Wisler v. Manor Care of Lancaster Pa, LLCD/B/A Manorcare Health Services-Lancaster, HCR Manor Care, Inc.
Decision Date | 08 September 2015 |
Docket Number | No. 1226 MDA 2014,1226 MDA 2014 |
Citation | 2015 PA Super 189,124 A.3d 317 |
Parties | H. Randall WISLER and H. Keith Wisler, Co–Executors of the Estate of Herbert C. Wisler, Deceased, Appellees v. MANOR CARE OF LANCASTER PA, LLCd/b/a ManorCare Health Services–Lancaster, HCR Manor Care, Inc., ManorCare Health Services, Inc., Manor Care, Inc., HCR Healthcare, LLC, HCR Healthcare II, LLC, HCR Healthcare III, LLC, and HCR Healthcare IV, LLC, Appellants. |
Court | Pennsylvania Superior Court |
John M. Skrocki, West Conshohocken, for appellants.
Stephen Trzcinski, Philadelphia, for appellees.
Appellants (collectively, ManorCare) appeal from an order sustaining in part and overruling in part their preliminary objections to the complaint of H. Randall and Keith Wisler (collectively, Executors), co-executors of the estate of Herbert C. Wisler (Decedent). ManorCare contends the trial court erred in refusing to compel arbitration of Executors' claims arising out of Decedent's stay at a ManorCare nursing home. The trial court found the arbitration agreement invalid, ruling that H. Randall Wisler, as power of attorney for Decedent, lacked the authority to enter into such an agreement. Upon review, we affirm.
[Decedent] was a resident at [ManorCare Lancaster] from March 4, 2010 through April 28, 2010, and from August 13, 2010, through October 11, 2010. Thereafter, [Decedent] died on February 6, 2011. At the time of his [first] admission, [Decedent] required assistance with care for all of his activities of daily living. His medical history was significant for diabetes
(type 2), chronic kidney disease, [p]acemaker, Orthostatis, coronary artery disease, multiple [cerebrovascular accidents, i.e.,strokes], Hyperlipidemia, depression, prostate and colon cancer, swallowing dysfunction, acute congestive heart failure, anemia[,] and protein calorie malnutrition.
, malnutrition, dehydration, poor hygiene, and severe pain.
Trial Court 6/27/14, at 2–3 ( ). Executors bring their claims in their representative capacities as co-executors of Decedent's estate under the Survival Act. See42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8302. Executors did not bring claims in their individual capacities as Decedent's sons under the Wrongful Death Act. See id.§ 8301(b).
ManorCare filed preliminary objections to Executors' complaint, including a request to compel arbitration. The parties engaged in discovery relating to the enforceability of the Arbitration Agreement. After receiving briefs, the trial court entered an order sustaining in part and overruling in part ManorCare's preliminary objections. In relevant part, the trial court refused to compel arbitration, finding that H. Randall Wisler lacked authority to sign the Arbitration Agreements on Decedent's behalf. The trial court declined to consider other reasons Executors advanced in favor of refusing to compel arbitration. This appeal followed.2
On appeal, ManorCare raises the following question for review:
Whether the trial court erred in concluding that the Appellee, H. Randall Wisler, did not have the authority to bind his father, [Decedent], to [ManorCare's] Arbitration Agreements where Appellees concede having a [p]ower of [a]ttorney, but have not produced the [p]ower of [a]ttorney document?
Before we reach the merits, we must address Executors' claim that ManorCare waived appellate review by briefing deficiencies. Specifically, Executors claim ManorCare waived its argument by failing to comply with Pa.R.A.P. 2117(c),3which requires an appellant to state where and how it preserved the issues on appeal, and Pa.R.A.P. 2119(e),4which requires an appellant to provide cross-reference citations from its argument section to the statement of the case.
Executors' waiver argument is somewhat puzzling, because we find that ManorCare's brief clearly complies with the applicable briefing rules. ManorCare's brief sufficiently sets forth its manner and method of issue preservation—with citations to the reproduced record. SeeAppellants' Brief at 6–7. ManorCare's statement of the case also succinctly frames the chief issue on appeal as whether H. Randall Wisler had power of attorney to bind Decedent to arbitration. See id.at 8–9. Further, ManorCare's argument section complies with Rule 2119(e), because it has cross-references to the statement of the case. See id.at 15–17, 26.
Additionally, waiver, and therefore dismissal of an appeal, for briefing defects is discretionary. SeePa.R.A.P. 2101. Even if ManorCare's brief were non-compliant, we would not impose such a harsh remedy, especially given that none of Executors' cited cases supports their waiver proposition. Commonwealth v. Wholaver,588 Pa. 218, 903 A.2d 1178, 1183–84 (2006), concerns mandatory waiver under Rule 1925, not prudential waiver for briefing deficiencies under Rule 2101. Compareid.(quotation omitted) (“bright-line rule” that an appellant who fails to comply with Rule 1925 waives review), andPa.R.A.P. the 1925(b)(4)(vii)(“Issues not included in the Statement and/or not raised in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph (b)(4) are waived.”), withPa.R.A.P. 2101(providing that a deficient brief “maybe suppressed” and an appeal “maybe dismissed” for substantial defects) (emphases added). Executors' two cited Commonwealth Court decisions are wholly unpersuasive, because they concern waiver for failure to raise issues before administrative agencies, and the accompanying discussions of Rule 2117are dicta. See McGaffin v. Workers' Comp. Appeal Bd. (Manatron, Inc.),903 A.2d 94, 101–02 (Pa.Cmwlth.2006)(petition for review under Rule 1551 because petitioner failed to raise issue before the Board) ; Jonathan Sheppard Stables v. Workers' Comp. Appeal Bd. (Wyatt),739 A.2d 1084, 1089–90 & n. 6 (Pa.Cmwlth.1999)(Rule 1551 because petitioner did not raise them before the Board) to consider some appellate issues under .
Finally, it is disingenuous for Executors to raise ManorCare's alleged briefing defects given that their brief violates Rule 2117(b), which prohibits argument in the statement of the case.5SeeAppellees' Brief at 6–7 ( ); id.at 14 ( ); id.at 17 ( ); id.at 18 (); id.at 24 n.14 ( ). It is difficult to distinguish Executors' factual recitation from its argument. In sum, we reject Executors' waiver argument.
We proceed now to the merits of ManorCare's argument. On appeal from an order refusing to compel arbitration, our standard of review is as follows:
Pisano v. Extendicare Homes, Inc.,77 A.3d 651, 654–55 (Pa.Super.2013). Our scope of review is plenary. McNulty v. H & R Block, Inc.,843 A.2d 1267, 1269 (Pa.Super.2004), abrogated on other grounds by,AT & T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion,563 U.S. 333, 131 S.Ct. 1740, 179 L.Ed.2d 742 (2011).
This appeal concerns solely the validity of the Arbitration Agreement, i.e.,the first part of the two-part test. ManorCare contends that H. Randall Wisler had the legal authority to sign the Arbitration Agreement on Decedent's behalf. It also argues that the trial court erred in failing to recognize an unfavorable inference against Executors because they did not...
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