CHAPTER 11. APPEALS FROM COMMONWEALTH COURT
AND SUPERIOR COURT

Rule 1101. Appeals as of Right from the Commonwealth Court.

 (a)  Scope of rule. This rule applies to any appeal to the Supreme Court from an order of the Commonwealth Court entered in:

   (1)  Any matter which was originally commenced in the Commonwealth Court and which does not constitute an appeal to the Commonwealth Court from another court, a district justice or another government unit.

   (2)  Any appeal from a decision of the Board of Finance and Revenue.

 (b)  Procedure on appeal. An appeal within the scope of Subdivision (a) of this rule shall be taken to the Supreme Court in the manner prescribed in Chapter 9 (appeals from lower courts), except that if the notice of appeal is transmitted to the Prothonotary of the Commonwealth Court by means of first class, express, or priority United States Postal Service mail, the notice of appeal shall be deemed received by the prothonotary for the purposes of Rule 121(a) (filing) on the date deposited in the United States mail, as shown on a United States Postal Service Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified. The certificate of mailing or other similar Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified shall be cancelled by the Postal Service, shall show the docket number of the matter in the Commonwealth Court and shall be either enclosed with the notice of appeal or separately mailed to the prothonotary. Upon actual receipt of the notice of appeal the prothonotary shall immediately stamp it with the date of actual receipt. That date, or the date of earlier deposit in the United States mail as prescribed in this subdivision, shall constitute the date when the appeal was taken, which date shall be shown on the docket.

   Official Note

   Subdivision (a) is based on 42 Pa.C.S. §  723 (appeals from the Commonwealth Court). This rule is not applicable to an appeal under 42 Pa.C.S. §  763(b) (awards of arbitrators). See also 42 Pa.C.S. §  5105(b) (successive appeals) which provides as follows:

   (b) Successive appeals. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the rights conferred by subsection (a) are cumulative, so that a litigant may as a matter of right cause a final order of any tribunal in any matter which itself constitutes an appeal to such tribunal, to be further reviewed by the court having jurisdiction of appeals from such tribunal. Except as provided in section 723 (relating to appeals from the Commonwealth Court) there shall be no right of appeal from the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court to the Supreme Court under this section or otherwise.

   Appealable orders to which this rule is not applicable are governed by the procedures of Rule 1111 (form of papers; number of copies) et seq. Rule 906(4) (service of notice of appeal) is not applicable to an appeal under this rule since that provision relates only to service upon the district court administrator of a court of common pleas.

   The United States Postal Service Form 3817 mentioned in Subdivision (b) is reproduced in the note to Rule 1112 (appeals by allowance).

 If an appeal is improvidently taken to the Supreme Court under Rule 1101 (appeals as of right from the Commonwealth Court) in a case where the proper mode of review is by petition for allowance of appeal under this chapter, this alone shall not be a ground for dismissal, but the papers whereon the appeal was taken shall be regarded and acted on as a petition for allowance of appeal and as if duly filed in the Supreme Court at the time the appeal was taken.

   Official Note

   Based on 42 Pa.C.S. §  724(b) (improvident appeals). In a similar fashion, any motion to quash the appeal would be regarded as an answer to the petition under Rule 1116 (answer to the petition for allowance of appeal).

 If a petition for allowance of appeal is improvidently filed in the Supreme Court under Rule 1112 (appeals by allowance) in a case where the proper mode of review is by appeal under Rule 1101 (appeals as of right from the Commonwealth Court), this alone shall not be a ground for dismissal, but the petition for allowance of appeal shall be regarded as a notice of appeal and as if duly filed in the Commonwealth Court at the time the petition for allowance of appeal was filed in the Supreme Court.

PETITION FOR ALLOWANCE OF APPEAL

Rule 1111. Form of Papers; Number of Copies.

 All papers filed under this chapter, other than under Rule 1101 (appeals as of right from the Commonwealth Court), shall be prepared in the manner provided by Rule 2171 (method of reproduction) through Rule 2174 (tables of contents and citations). Eight copies shall be filed with the original.

   Official Note

 (a)  General rule.—An appeal may be taken by allowance under 42 Pa.C.S. §  724(a) (allowance of appeals from Superior and Commonwealth Courts) from any final order of the Commonwealth Court, not appealable under Rule 1101 (appeals as of right from the Commonwealth Court), or from any final order of the Superior Court.

 (b)  Definition. Final order.—A final order of the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court is any order that concludes an appeal, including an order that remands an appeal, in whole or in part, unless the appellate court remands and retains jurisdiction.

 (c)  Petition for allowance of appeal.

   (1)  Allowance of an appeal from a final order of the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court may be sought by filing a petition for allowance of appeal with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court within the time allowed by Rule 1113 (time for petitioning for allowance of appeal), with proof of service on all other parties to the matter in the appellate court below.

   (2)  If the petition for allowance of appeal is transmitted to the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court by means of first class, express, or priority United States Postal Service mail, the petition shall be deemed received by the prothonotary for the purposes of Rule 121(a) (filing) on the date deposited in the United States mail, as shown on a U.S. Postal Service Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified. The certificate of mailing or other similar Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified shall be cancelled by the Postal Service, shall show the docket number of the matter in the appellate court below and shall be either enclosed with the petition or separately mailed to the prothonotary.

   (3)  Upon actual receipt of the petition for allowance of appeal the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall immediately stamp it with the date of actual receipt. That date, or the date of earlier deposit in the United States mail as prescribed in this subdivision, shall constitute the date when allowance of appeal was sought, which date shall be shown on the docket. The Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall immediately note the Supreme Court docket number upon the petition for allowance of appeal and give written notice of the docket number assignment in person or by first class mail to the prothonotary of the appellate court below who shall note on the docket that a petition for allowance of appeal has been filed to the petitioner and to the other persons named in the proof of service accompanying the petition.

   (4)  In a children’s fast track appeal, the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall stamp the petition for allowance of appeal with a ‘‘Children’s Fast Track’’ designation in red ink, advising the Supreme Court that the petition for allowance of appeal is a children’s fast track appeal.

 (d)  Reproduced record.—One copy of the reproduced record, if any, in the appellate court below shall be lodged with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court at the time the petition for allowance of appeal is filed therein. A party filing a cross-petition for allowance of appeal from the same order need not lodge any reproduced record in addition to that lodged by petitioner.

 (e)  Fee.—The petitioner upon filing the petition for allowance of appeal shall pay any fee therefor prescribed by Chapter 27 (fees and costs in appellate courts and on appeal).

 (f)  Entry of appearance.—Upon the filing of the petition for allowance of appeal the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall note on the record as counsel for the petitioner the name of his or her counsel, if any, set forth in or endorsed upon the petition for allowance of appeal, and, as counsel for other parties, counsel, if any, named in the proof of service. The Prothonotary shall upon praecipe of any such counsel for other parties, filed at any time within 30 days after filing of the petition, strike off or correct the record of appearance. Thereafter a counsel’s appearance for a party may not be withdrawn without leave of court unless another lawyer has entered or simultaneously enters an appearance for the party.

   Official Note

   Based on 42 Pa.C.S. §  724(a) (allowance of appeals from Superior and Commonwealth Courts). The notation on the docket by the Prothonotary of the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court of the filing of a petition for allowance of appeal renders universal the rule that the appeal status of any order may be discovered by examining the docket of the court in which it was entered.

   The United States Postal Service form may be in substantially the following form:

   The transmittal should be taken unsealed to the Post Office, the Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified should be obtained, cancelled, and attached to the petition, and the envelope should only then be sealed. Alternately, the cancelled Form 3817 or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified can be submitted to the prothonotary under separate cover with clear identification of the filing to which it relates.

   It is recommended that the petitioner obtain a duplicate copy of the Form 3817 or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified as evidence of mailing. Since the Post Office is technically the filing office for the purpose of this rule a petition which was mailed in accordance with this rule and which is subsequently lost in the mail will nevertheless toll the time for petitioning for allowance of appeal. However, counsel will be expected to follow up on a mail filing by telephone inquiry to the appellate prothonotary where written notice of the docket number assignment is not received in due course.

   With regard to subdivision (f) and withdrawal of appearance without leave of the appellate court, counsel may nonetheless be subject to trial court supervision pursuant to Pa.R.Crim.P. 904 (Entry of Appearance and Appointment of Counsel; In Forma Pauperis).

   With respect to appearances by new counsel following the initial docketing of appearances pursuant to Subdivision (f) of this rule, please note the requirements of Rule 1200.

 (a)  General rule.—Except as otherwise prescribed by this rule, a petition for allowance of appeal shall be filed with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court within 30 days after the entry of the order of the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court sought to be reviewed.

   (1)  If a timely application or reargument is filed in the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court by any party, the time for filing a petition for allowance of appeal for all parties shall run from the entry of the order denying reargument or from the entry of the decision on reargument, whether or not that decision amounts to a reaffirmation of the prior decision.

   (2)  Unless the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court acts on the application for reargument within 60 days after it is filed the court shall no longer consider the application, it shall be deemed to have been denied and the prothonotary of the appellate court shall forthwith enter an order denying the application and shall immediately give written notice in person or by first class mail of entry of the order denying the application to each party who has appeared in the appellate court. A petition for allowance of appeal filed before the disposition of such an application for reargument shall have no effect. A new petition for allowance of appeal must be filed within the prescribed time measured from the entry of the order denying or otherwise disposing of such an application for reargument.

   (3)  In a children’s fast track appeal, unless the Superior Court acts on the application for reargument within 45 days after it is filed the court shall no longer consider the application, it shall be deemed to have been denied and the Prothonotary of the Superior Court shall forthwith enter an order denying the application and shall immediately give written notice in person or by first class mail of entry of the order denying the application to each party who has appeared in the appellate court. A petition for allowance of appeal filed before the disposition of such an application for reargument shall have no effect. A new petition for allowance of appeal must be filed within the prescribed time measured from the entry of the order denying or otherwise disposing of such an application for reargument.

 (b)  Cross petitions.—Except as otherwise prescribed in subdivision (c) of this rule, if a timely petition for allowance of appeal is filed by a party, any other party may file a petition for allowance of appeal within 14 days of the date on which the first petition for allowance of appeal was served, or within the time otherwise prescribed by this rule, whichever period last expires.

 (c)  Special provisions.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this rule, a petition for allowance of appeal from an order in any matter arising under any of the following shall be filed within ten days after the entry of the order sought to be reviewed:

   (1)  Pennsylvania Election Code.

   (2)  Local Government Unit Debt Act or any similar statute relating to the authorization of public debt.

   Official Note

   See note to Rule 903 (time for appeal).

   A party filing a cross petition for allowance of appeal pursuant to subdivision (b) should identify it as a cross petition to assure that the prothonotary will process the cross petition with the initial petition. See also Rule 511 (cross appeals), Rule 2136 (briefs in cases involving cross appeals) and Rule 2322 (cross and separate appeals).

 Except as prescribed in Rule 1101 (appeals as of right from the Commonwealth Court), review of a final order of the Superior Court or the Commonwealth Court is not a matter of right, but of sound judicial discretion, and an appeal will be allowed only when there are special and important reasons therefor.

   Official Note

   Based in part on U.S. Supreme Court Rule 10. The following, while neither con- trolling nor fully measuring the discretion of the Supreme Court, indicate the character of the reasons which will be considered:

   (1) the holding of the intermediate appellate court conflicts with another intermediate appellate court opinion;

   (2) the holding of the intermediate appellate court conflicts with a holding of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court on the same legal question;

   (3) the question presented is one of first impression;

   (4) the question presented is of such substantial public importance as to require prompt and definitive resolution by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court;

   (5) the issue involves the constitutionality of a statute of this Commonwealth;

   (6) the intermediate appellate court has so far departed from accepted judicial practices or so abused its discretion as to call for the exercise of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s supervisory authority; or

   (7) an intermediate appellate court has erroneously entered an order quashing or dismissing an appeal.

   Prior to the 2011 amendment to the Official Note to this Rule, the procedural mechanism to seek the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s review of an intermediate appellate court order quashing or dismissing an appeal was by petition for review. See Vaccone v. Syken, 587 Pa. 380, 382 n.2, 899 A.2d 1103, 1104 n.2 (2006). The current amendments now provide that such appeals should be pursued by the petition for allowance of appeal process. The 2011 amendment adds Reason (7) to the Official Note, which provides a basis for seeking review of intermediate appellate court quashals and dismissals through the Chapter 11 petition for allowance of appeal procedure, rather than the Chapter 15 petition for review procedure.

 (a)  General rule.—The petition for allowance of appeal need not be set forth in numbered paragraphs in the manner of a pleading, and shall contain the following (which shall, insofar as practicable, be set forth in the order stated):

   (1)  A reference to the official and unofficial reports of the opinions delivered in the courts below, if any, and if reported. Any such opinions shall be appended as provided in Paragraph (6) of this subdivision.

   (2)  The text of the order in question, or the portions thereof sought to be reviewed, and the date of its entry in the appellate court below. If the order is voluminous, it may, if more convenient, be appended to the petition.

   (3)  The questions presented for review, expressed in the terms and circumstances of the case but without unnecessary detail. The statement of questions presented will be deemed to include every subsidiary question fairly comprised therein. Only the questions set forth in the petition, or fairly comprised therein, will ordinarily be considered by the court in the event an appeal is allowed.

   (4)  A concise statement of the case containing the facts material to a consideration of the questions presented.

   (5)  A concise statement of the reasons relied upon for allowance of an appeal. See Rule 1114 (considerations governing allowance of appeal).

   (6)  There shall be appended to the petition a copy of any opinions deliv- ered relating to the order sought to be reviewed, as well as all opinions of government units or lower courts in the case, and, if reference thereto is necessary to ascertain the grounds of the order, opinions in companion cases. If an application for reargument was filed in the Superior Court or Commonwealth Court, there also shall be appended to the petition a copy of any order granting or denying the application for reargument. If whatever is required by this paragraph to be appended to the petition is voluminous, it may, if more convenient, be separately presented.

   (7)  There shall be appended to the petition the verbatim texts of the pertinent provisions of constitutional provisions, statutes, ordinances, regulations or other similar enactments which the case involves, and the citation to the volume and page where they are published, including the official edition, if any

 (b)  Caption and parties.—All parties to the proceeding in the appellate court below shall be deemed parties in the Supreme Court, unless the petitioner shall notify the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of the belief of the petitioner that one or more of the parties below have no interest in the outcome of the petition. A copy of such notice shall be served on all parties to the matter in the lower court, and a party noted as no longer interested may remain a party in the Supreme Court by filing a notice that he has an interest in the petition with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court. All parties in the Supreme Court other than petitioner shall be named as respondents, but respondents who support the position of the petitioner shall meet the time schedule for filing papers which is provided in this chapter for the petitioner, except that any response by such respondents to the petition shall be filed as promptly as possible after receipt of the petition.

 (c)  No supporting brief.—All contentions in support of a petition for allowance of appeal shall be set forth in the body of the petition as provided by Paragraph (a)(5) of this rule. Neither the briefs below nor any separate brief in support of a petition for allowance of appeal will be received, and the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court will refuse to file any petition for allowance of appeal to which is annexed or appended any brief below or supporting brief.

 (d)  Essential requisites of petition.—The failure of a petitioner to present with accuracy, brevity, and clearness whatever is essential to a ready and adequate understanding of the points requiring consideration will be a sufficient reason for denying the petition.

 (e)  Multiple petitioners.—Where permitted by Rule 512 (joint appeals) a single petition for allowance of appeal may be filed.

   Official Note

   Former Supreme Court Rule 62 permitted the petitioner in effect to dump an undigested mass of material (i.e., briefs in and opinions of the court below) in the lap of the Supreme Court, with the burden on the individual justices and their law clerks to winnow the wheat from the chaff. This rule, which is patterned after U.S. Supreme Court Rule 23, places the burden on the petitioner to prepare a succinct and coherent presentation of the case and the reasons in support of allowance of appeal.

   Where an appellant desires to challenge the discretionary aspects of a sentence of a trial court no ‘‘petition for allowance of appeal,’’ as that term is used in these rules, may be filed and the practice is governed by Chapter 9 (appeals from lower courts). See note to Rule 902 (manner of taking appeal).

 (a)  General rule.—Except as otherwise prescribed by this rule, within 14 days after service of a petition for allowance of appeal an adverse party may file an answer. The answer shall be deemed filed on the date of mailing if first class, express, or priority United States Postal Service mail is utilized. The answer need not be set forth in numbered paragraphs in the manner of a pleading, shall set forth any procedural, substantive or other argument or ground why the order involved should not be reviewed by the Supreme Court and shall comply with Rule 1115(a)(7) (content of petition for allowance of appeal). No separate motion to dismiss a petition for allowance of appeal will be received. A party entitled to file an answer under this rule who does not intend to do so shall, within the time fixed by these rules for filing an answer, file a letter stating that an answer to the petition for allowance of appeal will not be filed. The failure to file an answer will not be construed as concurrence in the request for allowance of appeal.

 (b)  Children’s fast track appeals.—In a children’s fast track appeal, within 10 days after service of a petition for allowance of appeal, an adverse party may file an answer.

   Official Note

    This rule and Rule 1115 contemplate that the petition and answer will address themselves to the heart of the issue, i.e. whether the Supreme Court ought to exercise its discretion to allow an appeal, without the need to comply with the formalistic pattern of numbered averments in the petition and correspondingly numbered admissions and denials in the response. While such a formalistic format is appropriate when factual issues are being framed in a trial court (as in the petition for review under Chapter 15) such a format interferes with the clear narrative exposition necessary to outline succinctly the case for the Supreme Court in the allocatur context.

 Upon receipt of the answer to the petition for allowance of appeal, or a letter stating that no answer will be filed, from each party entitled to file such, the petition and the answer, if any, shall be distributed by the Prothonotary to the Supreme Court for its consideration. An appeal may be allowed limited to one or more of the questions presented in the petition, in which case the order allowing the appeal shall specify the question or questions which will be considered by the Court.

 If an appeal is allowed the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall immediately give written notice in person or by first class mail of the entry of the order allowing the appeal to the prothonotary of the appellate court below and to each party who has appeared in the Supreme Court. The notice shall specify the question or questions which will be considered by the Supreme Court, if an appeal has been allowed as to less than all questions presented. The prothonotary of the appellate court below shall docket the notice in the same manner as a notice of appeal, and shall forthwith transmit the record to the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court, but for the purpose of computing time under these rules the record shall be deemed filed in the Supreme Court on the date of entry of the order allowing the appeal. A notice of appeal need not be filed.

   Official Note

   This rule eliminates the little-known procedural ‘‘trap’’ whereby the number of days between the entry of the judgment below and the date of filing the petition for allowance of appeal is subtracted from the time available to the appellant for formal entry of the appeal after it has been allowed. See Platt-Barber Co. v. Groves, 193 Pa. 475, 44 Atl. 571 (1899). Under this rule the entry by the Supreme Court of the order allowing the appeal automatically perfects the appeal.

 (a)  Denial. If the petition for allowance of appeal is denied the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall immediately give written notice in person or by first class mail of the entry of the order denying the appeal to each party who has appeared in the Supreme Court. After the expiration of the time allowed by Subdivision (b) of this rule for the filing of an application for reconsideration of denial of a petition for allowance of appeal, if no application for reconsideration is filed, the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court shall notify the prothonotary of the appellate court below of the denial of the petition.

 (b)  Reconsideration. Applications for reconsideration of denial of allowance of appeal are not favored and will be considered only in the most extraordinary circumstances. An application for reconsideration of denial of a petition for allowance of appeal shall be filed with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court within fourteen days after entry of the order denying the petition for allowance of appeal. In a children’s fast track appeal, the application for reconsideration of denial of a petition for allowance of appeal shall be filed with the Prothonotary of the Supreme Court within 7 days after entry of the order denying the petition for allowance of appeal. Any application filed under this subdivision must:

   (1)  Briefly and distinctly state grounds which are confined to intervening circumstances of substantial or controlling effect.

   (2)  Be supported by a certificate of counsel to the effect that it is presented in good faith and not for delay. Counsel must also certify that the application is restricted to the grounds specified in Paragraph (1) of this subdivision.

 No answer to an application for reconsideration will be received unless requested by the Supreme Court. Second or subsequent applications for reconsideration, and applications for reconsideration which are out of time under this rule, will not be received.

 (c)  Manner of filing. If the application for reconsideration is transmitted to the prothonotary of the appellate court by means of first class, express, or priority United States Postal Service mail, the application shall be deemed received by the prothonotary for the purposes of Rule 121(a) (filing) on the date deposited in the United States mail as shown on a United States Postal Service Form 3817 Certificate of Mailing, or other similar United States Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified. The certificate of mailing or other similar Postal Service form from which the date of deposit can be verified shall be cancelled by the Postal Service, shall show the docket number of the matter in the court in which reconsideration is sought and shall be enclosed with the application or separately mailed to the prothonotary. Upon actual receipt of the application, the prothonotary shall immediately stamp it with the date of actual receipt. That date, or the date of earlier deposit in the United States mail as prescribed in this subdivision, shall constitute the date when application was sought, which date shall be shown on the docket.

   The provisions of this Rule 1123 amended May 16, 1996, effective July 1, 1996, 26 Pa.B. 2482; amended September 10, 2008, effective December 1, 2008, 38 Pa.B. 5257; amended January 13, 2009, effective as to all appeals filed 60 days or more after adoption, 39 Pa.B. 1094. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (338812) to (338813).