant is entitled to recover contribution from
defendants who have paid less than their proportionate share.
Further, in any case, any defendant may recover from any other
person all or a portion of the damages assessed that defendant
pursuant to the terms of a contractual agreement.
(a.2) Apportionment of responsibility among certain
nonparties and effect. — For purposes of apportioning liability
only, the question of liability of any defendant or other person
who has entered into a release with the plaintiff with respect to
the action and who is not a party shall be transmitted to the trier
of fact upon appropriate requests and proofs by any party. A
person whose liability may be determined pursuant to this
section does not include an employer to the extent that the
employer is granted immunity from liability or suit pursuant to
the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L. 736, No. 338), known as the
Workers’ Compensation Act. An attribution of responsibility to
any person or entity as provided in this subsection shall not be
admissible or relied upon in any other action or proceeding for
any purpose. Nothing in this section shall affect the admissibility
or nonadmissibility of evidence regarding releases, settlements,
offers to compromise or compromises as set forth in the
Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence. Nothing in this section shall
affect the rules of joinder of parties as set forth in the
Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure.
42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(a.1)-(a.2). The Act applies to claims that accrued after
June 28, 2011, and the parties agree that the Roveranos’ claims did not
accrue before that time.
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One of the main purposes of the Fair Share Act was to make joint and
several liability inapplicable to most tort cases. The statute accomplished
that objective in subsection (a.1)(2), which states that, apart from a limited
class of excepted cases, “a defendant’s liability shall be several and not joint,
and the court shall enter a separate and several judgment in favor of the
plaintiff and against each defendant for the apportioned amount of that
defendant’s liability.” The Act’s lengthy other provisions make clear,
however, that the statute is not limited only to restricting joint and several
liability. Rather, insofar as is relevant here, the Act also made several
adjustments to the rules for allocating liability among joint tortfeasors.
Before enactment of the Fair Share Act, the Comparative Negligence
Act provided for proportionate recovery against negligent joint tortfeasors
according to a percentage determination that was made by the fact-finder:
Where recovery is allowed against more than one defendant,
each defendant shall be liable for that proportion of the total
dollar amount awarded as damages in the ratio of the amount of
his causal negligence to the amount of causal negligence
attributed to all defendants against whom recovery is allowed.
...
42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(b) (deleted 2011); see Embrey v. Borough of West
Mifflin, 390 A.2d 765, 769 (Pa. Super. 1978) (role of jury in allocating
liability). Liability among joint tortfeasors who were strictly liable was not
covered by the statute and, under court decisions, was calculated on a per
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capita7 basis — that is, if five defendants were found strictly liable, each
would be allocated 20% of the liability regardless of how much each
defendant’s conduct contributed to the injury. See Baker v. ACandS, 755
A.2d 664, 669 (Pa. 2000); Walton v. Avco Corp., 610 A.2d 454, 462 (Pa.
1992).
One of the new Fair Share Act provisions enacted to replace Section
7102(b) was Section 7102(a.1)(1), which employed language similar to that
in Section 7102(b), but applied it to both negligent and strictly liable joint
tortfeasors:
Where recovery is allowed against more than one person,
including actions for strict liability, and where liability is
attributed to more than one defendant, each defendant shall be
liable for that proportion of the total dollar amount awarded as
damages in the ratio of the amount of that defendant’s liability
to the amount of liability attributed to all defendants and other
persons to whom liability is apportioned under subsection (a.2).
42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(a.1)(1). A principal question in this case is whether, and
to what extent, this provision changed the way to allocate liability among
strictly liable joint tortfeasors.
Prior to trial, several defendants, including Brand and Crane, filed a
motion in limine seeking a ruling that their liability, if any, would be
apportioned by the jury according to the extent to which each defendant
7 Consistent with some of the case law, Appellees call this a “pro rata”
allocation. Appellants use “per capita,” and that term provides a clearer
description of the result. The different terminology does not imply any
substantive difference in the way liability was determined.
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caused harm to Mr. Roverano. The court heard argument on that motion on
April 5, 2016, and summarized the motion as follows:
[W]hat you’re saying is that you want an apportionment —
rather than per capita, you want an apportionment instruction to
the jury and you want the jury to actually apportion the share of
liability if they reach that issue.
Tr., 4/5/16, at 9. The court then explained why it would deny the motion:
Here is my difficult[y] with this and why I’ve denied it in the past
and I will here and you all have an exception, is that all of the
testimony I’ve ever heard in asbestos, no one quantifies it. They
say that you can’t quantify it. If you can’t quantify it, how can
the Fair Share Act apply?
Id. at 9-10. After a discussion during which defense counsel proposed
possible ways of proving an allocation, the trial court reiterated that the
motion in limine was denied. Id. at 10-16. In its post-trial opinion, the trial
court stated that it “properly denied [Appellants’] motion to apply the Fair
Share Act to this case” because the jury was not presented with evidence
that would permit an apportionment to be made by it. Trial Ct. Op.,
7/27/15, at 9-10.
In holding that the Fair Share Act did not “apply” to this case, the trial
court erred. This was an action to hold Appellants strictly liable in tort for
injuries allegedly caused by asbestos-containing products that they made or
distributed, and the Fair Share Act explicitly applies to tort cases in which
“recovery is allowed against more than one person, including actions for
strict liability.” 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(a.1)(1) (emphasis added). Nothing in
the statute makes an exception for strict liability cases involving asbestos.
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Rather, Section 7102(a.1)(3) excepts only four specific kinds of tort actions
— intentional misrepresentation, other intentional torts, certain
environmental cases, and dram shop actions — and cases involving asbestos
are not among them.
The Roveranos contend that Section 7102(a.1)(1)’s reference to strict
liability actions was intended only to make clear that the Act’s abrogation of
joint and several liability applies to such cases. They contend that the Act is
silent on how liability among strictly liable joint tortfeasors is to be
apportioned, and that this silence means that apportionment may continue
to be done in the same way as it was done before the statute’s enactment —
on a per capita basis. In support of this argument, they point out that
Section 7102(a.1)(1) says only that each joint tortfeasor’s liability shall
equal “that proportion of the total dollar amount awarded as damages” that
is calculated by determining “the ratio of the amount of that defendant’s
liability” to the total liability of all defendants. The Act does not specify how
that ratio is to be determined, and therefore, they contend, the rule of per
capita apportionment applicable before the Fair Share Act’s enactment
remains unchanged. We disagree. Rather, by explicitly making strictly
liable joint tortfeasors subject to the same liability allocation section as that
applicable to negligent joint tortfeasors, the Legislature made clear that it
intended for liability to be allocated in the same way for each.
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The fact that the Fair Share Act does not explicitly say how to allocate
liability among strictly liable joint tortfeasors just means that the statute is
ambiguous on that issue, not that the statute does not address it. See In
re Trust of Taylor, 164 A.3d at 1156 (a statute is ambiguous if it does not
“contain[] any explicit language addressing the issue raised”). The statute is
silent on the manner of calculating the ratio for all kinds of tort cases, not
just strict liability cases. Any suggestion that the silence has special
meaning for strict liability cases therefore is unfounded. There is nothing in
the statute to suggest that the Legislature intended the ratio under Section
7102(a.1)(1) to be calculated one way for negligent tortfeasors and a
different way for those strictly liable. Rather, the similarity between the
language of former Section 7102(b) and new Section 7102(a.1)(1) suggests
that the Legislature intended that the allocation method applicable to
negligence cases was merely being expanded to apply to strict liability cases
too. The “including actions for strict liability” clause in Section 7102(a.1)(1)
supports this conclusion; this clause suggests that the allocations of liability
that had been done by a jury in negligence cases now would “include” strict
liability cases as well.
The Legislature’s placement of the “including actions for strict liability”
clause is revealing. If, as Appellees suggest, the Legislature intended only
to make clear that the abrogation of joint and several liability applied to
strict liability actions, it would have added that clause to Section
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7102(a.1)(2), which abrogates joint and several liability. Instead, the
Legislature added that clause to Section 7102(a.1)(1), which deals with
allocation of liability among joint tortfeasors. By doing so, the Legislature
clearly intended to make a change in the allocation rules that applied before
the Fair Share Act’s enactment, which called for a fact-based allocation in
negligence cases and a per capita allocation in strict liability cases. If the
Legislature did not intend to change those rules, there would be no reason to
add the “including actions for strict liability clause” to Section 7102(a.1)(1).
A comparison of Section 7102(a.1)(1) to the language of Section
7102(b) that it replaced shows that the Legislature accomplished its
objective by changing the allocation components from —
the amount of [the tortfeasor’s] causal negligence to the
amount of causal negligence attributed to all defendants against
whom recovery is allowed
to —
the amount of that defendant’s liability to the amount of liability
attributed to all defendants and other persons to whom liability
is apportioned.
The inclusion of strict liability cases obviously accounts for the Legislature’s
replacement of “causal negligence” with “liability.” Because this was the
only change relevant to this issue that the Legislature made to its allocation
formula,8 this comparison again supports the view that the Legislature
8 The Legislature also added the phrase, “and other persons to whom liability
is apportioned,” which we discuss below.
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intended allocation of liability under Section 7102(b) to carry over under the
new statute and to apply to strict liability cases in the same way as it had
been done previously under the comparative negligence statute.9
The structure and context of the Fair Share Act as a whole thus
support the view that Section 7102(a.1)(1) reflects the Legislature’s
intention to have a fact-finder allocate liability among joint tortfeasors in all
types of cases, including strict liability cases. This conclusion is confirmed
by the statute’s history. See 1 Pa. C.S. § 1921(c)(7) (“When the words of a
statute are not explicit, the intention of the General Assembly may be
9 This case does not require us to opine on the factors that should be
considered in allocating liability among strictly liable tortfeasors under
Section 7102(a.1)(1). Prior law prohibited a fault-based allocation because
of a desire in product liability actions at that time to “fortif[y] the theoretical
dam between the notions of negligence and strict ‘no fault’ liability,”
Walton, 610 A.2d at 462, but that dam was cracked in Tincher v. Omega
Flex, Inc., 104 A.3d 328, 376-81, 399-406 (Pa. 2014) (discussing and
rejecting prior law’s effort to completely divorce negligence and strict liability
concepts). Even if there were still some reason to avoid a fault-based
allocation method, it is not apparent on this record why liability among
strictly liable tortfeasors may not be allocated by a jury without
consideration of wrongdoing. A court may apportion liability when it is able
to identify “a reasonable basis for determining the contribution of each cause
to a single harm.” Restatement (Second) of Torts § 433A(1) (1965); see
Martin v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 528 A.2d 947, 949 (Pa.
1987). Brand suggests that liability could have been apportioned here
according to the amount of Mr. Roverano’s potential exposure to each
defendant’s product. Brand’s Br. at 19-20. Crane makes a similar argument
that would factor in the potency of the type of asbestos to which Mr.
Roverano was exposed (chrysotile versus amphibole). Crane’s Br. at 45-46.
These causation-based arguments clearly suggest bases for apportionment
apart from fault. Their reasonableness is for the trial court to determine in
the first instance, and the weight of their supporting evidence is a matter for
the jury.
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ascertained by considering, among other matters . . . [t]he
contemporaneous legislative history”).
The Act was a reenactment of substantially identical legislation
enacted in 2002 that was later declared invalid because it was part of a bill
addressing multiple subjects in violation of Article 3, Section 3 of the
Pennsylvania Constitution. See Fair Share Act of 2002, Act No. 2002-57,
P.L. 394 (June 19, 2002), held invalid in DeWeese v. Weaver, 880 A.2d
54, 62 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2005), aff’d without opinion, 906 A.2d 1193 (Pa.
2006). The 2002 statute was hotly debated in the Legislature, and during
those debates the bill’s floor manager in the House, Representative Mike
Turzai, was asked the precise question that now is before this Court:
Mr. GANNON. . . . Mr. Speaker, where you have a Pennsylvania
manufacturer selling a product in Pennsylvania through a seller,
a seller sells the product, it has got a manufacturing defect, how
would that liability be apportioned under this law — proposed
law; excuse me.
Mr. TURZAI. Yes. If both of those defendants are present, as you
have suggested, and you have strict liability claims, . . . you
would not take into account the plaintiff’s actions or the
plaintiff’s behavior in terms of reducing the ultimate award as
you do in negligent situations. However, . . . you would
apportion the damages between strict liability defendant number
one and strict liability defendant number two. Let us assume
they are 70-30 and you would go after strict liability one for the
70 and you would go after strict liability two for the 30 to the
degree that the jury or the judge found them causally
responsible.
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2002 Pa. Leg. J. (House) 1199 (June 4, 2002).10 Representative Turzai’s
answer made clear that liability apportionment between two strictly liable
tortfeasors would not be per capita, but instead would be based on “the
degree that the jury or the judge found them causally responsible,” in a
manner similar to allocation among negligent joint tortfeasors.
At no time during the debates on the 2002 legislation or the 2011
legislation was there ever any suggestion that Representative Turzai’s view
of liability allocation under the statute was incorrect or that there would be
any allocation among strictly liable joint tortfeasors on a per capita basis.
Rather, throughout the debates, the repeated concern was about tortfeasors
(both strictly liable tortfeasors and negligent tortfeasors) who would be
allocated only a small percentage of liability; the bill’s opponents worried
that if the legislation were enacted, recovery against such defendants would
not make the plaintiff whole, while proponents worried that unless the bill
were enacted such defendants would have to pay more than their fair share
of the verdict. No one suggested that these implications were different for
strictly liable joint tortfeasors than for others.
In fact, the general understanding that strictly liable joint tortfeasors
would have liability allocated in the same way as other tortfeasors led to the
10 Representative Turzai later clarified that if one of the two defendants was
70% liable, the case would fall within the exception in Section
7102(a.1)(3)(iii) that permits that defendant to be held jointly and severally
liable. 2002 Pa. Leg. J. (House) at 1199. That clarification does not change
the relevance of his answer for purposes of the issue in this case.
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enactment of one of the exceptions in Section 7102(a.1)(3) of the Act.
During the 2002 debates, there was concern about how the bill would affect
recoveries in toxic tort actions, in which strict liability claims often are
brought against multiple defendants. See 2002 Pa. Leg. J. (House) at 1204-
05, 1213-14. As a result of those debates, the bill was amended to include
Section 7012(a.1)(3)(iv), which preserves joint and several liability for
certain strict liability environmental claims. See 2002 Pa. Leg. J. (Sen.)
1908-09 (June 12, 2002); 2002 Pa. Leg. J. (House) 1349-50 (June 17,
2002). The amendment shows that the Legislature believed allocation on a
non-per capita basis in strict liability cases would be the rule, and that it had
to enact an exception if it wanted a different rule.
Finally, the Legislature has instructed that we are to interpret a statute
“to give effect to all its provisions.” 1 Pa. C.S. § 1921(a); see
Commonwealth v. Anderson, 169 A.3d 1092, 1096 (Pa. Super. 2017) (en
banc). But Appellees’ interpretation would make an important provision of
the Act, Section 7102(a.1)(3)(iii), inapplicable to strict liability actions.
Section 7102(a.1)(3)(iii) was a compromise provision. It states that if a
defendant is held liable for more than 60% of the liability in the case, joint
and several liability applies to that defendant. This exception assures that
those defendants who are substantially responsible for a plaintiff’s injury will
have to account for the full amount of the plaintiff’s harm. But if liability in a
strict liability case is per capita, it is mathematically impossible for any of
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those defendants to reach the 60% threshold: with just two defendants, a
defendant’s liability can only be 50%, and the liability percentage will
decrease as the number of defendants increases. That is not the result the
Legislature intended.
We, therefore, conclude that liability in strict liability cases must be
allocated in the same way as in other tort cases, and not on a per capita
basis, and that the trial court erred in holding that the jury could not
apportion liability pursuant to the Fair Share Act. Of course, apportionment
by the jury will require submission of appropriate evidence from which the
jurors may make an allocation. Questions regarding the nature of that
evidence should be resolved by the trial court in the first instance on
remand.
We also agree with Appellants that the jury on remand must be
permitted to consider evidence of any settlements by the Roveranos with
bankrupt entities in connection with the apportionment of liability. Section
7102(a.2) of the Fair Share Act states: “For purposes of apportioning liability
only, the question of liability of any defendant or other person who has
entered into a release with the plaintiff with respect to the action and who is
not a party shall be transmitted to the trier of fact upon appropriate requests
and proofs by any party.” Under Section 7102(a.1)(1), the settling party’s
liability is included in the “amount of liability attributed to all defendants and
other persons to whom liability is apportioned under subsection (a.2)” for
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purposes of allocating liability among the joint tortfeasors. These provisions
require that settlements with bankrupt entities be included in the calculation
of allocated liability under the statute.11
Section 7102(a.2) contains no exception for settling persons who are
bankrupt. Rather, the section refers to “any defendant or other person who
has entered into a release with the plaintiff with respect to the action and
who is not a party.” 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(a.2) (emphasis added). The
Roveranos claim, however, that our decisions in Ottavio v. Fibreboard
Corp., 617 A.2d 1296, 1300 (Pa. Super. 1992) (en banc), and Ball v.
Johns-Manville Corp., 625 A.2d 650 (Pa. Super. 1993), which prohibited
consideration of settlements with bankrupt entities prior to enactment of the
Fair Share Act, continue to bar consideration of such settlements here.
Because Ottavio and Ball were based on policy considerations that do not
apply under the Fair Share Act, we conclude that this argument is mistaken.
In Ottavio, the defendant, one of several manufacturers of products
containing asbestos, objected to an apportionment of liability among such
manufacturers on the ground that bankrupt manufacturers were not included
in the calculation. Ottavio, 617 A.2d at 1300. In holding that the federal
11 Appellants concede that this requirement is subject to the qualification
that they “submit evidence to establish that the non-parties were joint
tortfeasors.” See Amato v. Bell & Gossett, 116 A.3d 607, 617 (Pa. Super.
2015), appeal dismissed sub nom. Vinciguerra v. Bayer CropScience,
Inc., 150 A.3d 956 (Pa. 2016). In addition, we agree with Appellees that
Section 7102(a.2) does not apply to bankrupt entities (or their successors in
interest) with whom they have not settled and received releases.
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Bankruptcy Code prohibited inclusion of bankrupt companies in the
calculation, we observed that an allocation of fault pursuant to the
Comparative Negligent Act12 made the other parties to the allocation joint
tortfeasors against whom, under the then-prevailing rules of joint and
several liability, another tortfeasor could seek contribution. That result
would violate the automatic stay provisions of the Bankruptcy Code 13 and
therefore was preempted by federal law. See id. In Ball, we reached the
same result on the basis of our holding in Ottavio. See Ball, 625 A.2d at
660.
The Fair Share Act does not permit a similar result here. Not only
does it do away with joint and several liability in most cases, but it contains
the following mandate in Section 7102(a.2): “An attribution of responsibility
to any person or entity as provided in this subsection shall not be admissible
or relied upon in any other action or proceeding for any purpose.” The Act
thus prohibits use of an allocation against a bankrupt company as a basis
for seeking contribution or any other recovery against that company;
indeed, the Act makes the allocation finding inadmissible in any other case.
12 The case apparently included a negligence claim.
13 Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code provides that the filing of a
bankruptcy petition “operates as a stay, applicable to all entities, of . . . [an]
action or proceeding against the debtor . . . to recover a claim against the
debtor that arose before the commencement of the case under this title” and
“any act to collect, assess, or recover a claim against the debtor that arose
before the commencement of the case under this title.” 11 U.S.C.
§ 362(a)(1), (6).
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The finding, therefore, cannot expose the bankrupt company to any sort of
claim forbidden by the Bankruptcy Code. As a result, it does not conflict
with the Code and is not preempted by it.14
This is the same conclusion as that reached by our colleague Judge
Strassburger when he confronted this issue as a trial judge under the 2002
statute. Finding cases like Ball and Ottavio “inapposite,” he observed:
Under the Act, it is a new ball game[.] The defendant in Ball was
seeking a judgment against bankrupt entities. Clearly that would
have violated the automatic stay. The new Act provides:
An attribution of responsibility to any person or entity as
provided in this subsection shall not be admissible or relied
upon in any other action or proceeding for any purpose.
Thus, no judgment violative of the automatic stay can
eventuate.
Slayton v. Gold Pumps, Inc., No. GD 03-010873, 2004 Pa. Dist. & Cnty.
Dec. LEXIS 335, *5 (C.P. Alleg., Oct. 25, 2004). Courts in other jurisdictions
have reached similar conclusions when confronted with legislation similar to
the Fair Share Act. See, e.g., Bondex v. Ott, 774 N.E.2d 82, 87 (Ind. App.
14 In this respect, we note that “there is a presumption against preemption.”
Dooner v. DiDonato, 971 A.2d 1187, 1194 (Pa. 2009) (emphasis in
original). A statute that is preempted by federal law is unconstitutional
because it violates the Supremacy Clause (Art. VI, cl. 2) of the federal
Constitution. Id. at 1193. But “acts passed by the General Assembly are
strongly presumed to be constitutional,” and “a statute will not be declared
unconstitutional unless it clearly, palpably, and plainly violates the
Constitution.” Pa. State Ass’n of Jury Comm’rs v. Commonwealth, 64
A.3d 611, 618 (Pa. 2013) (citations and quotation marks omitted). The
presumption against preemption and corollary presumption against
unconstitutionality strongly weigh against following Ottavio as a basis for
declining to apply the Fair Share Act according to its terms.
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2002); see also In re Shondel, 950 F.2d 1301, 1306-07 (7th Cir. 1991)
(discussing effect of bankruptcy discharge under Section 524 of Code).
For these reasons, we hold that the trial court failed to apply the Fair
Share Act in the manner intended by the Legislature and that we therefore
need to remand this case for a new trial on the question of apportionment of
liability.
Judgment vacated. Order denying Post Trial Motions affirmed in all
respects other than that portion dealing with the Fair Share Act; such
portion of the Order is reversed. Case remanded for a new trial to apportion
the jury verdicts among the Appellants, the non-bankrupt settling
defendants (excluding Georgia Pacific Cement and Hajoca because the jury
determined that they were not tortfeasors) and bankrupt settling
defendants. Jurisdiction relinquished.
President Judge Emeritus Ford-Elliott joins this Opinion Per Curiam.
Judge Solano files a Concurring and Dissenting Opinion.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 12/28/17
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