In re Estate of Ciuccarelli

• Decision Date: 03 December 2013
• Citation: 2013 PA Super 310,81 A.3d 953
• Parties: ESTATE OF Gaetano CIUCCARELLI, Deceased. Appeal of Frank Caruso, Individually and as Administrator of the Estate of Eileen Caruso, Deceased.
• Court: Pennsylvania Superior Court

81 A.3d 953

2013 PA Super 310

ESTATE OF Gaetano CIUCCARELLI, Deceased.

Appeal of Frank Caruso, Individually and as Administrator of the Estate of Eileen Caruso, Deceased.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Argued Aug. 20, 2013.

Filed Dec. 3, 2013.

Raymond J. Quaglia, Philadelphia, for appellant.

J. Bruce McKissock, Philadelphia, for Milner, participating party.

BEFORE: SHOGAN, J., WECHT, J., and COLVILLE, J.^*

OPINION BY WECHT, J.:

Frank Caruso (“Appellant”) ¹ appeals from the October 19, 2012 order entered by the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. That order granted C. George Milner's petition to dismiss with prejudice Appellant's claims for breach of contract, forgery, fraud and misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of warranty relating to the management of assets escrowed in the estate of Gaetano Ciuccarelli (“Decedent”). After careful review, we vacate and remand.

The factual and procedural history of this case is lengthy. On November 10, 2004, Decedent executed a reciprocal will with his wife (“2004 Will”). Following her death, Decedent was unable to locate the 2004 Will, and executed a second will on May 2, 2006 (“2006 Will”). Both the 2004 Will and the 2006 Will named Decedent's sister, Angelia Scheswohl, and her husband, Edward Scheswohl (“the Scheswohls”), as Decedent's sole beneficiaries. Trial Court Opinion (“T.C.O.”), 1/16/2012, at 2–3.

On November 2, 2006, Decedent died. He was survived by the Scheswohls and by his adopted daughter, Eileen Caruso. On November 21, 2006, the 2006 Will was admitted to probate as the last will and testament of Decedent. The Scheswohls were named as executors, but renounced that right in favor of their attorney, Christine Embry Waltz (“Attorney Waltz”). Letters of administration cum testamento annexo were issued to her. On December 19, 2006, in an action filed in the Orphans' Court Division, Eileen Caruso challenged Decedent's 2006 Will (hereinafter, “Will Contest”). Eileen Caruso alleged testamentary incapacity and undue influence. She was represented by Raymond J. Quaglia (“Attorney Quaglia”). Attorney Waltz, in her capacity as administratix of Decedent's estate, was represented by C. George Milner (“Attorney Milner”).

Following discovery, Attorney Waltz filed a motion to dismiss Eileen Caruso's complaint, alleging that Eileen Caruso lacked standing. On January 10, 2008, the trial court (per the Honorable Anne Lazarus, then sitting as a Common Pleas Judge) dismissed the Will Contest on the basis that Eileen Caruso lacked standing. Eileen Caruso appealed to this Court. In a memorandum filed on July 24, 2009, we remanded for further proceedings before the trial court to determine: (1) whether the 2004 Will could be probated without an original; (2) whether the 2004 Will was invalid due to testamentary incapacity or undue influence; and (3) whether Decedent's 2006 Will similarly was invalid. In re Estate of Ciuccarelli, 981 A.2d 940 (Pa.Super.2009) (table). On March 15 and 16, 2010, trial on these issues proceeded before the Honorable Matthew Carrafiello.²

On July 8, 2010, while the Will Contest remained pending in the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Eileen Caruso and Appellant (collectively, “the Carusos”), filed a complaint in this separate action in the Trial Division of that court. The Carusos asserted claims against TD Bank, Attorney Milner, and Attorney Waltz. These new allegations related to the escrow of proceeds from the sale of Decedent's home (hereinafter, the “Escrow Case”). Specifically, the Carusos asserted that the parties to the Will Contest consented to sell the residence and place the monies resulting from the sale in escrow pending determination of the underlying Will Contest. See Appellant's Stipulation and Consent to Sale of Real Estate, 7/30/2007, at 2 (“The net proceeds of the sale shall be escrowed pending determination of the petition of appeal filed by Eileen Caruso.”). The residence was sold sometime “in the first half of 2007.” Brief for Attorney Milner at 4. Initially, the money from the sale was held by First Patriot Abstract Company (“FPAC”) with TD Bank. At some time in April 2008, FPAC advised the parties that it would no longer hold the subject funds, and it delivered a check payable to the order of “George Milner / Raymond Quaglia for Gae Ciuccarelli” to Attorney Milner. Attorney Milner endorsed the check and deposited it in an interest-bearing account, apparently without consulting the Carusos or Attorney Quaglia. Based upon Attorney Milner's actions, the Carusos alleged that Attorney Milner forged Attorney Quaglia's signature to deposit the check, and that Attorney Waltz and TD Bank also were liable. Specifically, the Carusos asserted claims for: (1) fraud, material misrepresentation, and forgery against Attorney Milner; (2) breach of contract against Attorney Milner and Attorney Waltz; (3) breach of fiduciary duty against Attorney Waltz; and (4) breach of warranty under the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) against TD Bank. See Escrow Case Complaint, 7/8/2010, at 1–9.

On August 11, 2010, the trial court ruled against Eileen Caruso in the Will Contest, finding that (1) even if the 2006 Will was invalidated, the 2004 Will properly could be probated; and (2) neither document was the product of testamentary incapacity or undue influence. Eileen Caruso filed exceptions, which were denied on December 20, 2012. She appealed, for the second time in the Will Contest, to this Court.

Meanwhile, on August 5, 2010, TD Bank had filed preliminary objections in the Escrow Case, alleging that the Carusos lacked the capacity to sue and had failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. See Preliminary Objections of TD Bank to Escrow Case Complaint, 8/5/2010, at 1–5. On September 22, 2010, the Escrow Case was assigned to the Honorable Allan L. Tereshko of the Trial Division. On September 24, 2010, Attorney Waltz filed her own preliminary objections, alleging that the Trial Division lacked subject matter jurisdiction under 20 Pa.C.S. § 711, and that the Carusos had failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted for breach of contract or breach of fiduciary duty. See Attorney Waltz's Preliminary Objections to Escrow Case Complaint, 9/24/2010, at 2.³ On October 1, 2010, Judge Tereshko sustained TD Bank's preliminary objections and dismissed the Carusos' claims against TD Bank with prejudice. On October 28, 2010, Judge Tereshko sustained Attorney Waltz's preliminary objections, dismissed the Carusos' claims against Attorney Waltz without prejudice,⁴ and ordered the transfer of the remainder of the case to the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.

On March 3, 2011, following transfer, the Escrow Case was assigned to Judge Carrafiello. See Decree, 3/3/2011, at 1. On March 23, 2011, Judge Carrafiello filed a decree that “stayed further action before [the] Orphans' Court” during the pendency of the underlying Will Contest appeal. See Decree, 3/23/2011, at 1. On August 16, 2011, we affirmed the Orphans' Court Division's decision in the Will Contest. Specifically, we ruled that Eileen Caruso lacked standing to contest the 2006 Will. In re Estate of Ciuccarelli, 32 A.3d 835 (Pa.Super.2011) (table).⁵

On September 26, 2012, Attorney Milner filed a petition to dismiss Appellant's remaining claims in the Escrow Case, asserting two bases: (1) that the Carusos lacked standing where there had been a final determination that Eileen Caruso had no beneficial interest in any part of the Ciuccarelli estate; and (2) that the Carusos had suffered no recoverable damages. On that same day, Judge Carrafiello terminated the stay of the proceedings and ordered all remaining parties to show cause as to why the Escrow Case should not be dismissed for lack of standing. On October 19, 2012, Judge Carrafiello dismissed Appellant's case with prejudice and ordered that “[Attorney] Milner shall distribute the proceeds from the sale of Gaetano Ciuccarelli's home as required by provisions of Title 20, Pa[.] Statutes Consolidated.” See Decree, 10/19/2012 at 1. This timely appeal followed.

On November 6, 2012, the trial court ordered Appellant to file a concise statement of errors complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P.1925(b). On November 14, 2012, Appellant timely complied. The trial court issued its Rule 1925(a) opinion on January 16, 2013.

Appellant raises the following issues for our consideration:

1. Whether the [trial court] erred [as] a matter of law and abused its discretion in dismissing [Appellant's] claims before the pleadings were closed and before any discovery was conducted based on lack of standing to sue unrelated to the facts alleged in the pleadings of forgery, fraud and misrepresentation by Appellees causing damage to the Appellants?

2. Whether the [trial court] erred and abused its discretion in dismissing [Appellant's] claims against TD Bank on Preliminary Objections in the form of a speaking demurrer?

Brief for Appellant at 3. Typically, we would address each of Appellant's claims in turn. However, due to procedural features unique to this record, we begin by examining whether the Trial Division had the requisite subject matter jurisdiction to sustain the preliminary objections of TD Bank and Attorney Waltz prior to transferringthe Escrow Case to the Orphans' Court Division.

“It is well-settled that the question of subject matter jurisdiction may be raised at any time, by any party, or by the court sua sponte.” B.J.D. v. D.L.C., 19 A.3d 1081, 1082 (Pa.Super.2011) (quoting Grom v. Burgoon, 448 Pa.Super. 616, 672 A.2d 823, 824–25 (1996)). Our standard of review is de novo, and our scope of review is plenary. Id. (citing Commonwealth v. Jones, 593 Pa. 295, 929 A.2d 205, 211 (2007)). “Generally, subject matter jurisdiction has been defined as the court's power to hear cases of the class to which the case at issue...