This case involved a dispute between Allegheny County and the Deputy Sheriff's Association over whether the County violated their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) by deducting payroll taxes from healthcare reimbursements paid directly to retirees for private insurance, rather than treating the payments as non-taxable under IRS rules. An arbitrator sustained the union's grievance after finding that the tax treatment violated the CBA's reimbursement provision and that the claim was timely as a continuing violation, but the trial court vacated the award on grounds that the arbitrator exceeded her authority by adding a missing term to the CBA. The Commonwealth Court reversed the trial court, concluding that the arbitrator acted within the scope of her authority under the CBA's grievance procedures and that deference to the arbitration award was required.
The case involved Darret Goldwire petitioning for review of the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review's order affirming the dismissal of his appeal from a February 2024 monetary determination granting him unemployment benefits at a weekly rate of $241. The court affirmed the Board's decision, holding that Goldwire's March 5, 2024 electronic appeal was filed six days after the 21-day deadline under Section 501(e) of the Unemployment Compensation Law and that he had not established grounds for nunc pro tunc relief. The core reasoning was that the statutory time limit is mandatory and jurisdictional once expired, Goldwire received the determination but chose not to review it based on his own assumption of correctness, and there was no evidence of fraud, administrative breakdown, or non-negligent circumstances beyond his control.
The case concerned Adam Ehrlich's appeal from a trial court order denying his petition for judicial review of the Philadelphia Police Department's refusal to release certain bodycam video recordings requested under Act 22 of 2017. The requests pertained to police interactions on August 1 and 2, 2023, at properties linked to prior code enforcement litigation, during which Ehrlich was arrested; the Department denied access on grounds that the recordings contained investigative information protected under Act 22 and the Criminal History Record Information Act. Ehrlich argued the recordings were needed to investigate potential civil rights violations and for use in civil litigation, but the trial court upheld the denial. On appeal, the Commonwealth Court affirmed the trial court's decision, adopting its reasoning and noting that some recordings had been produced in related litigation and that certain arguments, such as the need for in camera review, had been waived.
The case involved Yousuf Ghafoori's appeal from a zoning violation notice and denial of a certificate of non-conformance for his use of a property in Hamilton Township's C zoning district as a short-term rental. Ghafoori had purchased the property, converted its garage into an indoor pool without permits, and began renting it out via platforms like Airbnb before the township adopted an ordinance restricting short-term rentals to a different district. The Zoning Hearing Board denied relief after finding that Ghafoori's use was not lawful prior to the ordinance because he failed to obtain required zoning permits and certificates of occupancy under the township's Zoning Ordinance. The Court of Common Pleas dismissed his appeal, and the Commonwealth Court affirmed, holding that noncompliance with permitting requirements rendered the preexisting use unlawful and ineligible for protection as a nonconforming use. The court also upheld the violation findings related to the unpermitted pool installation.
The case involves claimant Carleton Holman, a teacher injured at work in 2017, who received temporary wage-loss benefits from the School District of Philadelphia before the employer issued a medical-only notice of compensation payable and ceased indemnity payments. After an earlier penalty petition was denied, Holman filed a reinstatement petition seeking renewed benefits, but both the workers' compensation judge and the Appeal Board dismissed it as untimely. The Commonwealth Court affirmed, holding that the petition was barred by the three-year statute of limitations under Section 413(a) of the Workers' Compensation Act, which runs from the date of the most recent compensation payment; the court followed precedent excluding payments later reversed on appeal from restarting that period.
The case involved a requester who filed Right-to-Know Law requests with the City of Philadelphia for records related to its contract with vendor NGP VAN; after the Office of Open Records directed the City to obtain certain responsive records from the vendor, the City initially failed to do so within the required timeframe. The requester then brought a mandamus action in the Court of Common Pleas seeking compliance and fees for alleged bad faith. The trial court granted the City's motion for judgment on the pleadings, finding the action moot because the City had complied and submitted a credible affidavit confirming production of the records. The Commonwealth Court affirmed, holding that the trial court properly accepted the City's evidence of compliance, that no bad faith was shown, and that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying further discovery.