SMITH v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA


512 Pa. 129 (1986)

516 A.2d 306

Ruth V. SMITH, Administratrix of the Estate of Harry F. Smith, Deceased and Rita Ladzensky, Administratrix of the Estate of Gerald Ladzensky, Deceased and Charles Alexander Scott, Appellees, v. CITY OF PHILADELPHIA and Philadelphia Gas Works and Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation, Appellants.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Decided October 3, 1986.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Ruth Rudbarg Wessel, E. Parry Warner, Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel, Philadelphia, for Philadelphia Gas Works and Philadelphia Facilities Management Corp.

Barbara R. Axelrod, Deputy City Solicitor, Philadelphia, for City of Philadelphia.

Charles W. Craven, Philadelphia, for amicus curiae City of Allentown.

David F. Binder, Philadelphia, for Ruth V. Smith and Rita Ladzensky.

Theodore A. Schwartz, Philadelphia, for Charles Alexander Scott.

Andrew S. Gordon, Sr. Deputy Atty. Gen.

Herman Bloom, Philadelphia, for the O'Farrells.

Stanley P. Stern, Philadelphia, for Maslanys.

John F. Lewis, Philadelphia, for Genevieve Misko.

Joseph I. Fineman, Robert P. Corbin, Philadelphia, for Mysyzyn and Dunas.

Lawrence G. Metzger, Philadelphia, for the Ditros.

Harry L. Clark, Philadelphia, for Munford and Haskins.

John P. Pucci, Philadelphia, for Philadelphia Elec. Co.

Lee Mandell, Philadelphia, for Gregory Williams.

Thomas J. Mettee, Philadelphia, for Miroslav Smatana.

William T. Steerman, Philadelphia, for Juan Cancellieri.

Ralph D. Friedman, Jenkintown, for Charles Wyse.

Albert W. Sheppard, Jr., Philadelphia, for Annalee Nelson.

Gerald Solverman, Philadelphia, for Irene R. Nichols.

T. Jonathan Hankin, Philadelphia, for Stanley Piotrowski.

Louis Matkoff, Philadelphia, for Donald and Annabelle Scott.

Reginald H. Holder, Philadelphia, for Herbert Summers.

Ronald A. Smith, Philadelphia, for Earl J. Weiser.

Jerome Gamburg, Philadelphia, for Joseph Conley.

Joan Gerson, Philadelphia, for SEPTA.

Richard C. Glazer, Philadelphia, for General Acc. Group, et al.

E. Douglas Sederholm, Philadelphia, for Stanley L. Krajewski, et al.

Raymond Quaglia, Philadelphia, for Henry Demtschuk, et al.

Joseph J. Witiw, Warminster, for Raymond Londer, et al.

Thomas F. Wilson, for Geo. and Cynthia Martin.

Thadeus J. Bartkowski, Philadelphia, for Borecki and Sucharski.

Dennis E. Haggerty, Philadelphia, for Elaine May Brown.

E. Harris Baum, Philadelphia, for Robert Carpino.

Barry H. Oxenburg, Philadelphia, for Wm. C.T. Clarke, III.

Robert J. Murphy, Towanda, for Kahrklin and Serici.

F. Emmett Ciccone, Philadelphia, for Edmund Kasiewski.

James F. Mundy, Philadelphia, for Sophia Conrad.

Before NIX, C.J., and LARSEN, FLAHERTY, McDERMOTT, HUTCHINSON, ZAPPALA and PAPADAKOS, JJ.


OPINION OF THE COURT

FLAHERTY, Justice.

Section 8553 of the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, Act of October 5, 1980, P.L. 693, No. 142 § 221(1), as amended, 42 Pa C.S.A. § 8553, limits recovery of damages against political subdivisions of the Commonwealth to $500,000 in the aggregate for legally cognizable tort injuries arising from the same transaction. The question in this case is whether this limitation is constitutionally permissible...

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