Pupillo v. New England Tel. and Tel. Co.

• Decision Date: 31 October 1980
• Citation: 412 N.E.2d 335,381 Mass. 714
• Parties: Matt PUPILLO v. NEW ENGLAND TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY.
• Court: United States State Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Supreme Court

Page 335

412 N.E.2d 335

381 Mass. 714

Matt PUPILLO v. NEW ENGLAND TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Worcester.

Argued Oct. 7, 1980.

Decided Oct. 31, 1980.

David W. Sugarman, Worcester, for plaintiff.

William J. LeDoux, Worcester, for defendant.

Before HENNESSEY, C. J., and QUIRICO, KAPLAN, LIACOS and ABRAMS, JJ.

KAPLAN, Justice.

On alternative counts for breach of contract and for the tort of negligence, the plaintiff subscriber sued the defendant telephone company in Superior Court, claiming damages for an error in the publication of an advertisement of the plaintiff's business in the "yellow pages" of the 1977 telephone directory for the Southbridge area. The plaintiff demanded trial by jury. Because there appeared to be no reasonable likelihood that recovery would exceed the amount then specified in G.L. c. 231, § 102C, the action was ordered transferred pursuant to that statute and Rule 29 of the Superior Court (1974), to the District Court of the First Southern Worcester Division. On bench trial there, the judge found for the plaintiff on both counts with damages in his favor of $4,407, and judgment entered accordingly. The defendant requested a report of rulings of law to the Appellate Division of the District Court, Western District (see G.L. c. 231, § 108). After hearing, the Appellate Division, concluding that a provision of the contract between the parties limiting liability was enforceable according to its terms, decided that judgment should enter in the District Court for the defendant on the negligence count, and for the plaintiff on the contract count for merely nominal damages.

From the decision of the Appellate Division, the plaintiff purported to appeal to this court under G.L. c. 231, § 109. But § 109 envisages appeal from a final decision. The decision of the Appellate Division was interlocutory. A final judgment, subject to appeal of right to this court, would arise in this case only after retransfer of the action to the Superior Court pursuant to G.L. c. 231, § 102C, and completion of the proceedings there (the judgment of the District Court, entered after decision of the Appellate Division, being available in proper circumstances ¹ in those proceedings as "prima facie evidence"). See Orasz v. Colonial Tavern, Inc., 365 Mass. 131, 310 N.E.2d 311 (1974), and Fusco v. Springfield Republican Co., 367 Mass. 904, 329 N.E.2d 710 (1975), settling the proposition after some uncertainty. Compare Lubell v. First National Stores, Inc., 342 Mass. 161, 172 N.E.2d 689 (1961); Heil v. McCann, 360 Mass. 507, 275 N.E.2d 889 (1971); Orasz v. Colonial Tavern, Inc., 362 Mass. 881, 289 N.E.2d 841 (1972).

The requirement in cases like the present of recourse to the Superior Court as a condition of appeal to this court, results from the fact that jury trial is not now available in civil actions in the District Courts. ² If trial by...