UC - willful misconduct - use of work phone/computer for personal business

Oyetayo v. UCBR – March 4, 2015 – Cmwlth. Court

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/393CD14_3-4-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Claimant disqualified for willful misconduct and violation of employer rule against person use of work telephone and computer (email), after having receiving two prior warnings about zero tolerance policy.

 

De minimis rule not applicable after warning about strict enforcement.

While an employee at Employer would normally be permitted to engage in the occasional use of his work computer for personal email, Claimant was not a normal employee; instead the Board found that Claimant had been issued written warnings that directed him not to engage in any unauthorized use of Employer’s resources for personal reasons. Claimant’s argument that his personal email use fell within the de minimis exception therefore fails because Employer had advised Claimant that his prior personal use of Employer’s resources had exceeded what was allowed and any future use would be seen as a violation of Employer’s rules.

 

Doing personal things at work

There is no question that Claimant’s conduct was not merely negligent but rather of an intentional and deliberate nature. Grieb v. UCBR, 827 A.2d 422, 426 (Pa. 2003).   Moreover, this Court has on numerous occasions determined that a claimant’s use of work time to engage in personal affairs without authorization was willful misconduct even where not prohibited by a specific work rule because it was contrary to reasonable standards of behavior that an employer can expect from its employees. See, e.g., Pettyjohn v. UCBR, 863 A.2d 162, 165 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2004) (holding that access of internet for personal reasons  during working hours after being advised not to constituted willful misconduct); Baldauf v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 854 A.2d 689, 692 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2004) (holding that the claimant engaged in willful misconduct by accessing personal email and non-work related websites while being paid to work); Wetzel v. UCBR, 370 A.2d 415, 417 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1977) (holding that the claimant, whose employment was terminated for crocheting at work despite several warnings not to do so, had engaged in willful misconduct). Furthermore, “[a] conclusion that the employee has engaged in disqualifying willful misconduct is especially warranted in...cases where...the employee has been warned and/or reprimanded for prior similar conduct.” Ellis v. UCBR, 59 A.3d 1159, 1163 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013) ....Accordingly, because Claimant knowingly violated Employer’s work rule and because Claimant has not put forward any argument that he had good cause for violating the work rule, we hold that the Board did not err in concluding that Claimant was ineligible for benefits due to willful misconduct.

 

No duty to provide copy of record absent request by Claimant

Claimant cites no authority which imposes an affirmative duty on the Board to send a claimant a copy of the record at the same time as it is sent to this Court.  Instead, the applicable Board regulations provide that “[i]n the event of an appeal from the decision of the Board to the Commonwealth Court, a party may request a transcribed copy of the record of the testimony, and it shall be furnished without charge.” 34 Pa. Code § 101.71 (emphasis added). The Board’s regulations further provide that: When an interested party or his representative requests information from the file of the Board in order to present and maintain the issues...in an appeal to the Court, such information (including the hearing transcript, where the record has been transcribed) shall be made available at a reasonable time to the party and his representative, without charge,...for examination, copying and making notations therefrom.

34 Pa. Code § 101.54(b) (emphasis added). As there is no allegation that either Claimant or his attorney requested a copy of the record from the Board and the Board denied such a request, the Board did not act inappropriately or deny Claimant his due process rights by failing to send Claimant a copy of the certified record.

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This  summary is also posted at the PLAN Legal Update http://planupdate.blogspot.com/, which is searchable  and can be accessed without a password.

 

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tax sale - disputed facts - right to hearing - Battisti v. Tax Claim Bureau

Estate of Filchner – Cmwlth. Court – March 9, 2015

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/2097CD13_3-9-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Following its decision in Battisti v. Tax Claim Bureau, 76 A.3d 111 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013), the court held that where a petition to set aside a tax sale raises disputed issues of fact, the court must hold a hearing and take evidence, rather than summarily resolving the facts on its own.

 

In granting a party’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, the trial court denied Taxpayer’s objections without an evidentiary hearing, and thereby denied Taxpayer due process. Battisti, 76 A.3d at 116.  Due process under the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions must be satisfied whenever the government subjects a citizen’s property to forfeiture for nonpayment of taxes. Geier v. Tax Claim Bureau of Schuylkill County, 588 A.2d 480 (Pa. 1991). Once Taxpayer presents a prima facie challenge to the tax sale, the burden shifts to the Tax Claim Bureau to prove strict compliance with the notice provisions of the RETSL. Michener v. Montgomery County Tax Claim Bureau, 671 A.2d 285, 289-90 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1996). Where there is a factual dispute, a taxpayer is entitled to an evidentiary hearing and remanded the case to the trial court.

 

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The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

 

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Therapeutic support services - medical necessity standard

C.M. v. DPW – Cmwlth. Court – March 11, 2015 – unreported memorandum decision

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/2123CD13_3-11-15.pdf?cb=1

 

TSS services are medical services administered by the Department, not educational services subject to administration by the State Board of Education or the Department of Education and governed by regulations promulgated pursuant to the IDEA. Therefore, the provision of TSS services is subject to the medical necessity standard established in relation to the MAP program rather than the IDEA’s least restrictive environment standard.

 

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The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

 

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UC - willful misconduct - ER-claimant agreement not an admission of wrongful conduct

Bennett v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – March 4, 2015 – memorandum opinion – not reported

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/710CD14_3-4-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Private agreement between employer and claimant to change job termination to 12-day suspension is not an admission of the conduct that resulted in the suspension.  It is merely a settlement between the parties.  Without the agreement being admitted into evidence and without testimony regarding the content of the agreement, the UCBR cannot assume that claimant admitted violating the employer’s rules.   There was no testimony or other evidence in the record to support a finding that the agreement constituted an admission of employer rules.

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The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

 

tax sale - partnership - notice to each partner/owner

Dwyer v. Luzerne Co. Tax Claim Bureau – Cmwlth.Court – February 17, 2015

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/680CD14_2-17-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Commonwealth Court affirmed lower court decision setting aside tax sale of partnership-owned property where Partner/Owner B signed for certified mail notice sent to Partner/Owner A – i.e., no notice delivered separately to non-signing partner A – and no evidence in the record of authority of one to sign for certified mail for the other.

 

The statutory notice provision of  the Law provides that the Bureau shall give notice of the sale “[a]t least thirty (30) days before the date of the sale, by United States certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, to each owner as defined by this act.” 72 P.S. §5860.602(e)(1).

 

 “Restricted delivery” is mail “delivered only to the addressee or the person he specifically authorizes in writing to receive his restricted delivery mail.” . . . Here, the receipt shows that the certified mail addressed to Owner A was signed for by Owner B. “Even when a return receipt is signed, the signature must belong to someone authorized by the owner to accept certified mail.” . . . .There is nothing in the record evidencing Owner B’s authority to sign for certified mail addressed to Owner A.

 

Because Owner A did not sign for the certified mail addressed to him, in accordance with section 607.1(a) of the Law, the Bureau was required to further investigate his whereabouts. Specifically, section 607.1(a) of the Law requires reasonable notification efforts when “mailed notification is either returned without the required receipted personal signature of the addressee or under other circumstances raising a significant doubt as to the actual receipt of such notification by the named addressee . . . .” 72 P.S. §5860.607a(a).

 

Here, the tax claim bureau conceded that although Owner A did not sign for the certified mail addressed to him, the Bureau did not make any effort to discover his whereabouts and notify him. Thus, the trial court properly concluded that the Bureau failed to comply with the Law’s notice provision.

 

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UC - willful misconduct - offensive language - de minimus conduct - provocation

Campbell v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – February 17, 2015 – unpublished memorandum opinion

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/369CD14_2-17-15.pdf?cb=1

 

One-time us of the word “bitch” toward a co-worker, in response to that employee’s threatening outburst, was de minimus and not disqualifying willful misconduct, even though use of abusive language violated ER rule.

 

Arnold v. UCBR, 703 A.2d 582 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1997),  “offensive language directed by an employee to an employer, if sufficiently provoked or de minimis, will not constitute willful misconduct.” Id. at 584.   Horace W. Longacre, Inc. v. UCBR, 316 A.2d 110 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1974), and Kowal v. UCBR, 512 A.2d 812 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1986).  Perez v. UCBR, 736 A.2d 737 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1999)

 

 
 

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The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

UC - willful misconduct - fighting

Gallo v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – February 17, 2015 – unpublished memorandum opinion

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/655CD14_2-17-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Physical altercation at work not willful misconduct where

            * claimant acted in self-defense, after being pushed

            * claimant was furthering ER’s interests by giving foreman’s instructions to co-worker

            * incident lasted a matter of seconds

            * claimant’s actions were reasonable under the circumstances

 

The court noted that the UCBR failed to analyze the reasonableness of claimant’s actions, and that the facts found by the UCBR did not support findings that claimant escalated the fight.

 

“[F]ighting is considered inimical to the best interests of the employer and, as such, willful misconduct.” Rivera v. UCBR, 526 A.2d 1253, 1255 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1987). However, “[w]here an employee’s conduct is justifiable or reasonable under the circumstances, it cannot be considered willful misconduct because it is not a willful disregard of standards of behavior that an employer has a right to expect.” Miller v. UCBR, 83 A.3d 484, 488 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014). An employee’s actions may be reasonable under the circumstances where that employee acts in self-defense in response to another employee’s physical aggression against him. See Mula v. UCBR, 407 A.2d 477, 477 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1979) (recognizing that an employee has a right to defend himself).  

 

Whether an employee’s actions are reasonable depends on the circumstances; our prior cases suggest such circumstances include the degree and duration of the employee’s actions. See Miller, 83 A.3d at 488 (holding that the claimant’s conduct was justified and reasonable where the entire physical altercation consisted of the other co-worker shoving the claimant and the claimant shoving the co-worker back); Peeples v. UCBR, 522 A.2d 680, 682-83 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1987) (holding that the claimant’s striking back at the employee who struck him was in self-defense, reasonable, and justified). Here, the circumstances suggest that Claimant’s actions were in self-defense and reasonable under the circumstances.


 

social security disability - a) lay testimony; b) hypothetical questions; c) conflict between VE testimony and DOTecurity disability

Zirnsak v. Colvin – 3d Cir. – December 9, 2014

 

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/141168p.pdf

 

The Third Circuit affirmed the denial of benefits.  The opinion was published on motion of the defendant.

 

Lay testimony properly discounted

An ALJ can consider evidence from non-medical sources to determine the severity of a claimant’s impairments and how those impairments impact the claimant’s ability to work. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(d) (2014). Non-medical sources include “spouses, parents and other caregivers, siblings, other relatives, friends, neighbors, and clergy.” Id. § 404.1513(d)(4). The Commissioner has issued a policy interpretation ruling “to clarify how [to] consider opinions from sources who are not ‘acceptable medical sources.’” SSR 06-03p, 2006 WL 2329939, at *1 (Aug. 9, 2006).

 

The ALJ’s reasons for rejecting the evidence are supported by substantial evidence, as the evidence did not relate to the narrow question presented to the ALJ: whether Zirnsak was disabled at any point between May 11, 2006 and December 31, 2007. We therefore defer to the ALJ’s credibility assessments. Diaz, 577 F.3d at 506.

 

The two Social Security Rulings relied on by Zirnsak are not designed to provide guidance for how to evaluate lay opinion testimony. The purpose of the first ruling cited, SSR 83-20, is to “describe the relevant evidence to be considered when establishing the onset date of disability,” not whether disability exists. SSR 83-20, 1983 WL 31249, at *1 (1983)

 

The second ruling cited by Zirnsak, SSR 96-7p, lists its purpose as “to clarify when the evaluation of symptoms, including pain, . . . requires a finding about the credibility of an individual [claimant’s] statements.” SSR 96-7p, 1996 WL 374186 (July 2, 1996). Therefore, SSR 96-7p does not address lay witnesses’ accounts of the claimant’s symptoms, but rather the claimant’s description of her own pain. Id. Accordingly, the claimant’s arguments based upon these rulings and certain cases interpreting those rulings are inapposite.

 

Hypothetical question to VE not deficient

“Testimony of vocational experts in disability determination proceedings typically includes, and often centers upon, one or more hypothetical questions posed by the ALJ to the vocational expert.” Podedworny v. Harris, 745 F.2d 210, 218 (3d Cir. 1984). Usually, the ALJ will ask whether a hypothetical claimant with the same physical and mental impairments as the claimant can perform certain jobs that exist in the national economy. Id. The hypothetical must “accurately portray” any impairments of the claimant. Rutherford, 399 F.3d at 554. This Court has held that to accurately portray a claimant’s impairments, the ALJ must include all “credibly established limitations” in the hypothetical. Id. (citing Plummer v. Apfel, 186 F.3d 422, 431 (3d Cir. 1999)).

 

This Circuit does “not require an ALJ to submit to the [VE] every impairment alleged by a claimant.” Rutherford, 399 F.3d at 554. Rather, the ALJ is only required to submit credibly established limitations. Id. Where, as here, a limitation is supported by some medical evidence but controverted by other evidence in the record, it is within the ALJ’s discretion whether to submit the limitation to the VE. Id. While the record in this case is not conclusive as to whether Zirnsak had short-term memory or task problem limitations, there is substantial evidence to support a finding that she did not—namely, her lack of demonstrated problems with activities of daily living and her ability to drive. The ALJ therefore appropriately exercised his discretion when determining which limitations to submit to the VE. In making credibility determinations like this one, this Court will “not substitute our own judgment for that of the fact finder.” Id. at 552. Accordingly, we find that the hypothetical question posed to the VE was not deficient for failure to fully reflect Zirnsak’s limitations.

 

Conflict between VE testimony and DOT

As a general rule, occupational evidence provided by a VE should be consistent with the occupational evidence presented in the DOT. Id. at *2. To ensure consistency, courts have imposed an obligation on ALJs to “[i]dentify and obtain a reasonable explanation for any conflicts between occupational evidence provided by VEs . . . and information in the [DOT].” Id. at *1; Rutherford, 399 F.3d at 556. Specifically, an ALJ is required to (1) ask, on the record, whether the VE’s testimony is consistent with the DOT, (2) “elicit a reasonable explanation” where an inconsistency does appear, and (3) explain in its decision “how the conflict was resolved.” Burns v. Barnhart, 312 F.3d 113, 127 (3d Cir. 2002). An ALJ’s failure to comply with these requirements may warrant remand in a particular case. Rutherford, 399 F.3d at 557. However, this Circuit has emphasized that the presence of inconsistencies does not mandate remand, so long as “substantial evidence exists in other portions of the record that can form an appropriate basis to support the result.” Id. (citing Boone v. Barnhart, 353 F.3d 203, 209 (3d Cir. 2004)).

 

There is a split of authority as to whether an inherent conflict exists between a job requiring level 3 reasoning and a finding that a claimant should be limited to simple, routine tasks and unskilled work.   E.g., Terry v. Astrue, 580 F.3d 471, 478 (7th Cir. 2009).  See,  Renfrow v. Astrue, 496 F.3d 918, 921 (8th Cir. 2007); Clawson v. Astrue, Civil Action No. 11–294, 2013 WL 154206, at *6 (W.D. Pa. Jan. 15, 2013); Simpson v. Astrue, Civil Action No. 10–2874, 2011 WL 1883124, at *7 (E.D. Pa. May 17, 2011) VERSUS  Terry v. Astrue, 580 F.3d 471, 478 (7th Cir. 2009); Renfrow v. Astrue, 496 F.3d 918, 921 (8th Cir. 2007); Clawson v. Astrue, Civil Action No. 11–294, 2013 WL 154206, at *6 (W.D. Pa. Jan. 15, 2013); Simpson v. Astrue, Civil Action No. 10–2874, 2011 WL 1883124, at *7 (E.D. Pa. May 17, 2011).

 

The review of the aforementioned cases demonstrates that there is no bright-line rule stating whether there is a per se conflict between a job that requires level 3 reasoning and a finding that a claimant should be limited to simple and routine work. Without controlling precedent on this issue, this Court finds that the decisions in the Terry and Simpson cases are most applicable to the facts of Zirnsak’s case - any error stemming from an ALJ’s failure to ask about a conflict was harmless where the record established that the claimant in question could perform a level 3 reasoning job, despite a limitation to simple work.

 

Second, as in Terry and Simpson, Zirnsak’s counsel did not identify any inconsistencies between the VE’s testimony and the DOT at her hearing. (Tr. at 59). In fact, Zirnsak’s counsel did not question the VE regarding inconsistencies at all.  Finally, as in Simpson, the occupations listed by the VE were only “a couple examples” of jobs available to Zirnsak. ....Accordingly, the combination of these factors compels our finding that “any conflict [was] not so obvious that the ALJ should have pursued the question.”

 

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UC - appeal - time - no postmark

Quinn v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – January 23, 2015 (2-1)

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/1238CD14_1-23-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Appeal dismissed as untimely where the

 

            - envelope was not postmarked

 

            - appeal was received at UCBR one day beyond appeal deadline.

 

Relevant statute is 43 PS sec.  821(e), which makes a determination final, unless an appeal is filed “within fifteen calendar days after” service of the notice of determination.   The relevant regulation, 34 Pa. Code 101.82(b)(1), makes the appeal date the date of receipt at the Board, if the appeal is filed by US Mail and the envelope does not bear any postmark.

 

The court said that it “appreciate[d] the logic of the Claimant’s argument”* that the appeal must have been mailed on or before the 15^th day, since it was received by the UCBR on the 16^th day, but that it had to follow the regulation, citing cases.   
 

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* Cold comfort.

The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

 

If the case is not recent, the link in this posting may not work.  In that case, search for the case by name and date on Westlaw, Lexis, Google Scholar, or the court website http://www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court/court-opinions/

 

UC - voluntary quit - loss of commuting benefit

Morgan v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court (en banc, 5-2) – January 14, 2015

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/1896CD13_1-14-15.pdf?cb=1

 

Claimant quit his job when his employer unilaterally and without warning took away his employer-provided transportation, which had a value of about $90 day, which was about ½ of claimant’s earnings.  

 

The Court affirmed the UCBR’s denial of benefits, holding that the claimant had not explored alternatives before quitting.  The Board also found that the claimant “could commute with the employer’s director,” as he had done when he had first started working.  This finding was based on testimony of the employer’s manager that the director “can give you a ride home, you can, you can figure out something else, but you’re just not going to do it on the company dime anymore.”  The Court found that “the Board could logically and reasonably infer that Manager’s statement that Claimant could get a ride home with Director was a suggestion to commute with Director.”    The court also upheld the Board finding that Claimant had not explored alternative solutions to the transportation problem and the loss of 50% of his earnings before quitting.

 

Dissent

The dissent (Leavitt and Pelligrini) thought that the employer statement just concerned getting a ride home that single day, when claimant was at a work and was “deprived on the means to return home.  After that, Claimant had to ‘figure out something else’ without any financial support from Employer.”  A substantial reduction in pay constitutes a necessitous and compelling reason to leave employment and, thus, does not affect eligibility for unemployment compensation. A-Positive Electric v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 654 A.2d 299, 302 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1995). “[W]here an employee benefit has special significance and intrinsic value to a claimant, an employer’s unilateral alteration of that benefit and corresponding reduction in compensation gives a claimant necessitous and compelling cause for terminating employment.” Id. Because there is “no talismanic percentage” for determining a substantial reduction, each case turns on its own circumstances. Id.

 

In Steinberg Vision Associates v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 624 A.2d 237, 238-39 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1993), six years after the claimant was hired, the employer notified her that it would no longer reimburse her health insurance premium of $235.16 per month. The loss of this reimbursement effected “a 14.2% reduction in earned compensation.” Id. at 240. We held that “the [e]mployer’s unilateral alteration of that benefit and corresponding reduction in compensation” constituted a necessitous and compelling reason to quit. Id. See also Chavez (Token) v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 738 A.2d 77, 82 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1999); A-Positive, 654 A.2d at 302-03.

 

In this case, from the time of his initial hire in 2010 and throughout his employment Employer assumed the cost of Claimant’s commute. Claimant’s evidence established that the value of the Employer-provided vehicle, and reimbursement of fuel and tolls was approximately $90 per day.  Employer did not contest this figure. Claimant established that his gross salary at the time of his separation was $176 per eight-hour day.  On Claimant’s claimant’s last day of work, the employer unilaterally eliminated his commuting benefit without warning. Employer offered no evidence that the loss of Claimant’s benefit was negotiable or capable of revision.

 

Claimant was not obligated to continue working under Employer’s new terms. It is true, as the majority notes, that a claimant seeking to establish a necessitous and compelling reason for quitting must demonstrate, inter alia, that he made a reasonable effort to preserve his employment. Brunswick Hotel & Conference Center, LLC v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 906 A.2d 657, 660 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006). However, a unilateral reduction in compensation in and of itself provides a necessitous and compelling reason for quitting, if the reduction is substantial. See, e.g., Steinberg Vision Associates, 624 A.2d 237; Morysville Body Works, Inc. v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 430 A.2d 376 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1981) (salary reduction of 25%); Ship Inn, Inc. v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 412 A.2d 913 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1980) (claimant’s $67.80 weekly salary reduced by $15). In these cases, this Court held that the claimants’ salary reductions were substantial and provided a necessitous and compelling cause to immediately quit. Claimant’s 50% reduction in compensation in the present case should compel the same result.

 

tax sale - statutory right to repayment agreement

Battisti v. Beaver Co. Tax Claim Bureau – Cmwlth. Court – December 1, 2014

 

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/733CD14_12-11-14.pdf?cb=1

 

Tax sale of $250,000 home for $234.72 tax delinquency overturned, because of

            - a violation of the tax sale law, obliging the TCB to affirmatively offer an installment repayment plan to a taxpayer who has paid 25% of the amount due, 72 PS 5860.603, as the homeowner did here, and

            - a violation due process, because the TCB repeatedly sent inaccurate and misleading notices to homeowner, and failed to tell her about the installment option, Darden v. Montgomery Co. TCB, 629 A.2d 321 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1993).

 

The purpose of the Real Estate Tax Sale Law is to ensure the collection of taxes, not to deprive citizens of their property or to create investment opportunities for those who attend tax sales. . . . . People must pay their taxes, and the government may hold citizens accountable for tax delinquency by taking their property. But before forcing a citizen to satisfy his debt by forfeiting his property, due process requires the government to provide adequate notice of the impending taking. . . . .

 

The focus in a case like this is not on the alleged neglect of the owner, which is often present in some degree, but on whether the activities of the Bureau comply with the requirements of the statute.  Smith v. Tax Claim Bureau of Pike County, 834 A.2d 1247, 1251 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2003). A failure by a tax claim bureau to comply with each and every statutory requirement will nullify a sale.

 

Section 603 of the Real Estate Tax Sale Law provides that a scheduled tax sale may be stopped by the taxpayer’s payment of 25% of the amount of taxes due and agreement to an installment plan for the remainder.   So long as said agreement is being fully complied with by the taxpayer, the sale of the property covered by the agreement shall be stayed. 72 P.S. §5860.603. The tax claim bureau must advise the taxpayer of the Section 603 option because its failure to do so “would deprive the owner of his or her property without due process of law.”

 

Stated otherwise, it is not the taxpayer’s burden to request an installment agreement.  The obligation of a tax claim bureau to notify a taxpayer of the right to an installment plan upon receipt of at least 25% of what is owed has been recently reviewed and underscored.  Where an owner has paid at least 25% of the taxes due, the tax authority is required to inform the owner of the option to enter into an installment agreement and that a failure to do so is a violation of the owner’s due process rights. Reilly v. Susquehanna Cnty. Tax Claim Bureau, 904 A.2d 49, 53 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006); York v. Roach, 163 Pa. Cmwlth. 58, 61-62, 639 A.2d 1291 (1994); Darden v. Montgomery Cnty. Tax Claim Bureau, 157 Pa. Cmwlth. 357, 629 A.2d 321, 323-24 (1993).

 

Moreover, due process requires meaningful notice of a tax liability.  Here there was a multitude of inaccurate and conflicting notices.

 

Earlier in the case, the Cmwlth. Court reversed the trial court's grant of judgment on the pleadings to the TCB, holding that an evidentiary hearing was required under the tax sale law, Battisti v. TCB, 76 A.3d 111 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013).

 

tax sales - documentation required of efforts to give notice

Appeal of Tufarolo – Cmwlth. Court – December 31, 2014 – unreported memorandum decision

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/668CD14_12-31-14.pdf?cb=1

Tax sale of residential property overturned because of failure of county tax claim bureau to document  its efforts to give notice to property owner, as required by 72 P.S. sec. 5860.607a, even though tht TCB did comply with the statutory notice requirements.  The statute states that "a notation shall be placed in the oroperty file describing the efforts made [to serve notice of the tax sale] and the results thereof…."  It was undisputed the such notations were not made.

"Accurate documentation is essential to inform anyone reviewing the rile about the Bureau's complaint, or lack thereof.  The public is entitled to rely on the correctness and completeness of the Bureau's property files.  The Bureau’s failure to document its additional notification efforts in the property file, regardless of their success, constitutes grounds to set aside the sale of the Property. Our precedent requires strict construction of Section 607.1, compelling a taxing bureau’s adherence. Steinbacher v. Northumberland Cnty. Tax Claim Bureau, 996 A.2d 1095 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2010) (en banc); Rice v. Compro Distrib., Inc., 901 A.2d 570, 577 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2006); Smith v. Tax Claim Bureau of Pike Cnty., 834 A.2d 1247, 1253 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2003) (citing Tracy v. Chester Cnty. Tax Claim Bureau, 489 A.2d 1334, 1339 (Pa. 1985)).

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If the case is not recent, the link in this posting may not work.  In that case, search for the case by name and date on Westlaw, Lexis, Google Scholar, or the court website http://www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court/court-opinions/

The opinion, though not reported, may be cited "for its persuasive value, but not as binding precedent."    210 Pa. Code 69.414.

 

UC - willful misconduct - sarcastic comments

Scott v. UCBR – Pa. Cmwlth. December 12, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/2035CD13_12-15-14.pdf?cb=1

An employee's sarcastic comments about a supervisor did not violate a work rule against insubordination where

            a) the comments were made in a private writing to senior management, and not directed to the supervisor himself

            b)  the claimant's comments were sarcastic and not "insubordinate" – as defined in the dictionary

            c) claimant's comments concerned the supervisor's decisions concerning a behavior plan for a group home resident with serious mental health problems

" Insubordination may be found where an employee speaks to a superior in an abusive, vulgar or offensive way. The actual language used by Claimant does not meet any of those descriptions. Claimant’s two statements were sarcastic,  but they were not directed to his supervisor. For an employer to forbid sarcasm in the workplace under any circumstances, there must be an explicit rule. In itself, the use of sarcasm cannot be equated to insubordination or any other kind of willful misconduct."

 

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If the case is not recent, the link in this posting may not work.  In that case, search for the case by name and date on Westlaw, Lexis, Google Scholar, or the court website http://www.pacourts.us/courts/supreme-court/court-opinions/

 

 

UC - "primarily for religious purposes"

Beverly Hall Corp. v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – December 15, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/550CD14_12-15-14.pdf?cb=1

The Court affirmed the UCBR decision that the employer did not operate primarily for religious purposes, as defined in 43 P.S. 404 (l)(4)(8))a)(ii), relying heavily on a non-reported decision, Grau v. UCBR, 2012 WL 8668282 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2012)

The employer ran an organic CSA farm that was associated with the Church of Illumination, but the employer's own testimony showed that the employer organization was not created for religious purposes, but to perform the administrative, non-theological work of the church, such as ground and buildind maintenance and hiring.

The close financial connection between the employer and the church was held to be insufficient to exempt the employer, because a nonprofit corporation responsible solely for managing the admin. and finances of a religious organization is not operated primarily for religious purposes.

UC - telephone hearings - submission of documents prior to hearing

Beverly Hall Corp. v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – December 15, 2014
 
http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/550CD14_12-15-14.pdf?cb=1

The Court affirmed the UCBR decision, affirming the referee ruling that the employer could not introduce documents at the hearing, where a)  it had not submitted them 5 days in advance, as required by UC regs, 34 Pa. Code sec. 101.130, and b) the Dept. objected to their admission.

Every hearing notice that was sent to the parties indicated in bold print that the Dept. representative was going to participate by telephone in the case, which concerened whether the employer operated primarily for religious purposes.

UC - voluntary quit, sec. 402(b) - vol. layoff - claimant not ineligible under Diehl rationale

Naval Surface Warfare Center v. UCBR – Cmwlth. Court – December 12, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/2095CD13_12-12-14.pdf?cb=1

Sec. 402(b) does not  render a claimant ineligible where he leave under a “Voluntary Layoff Option” (VLO), because his separation from employment was due to his acceptance of a layoff pursuant to an established employer plan which is part of a labor force reduction.

Following the decision in Diehl v. UCBR, 57 A.3d 1209 (Pa. 2012), the court also held the claimant does not have the burden to show a necessitous and compelling reason for leaving a job where the VLO language of sec. 402(b) applies, i.e. where the retirement offer made to Claimant was offered as a part of an established plan by Employer that had the practical effect of a workforce reduction.

Section 402(b) of the Law provides that an employee shall be ineligible for unemployment compensation in any week in which unemployment is due to voluntarily leaving work without cause of a necessitous and compelling reason. 43 P.S. § 802(b). However, the VLO Provision within Section 402(b) cautions:

Provided further, That no otherwise eligible claimant shall be denied benefits for any week in which his unemployment is due to exercising the option of accepting a layoff, from an available position pursuant to a labor-management contract agreement, or pursuant to an established employer plan, program or policy.

In Diehl, the Supreme Court examined the language of the VLO Provision and the intent of the General Assembly, as expressed in Section 3 of the Law.6 The Court highlighted the broad humanitarian objective of the Law expressed in Section 3, and recognized that a cardinal principle of the Law is that the eligibility sections must be construed liberally and the disqualification sections construed narrowly so that an unemployed worker shall be denied benefits only where the plain language of the Law unequivocally excludes the worker from receiving unemployment compensation. Diehl, 57 A.3d at 1217-1218; see also Penn Hills School District v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 437 A.2d 1213, 1216 (Pa. 1981).

 The Diehl Court stressed that Section 402(b) establishes an exclusionary rule for claimants who have left employment without a necessitous and compelling reason, but that the VLO Provision is an eligibility carve-out from this disqualification provision that must be construed broadly in favor of the claimant seeking unemployment compensation. Diehl, 57 A.3d at 1221.  Looking at the VLO language as a whole, the Court stated that “the VLO Proviso applies to employees accepting employer offered early retirement packages as part of a labor force reduction, because such programs are merely a different way to accomplish the workforce reduction of a layoff.” Id. at 1222.

 The Commonwealth Court rejected the employer's argument that unemployment compensation benefits are only available when employment is terminated due to a RIF (reduction in force), as opposed to a VERA (voluntary early retirement authority). This interpretation of the Law conflicts with the plain language of the VLO Provision and was unequivocally rejected in Diehl, where the Supreme Court overruled Commonwealth Court precedent and made clear that the VLO Provision applies when a layoff is voluntary. Id. at 1221.

 Following Diehl, the issue of whether the separation was forced and whether a claimant’s decision was motivated by an objective fear that if the voluntary offer was not taken the separation from employment could later lead to a termination of employment, are not determinative of whether a claimant is eligible for UC benefits under the VLO Provision. Instead, the focus is on whether the facts demonstrate that the separation was due to a claimant’s acceptance of a “layoff.”

 In the instant matter, the evidence demonstrated that the offer of early retirement was initiated at the will of Employer and accepted by Claimant, that Claimant accepted the offer from an available position, and that the early retirement offer was made pursuant to a plan established by Employer. (R. Item 17, Board H.T. at 7, 8-9.) This evidence, along with the evidence that Claimant was “otherwise eligible,” created a presumption that Claimant was eligible for unemployment compensation under the VLO Provision. Diehl, 57 A.3d at 1222. The burden then shifted to Employer to demonstrate that the early retirement offer was not a “layoff.” Employer failed to carry this burden.

 The evidence in the record "clearly supports the Board’s determination that the practical effect of Employer’s plan was a layoff of Claimant.  Employer’s witness testified that under the VERA plan, employees in various positions “were identified as the starting point for a restructuring effort within [Employer’s] organization,” as “surplus or positions that were no longer needed in the workforce.”

open records - right to know law - request must be addressed to agency open-records officer

Gaming Control Board v. Office of Open Records – Pa. Supreme Court – November 10, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Supreme/out/J-43-2014mo%20-%201020067152800974.pdf?cb=1

In this open-records matter, we are called upon to construe Section 703 of the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), 65 P.S. § 67.703 (“Section 703”), setting forth the  requirements for written RTKL requests for access to public records, to determine proper application of the provision which directs that all such requests “must be addressed to the open-records officer.”

 

For reasons stated below, we hold that in order to establish a valid RTKL request sufficient to trigger appellate rights from a nonresponse under the RTKL, the requestor must address his request to the respective open-records officer as mandated in Section 703.  In the case at bar, the requester addressed his request to a press aide, not the open records officer.

 

Commonwealth Court 4-3 decision reversed.

 

custody - jurisdiction - UCCJEA sec. 5423

TAM v. SLM and DMS – Superior Court – November 7, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Superior/out/J-A29043-14o.pdf?cb=2

Non-custodial father's complaint to modify was properly addressed to Pennsylvania court, where

            - original order was entered in Tennessee in 2004

            - Mother was missing – disappearance being investigaged as homicice

            - pursuant to Tennessee order in 2011, maternal grandmother had physical custody of the  child in Pennsylvania , which is home state under secs. 5421 and 5423

            - grandmother's assertion that father was judge-shopping irrelevant to jurisdictional issue.*

* Tennessee judge "has found the father to be a despicable individual"

terroristic threats - out-of-state threats - jurisdiction

Commonwealth v. Vergilio – Superior Court – November 6, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Superior/out/J-A24033-14o%20-%201020022242789246.pdf?cb=1

Pennsylvania court has juridiction over crime of terroristic threats, 18 Pa. C.S. 2706(a)(1), where the plaintiff was in Pennsylvania and heard the threats of defendant, who was in New Jersey, on the telephone.

Current technology that creates a “seemingly unlimited ability to connect people near and far.”  A contrary holding would render an offender who utters a threatening message in one state immune from suit in any and all other states to which he intentionally sends his illegal communication.

Long-standing principles in this Commonwealth hold that “[a]cts done outside a jurisdiction, but intended to produce and producing detrimental effects[7] within it, justify a state in punishing the cause of the harm. . . .”

Although our extensive research of this issue did not reveal any Pennsylvania caselaw that has addressed the specific issue presented here,8 we find the pertinent caselaw of other jurisdictions to be (citing caselaw from Kansas, Minnesota, Hawaii).

employment - wrongful discharge - worker's comp.

Owens v. Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cmwlth. Court – November 7, 2014

http://www.pacourts.us/assets/opinions/Commonwealth/out/472CD14_11-7-14.pdf?cb=1

A former at-will employee who alleged wrongful termination for having reported a work-related injury and having received benefits states a claim for relief for wrongful discharge, even if she has not filed a claim petition.

Section 315 of the Workers’ Compensation Act, 77 P.S. § 602. This provision recognizes that payment to an employee for a work-related injury by an employer may be made without a claim petition being filed, and that such agreements do not deprive an employee of the statutory right to file a claim petition should the agreement fail to sufficiently compensate the employee.

The Workers’ Compensation Act reflects both the historical quid pro quo between employers and employees, and the public policy of the Commonwealth. If an employer could discharge an employee for a work-related injury because the employee received payment in lieu of compensation, rather than compensation administered by the Bureau, the public policy embodied by the Workers’ Compensation Act would be undermined. . . .

Such a holding would create an incentive for employers to steer employees away from filing workers’ compensation petitions in order to retain the right to discharge the employee due to the injury, the exact harm the General Assembly intended to prohibit by enacting the Workers’ Compensation Act.

Appellant may ultimately be unable to carry her burden to establish that her injury was work-related and that the payments she received were for this injury. Employer may be able to demonstrate that there was a separate, plausible, and legitimate reason for Appellant’s discharge. However, these are considerations beyond the reach of preliminary objections; on demurrer, Appellant’s claim is sufficient.