HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-1778 Civil (2)CORY A. CORMANY,
Plaintiff
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
CIVIL ACTION - LAW
EARL REITZ JR.,
STEVE CALAMAN,
CURTIS COLBERTSON,
SAMUEL COOVER,
JOHN ADAMS, JOHN
PORTER, TERRY DARR,:
GREG DEIHL, PAUL
GREEN, FRANK TEANEY,:
RAYMOND MOTTER OF:
THE CUMBERLAND
COUNTY PRISON; GARY:
SHOLENBERGER,
JEFFREY KURTZ,
MATHEW KENNEDY
OF THE CARLISLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT,:
JEFFREY FRANKS OF
THE CUMBERLAND
COUNTY D.A. AND
PAULA CORREAL,
Defendants
NO. 03-1778 CIVIL TERM
IN RE: PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS OF DEFENDANT
JEFFREY FRANKS TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT
BEFORE HOFFER, P.J., and OLER, J.
OPINION and ORDER OF COURT
OLER, J., April 19, 2004.
For disposition in this civil case in which a pro se Plaintiff has sued various
individuals, including a district justice, are preliminary objections of Defendant
Jeffrey Franks to Plaintiff's complaint. The preliminary objections are in the
nature of a motion to strike for failure to plead facts in a concise and summary
form (in conformity with Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1019(a)) and a
demurrer, inter alia. ~
In the preliminary objections, Defendant contends that "Plaintiff's
Complaint contains paragraph after paragraph [of] nonsensical sentences some of
which contain English words and some of which contain words that appear to be
wholly made up by Plaintiff." Defendant's preliminary objections were argued
before the above court en banc on February 4, 2004.2
For the reasons stated in this opinion, Plaintiff's complaint will be
dismissed as to Defendant Franks.
STATEMENT OF FACTS
Plaintiff's complaint in the above-captioned matter was filed on April 21,
2003. It contains 115 paragraphs and 193 pages.
Paragraph 1 of the complaint identifies the Plaintiff as "an adult individual
residing in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.''3 Paragraph 2 states that
"Defendants Earl Reitz, Jr., Steve Calaman, Curtis Colbertson, Samuel Coover,
John Adams, John Porter, Terry Darr, Greg Deihl, Paul Green, Frank Teaney,
Raymond Motter, Gary Sh[u]lenberger,
Jeffrey Franks are adult individuals
Community, Pennsylvania.''4
Jeffrey Kurtz, Mathew Kennedy and
residing in the Cumberland County
Typical of the 113 paragraphs which follow are these:
14. On September 21st, of the year 2001,
Plaintiff Cory Cormany did petition a civil complaint
with the United States District Court impetuous the
Defendant Honorable District Justice Paula Correal.
Preliminary Objections of Defendant, Jeffrey Franks', filed January 12, 2004.
Plaintiff neither submitted a brief nor appeared for argument.
Plaintiff's complaint, paragraph 1.
Plaintiff's complaint, para. 2.
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16. On November 4th, of the year 2001,
Plaintiff Cory Cormany did listen to and comprehend;
a number of detrimental procrastinations continual
therefore, a Mr. Maswadeh Arafat and associates
complaisant the District Attorney of Cumberland
County.
17. Prior herein and pertinent hereto, Defendant
Honorable District Justice Paula Correal did conspire
to the solicitations of the Defendants Jeffrey Franks
and Curtis Colbertson, instantaneous the Defendant
Mathew Kennedy.
20. On December 24th, of the year 2001,
Plaintiff Cory Cormany did service a criminal report to
the District Attorney's Office of Cumberland County
consequential Defendant Honorable District Justice
Paula Correal and Det. William Deihl of the
Cumberland County District Attorney, reliable
Defendant Jeffrey Franks.
23. On February 26th, of the year 2002,
Plaintiff Cory Cormany did service a criminal report to
the District Attorney's Office of Cumberland County,
communistic Defendant Jeffrey Franks and Att.
Edmund Zigmund of the Cumberland County District
Attorney, remissible Defendant Mathew Kennedy.
24. On March 6th, of the year 2002, Plaintiff
Cory Cormany did preconceive a legal conclusion
disagreeable a mental/physical health condition,
sadistic Defendant Mathew Kennedy and Det. William
Deihl of the Cumberland County District Attorney,
implicative Defendant Honorable District Justice Paula
Correal.
29. On September 10th, of the year 2002,
Plaintiff Cory Cormany did submit a guilty obligation
preemptive The Honorable District Justice Thomas
Placey in lieu of a prison sentence.
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35. The Plaintiff Cory Cormany has suffered
public humiliation as caused by the defamation of his
character, pain and physical injury as a result of the
Defendant's solicit and malicious actions.
110. Proceeding hereto and relevant herein; the
Defendant Jeffrey Franks did maliciously solicit a
requisite criminal intention careless a constitutional
statute and deliberate a willful conduct.5
DiCSUSSiON
As a general proposition, Pennsylvania courts are not required to entertain
submissions which are incoherent, incomprehensible or unintelligible. See, e.g.,
Commonwealth v. Albert, 522 Pa. 331, 561 A.2d 736 (1989); Commonwealth ex
rel. Swarm v. Shovling, 423 Pa. 26, 223 A.2d 1 (1966). Thus, it has been said that
"[p]reliminary objections are certainly appropriate where a pleading is
incoherent .... "Jackson v. Richards 5 & 10 Inc., 289 Pa. Super. 445, 451, 433
A.2d 888, 891 (1981).
More specifically, under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1019(a),
"[t]he material facts on which a cause of action or defense is based shall be stated
in a concise and summary form." implicit within this rule is a requirement that the
pleading be intelligible. See Allensworth v. First Galesburg Nat'l Bank & Trust
Co., 118 ill. App. 2d 608, 152 N.E.2d 890 (1958). Where a portion of a pleading
fails to conform to the rule, it is susceptible to a preliminary objection. See Pa.
R.C.P. 1028(a)(2) (failure of pleading to conform to law or rule of court). Upon
consideration of such an objection, the court may properly strike the affected
pleading. See, e.g., Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission v.
Zanella Transit, Inc., 53 Pa. Commw. 359, 417 A.2d 860 (1980).
Under Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1028(a)(2), a pleading which
is legally insufficient to set forth a cause of action is also susceptible to a
Plaintiff's complaint, at 3-22.
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preliminary objection. Implicit within this rule as well is a requirement that the
pleading be intelligible. See Allensworth v. First Galesburg Nat'l Bank & Trust
Co., 18 Ill. App. 2d 608, 152 N.E.2d 890 (1958). Upon consideration of such an
objection, the court may properly sustain a demurrer and dismiss the pleading. Id
In this regard, it is well settled that "[p]leadings will be construed against a pleader
on the theory that he or she has stated his or her case as best he or she can." 2
Goodrich Amram 2d 1019:7, at 249 (2001).
In the present case, a careful reading of Plaintiff's complaint reveals that it
is not stated in a concise and summary form in the sense of being intelligible, nor
is any legally cognizable cause of action against Defendant Franks set forth in the
pleading. For these reasons, and based upon the foregoing principles of law, the
following order will be entered:
ORDER OF COURT
AND NOW, this 19th day of April, 2004, upon consideration of the
preliminary objections filed on behalf of Defendant Jeffrey Franks, and for the
reasons stated in the accompanying opinion, the preliminary objections are
sustained to the extent that they request dismissal of Plaintiff's complaint, and
Plaintiff' s complaint is dismissed as to Defendant Franks.
BY THE COURT,
/s/J. Wesley Oler, Jr.
J. Wesley Oler, Jr., J.
Cory A. Cormany
1883 Douglas Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013
Plaintiff, pro se
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William J. Devlin, Jr., Esq.
Suite 200
100 West Elm Street
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Attorney for Defendants
Earl Reitz, Jr., Steve
Calaman, Curtis Colbertson,
Samuel Coover, Frank Teaney
and Jeffrey Franks
Hubert X. Gilroy, Esq.
4 North Hanover Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
Attorney for Defendant
John Adams
Jessica C. Goebeler, Esq.
Montgomery, McCracken,
Walker & Rhoads, LLP
123 South Broad Street
Avenue of the Arts, 28th Fl.
Philadelphia, PA 19109
Attorney for Defendants
Gary Shulenberger, Matthew Kennedy,
and Jeffrey Kurtz
Mary E. Butler, Esq.
Suite 1414
1515 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Attorney for former Defendant
Paula Correal
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CORY A. CORMANY,
Plaintiff
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Vo
CIVIL ACTION - LAW
EARL REITZ JR.,
STEVE CALAMAN,
CURTIS COLBERTSON,
SAMUEL COOVER,
JOHN ADAMS, JOHN
PORTER, TERRY DARR,:
GREG DEIHL, PAUL
GREEN, FRANK TEANEY,:
RAYMOND MOTTER OF:
THE CUMBERLAND
COUNTY PRISON; GARY:
SHOLENBERGER,
JEFFREY KURTZ,
MATHEW KENNEDY
OF THE CARLISLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT,:
JEFFREY FRANKS OF
THE CUMBERLAND
COUNTY D.A. AND
PAULA CORREAL,
Defendants
NO. 03-1778 CIVIL TERM
IN RE: PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS OF DEFENDANT
JEFFREY FRANKS TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT
BEFORE HOFFER, P.J., and OLER, J.
ORDER OF COURT
AND NOW, this 19th day of April, 2004, upon consideration of the
preliminary objections filed on behalf of Defendant Jeffrey Franks, and for the
reasons stated in the accompanying opinion, the preliminary objections are
sustained to the extent that they request dismissal of Plaintiff's complaint, and
Plaintiff' s complaint is dismissed as to Defendant Franks.
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BY THE COURT,
J. Wesley Oler, Jr., J.
Cory A. Cormany
1883 Douglas Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013
Plaintiff, pro se
William J. Devlin, Jr., Esq.
Suite 200
100 West Elm Street
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Attorney for Defendants
Earl Reitz, Jr., Steve
Calaman, Curtis Colbertson,
Samuel Coover, Frank Teaney
and Jeffrey Franks
Hubert X. Gilroy, Esq.
4 North Hanover Street
Carlisle, PA 17013
Attorney for Defendant
John Adams
Jessica C. Goebeler, Esq.
Montgomery, McCracken,
Walker & Rhoads, LLP
123 South Broad Street
Avenue of the Arts, 28th Fl.
Philadelphia, PA 19109
Attorney for Defendants
Gary Shulenberger, Matthew Kennedy,
and Jeffrey Kurtz
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Mary E. Butler, Esq.
Suite 1414
1515 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Attorney for former Defendant
Paula Correal
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