The Tinsman Group v. Tri-State Garden Supply ( 2019 )


Menu:
  • J-A06013-19
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
    THE TINSMAN GROUP, INC.                :    IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    :         PENNSYLVANIA
    :
    v.                        :
    :
    :
    TRI-STATE GARDEN SUPPLY, INC.          :
    D/B/A GARDENSCAPE                      :
    :    No. 1087 MDA 2018
    Appellant            :
    Appeal from the Order Dated June 6, 2018
    In the Court of Common Pleas of Cumberland County
    Civil Division at No(s): 2015-03146
    BEFORE:    OTT, J., NICHOLS, J., and PELLEGRINI*, J.
    MEMORANDUM BY OTT, J.:                        FILED SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
    Tri-State Garden Supply, Inc., d/b/a Gardenscape (“Tri-State Garden”)
    appeals from the order entered on June 6, 2018, in the Cumberland County
    Court of Common Pleas, which denied its petition to open a default judgment
    entered against it and in favor of The Tinsman Group, Inc. (“Tinsman”). On
    appeal, Tri-State Garden argues the trial court erred in failing to determine
    that Tinsman’s counsel committed a fraud upon it and the court by
    misrepresenting applicable case law at the default judgment hearing, which
    caused the court to award specific damages in the amount of $183,983.83,
    without having to prove such damages at a separate hearing. See Tri-State
    Garden’s Brief at 1. Moreover, Tri-State Garden contends Tinsman’s counsel
    acted fraudulently by failing to abide by Pennsylvania Rule of Professional
    Conduct 3.3, which required Tinsman’s counsel to inform the court of material
    ____________________________________
    * Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
    J-A06013-19
    facts that would have required the court to deny entry of said damages
    because Tinsman had not plead specific damages in its complaint. Id. Based
    on the following, we quash the appeal.
    The facts and procedural history as follows: On June 8, 2015, Tinsman
    filed a breach of contract complaint, alleging Tri-State Garden “was in the
    business of producing, transporting and distributing various garden products,
    that [Tinsman] had served [Tri-State Garden] as an independent sales
    representative, and that     [Tri-State   Garden]   had failed to    fully pay
    commissions due to [Tinsman] for procuring sales of [Tri-State Garden’s]
    products.” Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 2.
    Subsequently, on April 18, 2017, Tinsman filed a motion to compel
    discovery responses and for sanctions. One day later, the court entered an
    order, requiring Tri-State Garden to file answer to interrogatories and requests
    for production of documents within 20 days of said order. The court stated:
    “Failure to comply with the time period set forth in this Order may result in
    the imposition of sanctions including the preclusion of evidence and the
    imposition of attorney fees.” Order of Court, 4/19/2017. On May 15, 2017,
    Tinsman filed a motion for sanctions with entry of default judgment against
    Tri-State Garden pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 4019, alleging Tri-State Garden had
    not responded to the order within the required time period. See Motion for
    Sanctions with Entry of Default Judgment against Defendant Pursuant to
    Pa.R.C.P. 4019, 5/15/2017, at ¶ 11. On May 22, 2017, the court entered an
    -2-
    J-A06013-19
    order, scheduling a hearing on August 2, 2017, to address Tinsman’s motion
    for sanctions and to determine what “sanctions shall be imposed.” Order of
    Court, 5/22/2017.
    On August 1, 2017, Tri-State Garden filed a motion for continuance,
    stating: (1) it had “not been able to locate all of the materials in their office
    to properly respond to said Interrogatories” because it had been involved in a
    large commercial litigation matter in another county that had required all of
    its attention; and (2) its counsel had planned a family vacation which fell
    during the time of the hearing. Motion for Continuance, 8/1/2017, at ¶¶ 4-5,
    7.1 The following day, the trial court denied Tri-State Garden’s motion for a
    ____________________________________________
    1  With respect to the date of the motion for continuance, the court noted the
    following: “As indicated in an earlier opinion in this case, ‘the Motion for
    Continuance was received at the Prothonotary’s office on the morning of July
    31, 2017, but was not entered on the record until approximately 4:00 P.M. on
    August 01, 2017, due to a procedural defect in [Tri-State Garden]’s Motion.’”
    Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 3 n.9, quoting Opinion and Order of Court,
    at 6 n.2, dated September 28, 2017 (Ebert, J.).
    Moreover, in Tinsman’s response in opposition to Tri-State Garden’s
    motion for continuance, it alleged, in relevant part:
    11. Undersigned counsel received no responses to the discovery
    requests, or any information from [Tri-State Garden]’s counsel,
    until July 27, 2017, when [Tri-State Garden] served upon
    undersigned counsel a courtesy copy of a Motion to Continue the
    August 2, 2017 hearing.      A copy of [counsel for Tri-State
    Garden’s] July 26, 2017 correspondence is attached and marked
    as Exhibit “A.”
    -3-
    J-A06013-19
    continuance and a hearing on Tinsman’s motion for sanctions proceeded as
    scheduled.
    At this hearing, the court questioned [Tinsman]’s counsel as
    to the recovery amount being sought by [Tinsman], and
    [Tinsman]’s counsel responded that [its] records indicated
    approximately $73,837.34 in unpaid commissions and that
    Pennsylvania’s Sales Representative Act authorized double
    damages, reasonable costs and attorney’s fees where the
    nonpayment was willful. [Tinsman]’s counsel further noted that
    [Tinsman] was requesting additional attorney’s fees in connection
    with [Tinsman]’s motion to compel discovery, motion for
    sanctions, and appearance at the hearing then being held, in the
    amount of $1,470.00, as well as mileage expenses of [Tinsman]’s
    representative at the hearing, in the amount of $205.00. In
    addition, [Tinsman]’s counsel secured the admission into evidence
    of an exhibit relating to her firm’s attorney's fees, and requested
    that [Tri-State Garden]’s counterclaim in the case be dismissed.
    At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Ebert asked [Tinsman]’s
    counsel to prepare a proposed order “that you think covers all of
    these various topics.”
    Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 3-4 (footnotes omitted).
    ____________________________________________
    12. [Tri-State Garden]’s counsel served said Motion via facsimile
    at 6:30 p.m. on July 26, 2017, and informed counsel that he would
    be on vacation starting July 27, 2017.
    13.  [Tri-State Garden]’s counsel did not seek undersigned
    counsel’s concurrence prior to filing said Motion.
    Response in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Continuance, 8/2/2017, at
    ¶¶ 11-13.
    -4-
    J-A06013-19
    Thereafter, the court entered an order,2 which: (1) granted Tinsman’s
    motion for sanctions with entry of default judgment; (2) awarded judgment
    in favor of Tinsman and against Tri-State Garden in the amount of
    $183,753.78;3 (3) entered judgment in favor of Tinsman and against Tri-State
    Garden on Tri-State Garden’s counterclaim; and (4) ordered Tri-State Garden
    to pay Tinsman the amount of $230.05, representing cost of mileage for
    Tinsman’s representative to appear at the hearing pursuant to Pa.R.C.P.
    4019(g)(1). See Order of Court, 8/3/2017, at unnumbered 1-2.
    On August 11, 2017, Tri-State Garden filed a motion for reconsideration
    and vacation of the court’s August 3, 2017, order. Tinsman filed a response
    in opposition to Tri-State Garden’s motion on August 15, 2017. The trial court
    did not rule upon Tri-State Garden’s motion within 30 days of the entry of the
    order. Subsequently, on September 29, 2017, the court entered an order and
    corresponding       opinion,      denying      Tri-State   Garden’s   motion   for
    reconsideration/vacation.4 Tri-State Garden then filed a notice of appeal with
    ____________________________________________
    2 We note the order was dated August 2, 2017, but docketed the following
    day. We will use the later date in our analysis.
    3 See Order of Court, 8/3/2017 (breaking down award of unpaid commissions,
    prejudgment interest, exemplary damages, and attorney’s fees).
    4  The order was dated one day earlier. In its opinion, the court analyzed the
    five factors, set forth in Rohm and Hass Co. v. Lin, 
    992 A.2d 132
    , 142 (Pa.
    Super, 2010), that must be considered when a discovery sanction is imposed
    and concluded:
    -5-
    J-A06013-19
    this Court on October 30, 2017, which was docketed at No. 1686 MDA 2017.5
    On February 2, 2018, Tinsman filed a motion to quash Tri-State Garden’s
    appeal as untimely,
    ____________________________________________
    In this case, the entry of a default judgment in favor of [Tinsman]
    on all counts was clearly appropriate. The threat of sanctions
    contained in this court’s Order compelling discovery was
    insufficient to motivate [Tri-State Garden] to take any responsive
    action in this case. This court’s determination that sanctions were
    appropriate, and this court’s Order scheduling a hearing to
    determine what those sanctions would be, were insufficient to
    motivate [Tri-State Garden] to take any responsive action.
    Instead, [Tri-State Garden] simply asked for a continuance of that
    sanctions hearing at the last minute due to a preplanned vacation
    despite having notice of the sanctions hearing for months. Only
    the entry of a default judgment finally, and belatedly, impressed
    upon [Tri-State Garden] the understanding that this court’s
    Orders are not suggestions and that hearing dates are not
    optional.
    Opinion and Order of Court, 9/29/2017, at 8-9.
    5  Tri-State Garden’s concise statement was summarized by the trial court as
    follows:
    In the appeal, in a statement of errors complained of on appeal,
    [Tri-State Garden] argued, inter alia, that [Tinsman]’s counsel
    had been aware that [Tri-State Garden] would be requesting a
    continuance of the August 2, 2017, hearing, that the court erred
    in “simply taking allegations proffered by [Tinsman]’s counsel as
    to the amounts of alleged commissions and the right of [Tinsman]
    to be awarded the aggregate amount without providing proof
    thereof after a trial of the issues of the case,” that “the calculation
    of damages formulated by [Tinsman]’s counsel was never pled nor
    produced or claimed until apparently for the first time on August
    2, 2017,” and that, “[a]dditionally, the award of Attorney’s fees
    without the ability of [Tri-State Garden] to contest the
    -6-
    J-A06013-19
    conceding that [Tri-State Garden]’s appeal from the order entered
    on September 29, 2017, was timely, [but] contend[ing] that this
    order was a nullity in a jurisdictional sense and that the 30-day
    appeal period from the properly appealable judgment entered on
    August 3, 2017, had expired without being tolled and without an
    appeal having been taken.
    Trial Court Opinion, at 8/14/2018, at 6 (footnotes omitted). A panel of this
    court granted Tinsman’s motion on March 26, 2018, and quashed Tri-State
    Garden’s appeal on May 8, 2018.6
    While its appeal was pending, Tri-State Garden filed a petition to open
    default judgment on April 6, 2018. Tri-State Garden assailed the sanctions
    imposed by the court and alleged the following, in pertinent part:
    19. Alternatively, [Tri-State Garden] herein asserts that counsel
    for [Tinsman] effected a fraud upon [Tri-State Garden], as a
    party, and a fraud upon the Court by counsel’s actions on August
    2, 2017 during the hearing of August 2 and whatever ex parte
    action was undertaken by [Tinsman]’s counsel following the
    adjournment of the hearing on August 2, 2017 at 9:25 a.m., which
    necessarily included the presentation to the Court of the Proposed
    Order which the Court thereupon signed.
    ____________________________________________
    reasonableness of the same was also entered in error by this
    Honorable Court.” [Tri-State Garden] further contended on its
    appeal that “[t]he Trial Court erred in simply accepting the
    damages in the aggregate, and in the specifics presented by
    [Tinsman]’s Counsel without requiring [Tinsman] to prove
    damages at trial.”
    Trial Court Opinion, at 8/14/2018, at 5 (footnotes omitted).
    6   The record does not reflect that Tri-State Garden filed a petition for
    allowance of appeal in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. See Trial Court
    Opinion, at 8/14/2018, at 6.
    -7-
    J-A06013-19
    20. Counsel for [Tinsman] effected a fraud on the Court, as well
    as a fraud on [Tri-State Garden] as follows:
    a. In representing to the Court at the hearing on August 2,
    2017 that damages in the amount of $73,837.34 were due
    and payable to [Tinsman] by [Tri-State Garden], when
    during the course of litigation no such information,
    calculation or demand had been made for a specific amount
    of damages (Commissions Due); and
    b. In representing to the Court that the awarded damages
    for the alleged unpaid commissions and doubling of the
    commissions as punitive damages under the Pennsylvania
    Sales Representative Act[7] were improper when counsel
    knew, or should have known, that Respondent had alleged
    only general damages in excess of $50,000.00 and not
    specific damages, and as required by relevant and pertinent
    case law as set forth in the Superior Court cases [Mother’s
    Restaurant, Inc. v. Krystlekiewicz, 
    861 A.2d 327
     (Pa.
    Super. 2004) and King v. Fayette Aviation, 
    323 A.2d 286
    (Pa. Super. 1974)].
    c. Presenting or transmitting to the Honorable Judge a
    “Proposed Order” without service of said Proposed Order on
    counsel for [Tri-State Garden] as required by Pa.R.C.P. No.
    440(a)(1) so as to permit [Tri-State Garden]’s counsel to
    forward an objection to the Court of the content of said
    proposed Order; and
    d. Counsel for [Tinsman] violated Rules of Professional
    Conduct, Rule 3.3. Candor Toward the Tribunal, Subsection
    (d) which is as follows: “(d) In an ex parte proceeding, a
    lawyer shall inform the tribunal of all material facts known
    to the lawyer that will enable the tribunal to make an
    informed decision, whether or not the facts are adverse”;
    specifically by failing to inform [the trial court] of the
    principles of law set forth in the Krystlekiewicz and King
    ____________________________________________
    7   43 P.S. §§ 1471-1478 (Commissioned Sales Representatives).
    -8-
    J-A06013-19
    cases, supra, which holdings required that a trial be held
    on the issue of damages.
    Petition to Open Default Judgment, 4/6/2018, at ¶¶ 19-20.8 A rule was issued
    upon Tinsman to show cause why the relief requested should not be granted,
    and Tinsman filed a response9 in opposition to Tri-State Garden’s petition on
    May 16, 2018.
    The court conducted a hearing on Tri-State Garden’s petition to open on
    June 5, 2018. The court noted: “Unfortunately, [Tri-State Garden] has failed
    to pay for the notes of testimony from this proceeding to be transcribed;
    however, neither the evidence nor the argument at the proceeding led the
    court to conclude that [Tinsman]’s counsel committed a fraud upon [the trial
    ____________________________________________
    8 During this time, the presiding judge retired and a new judge was reassigned
    the matter.
    9   As noted by the trial court:
    The response included an attachment in the form of an August 2,
    2017, letter from [Tinsman]’s counsel to [Tri-State Garden]’s
    counsel, enclosing “a copy of [her] correspondence of August 2,
    2017 to [the trial court] regarding the above-captioned matter,
    together with a Proposed Order and supporting documents, which
    was requested of [her] at the [August 2] hearing.” The response
    also sought attorney’s fees on behalf of [Tinsman], stating that
    “[t]he Petition to Open Default Judgment is a transparent attempt
    to circumvent the appellate court’s decision to quash [Tri-State
    Garden]’s untimely appeal, and [Tinsman] has spent considerable
    time and resources defending against [Tri-State Garden’s]
    attempts to avoid responsibility for judgment entered against it.
    Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 7-8 (footnotes omitted).
    -9-
    J-A06013-19
    court] or [Tri-State Garden].” Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 8. The next
    day, the court entered an order denying Tri-State Garden’s petition to open
    default judgment.10 Order of Court, 6/6/2018. This appeal followed.11
    In its sole issue on appeal, Tri-State Garden contends the court abused
    its discretion and/or erred as a matter of law by denying its petition to open
    default judgment. See Tri-State Garden’s Brief at xvi. Specifically, Tri-State
    Garden states the court erred in granting default judgment in favor of Tinsman
    in the amount of $183,983.83 as a penalty for a discovery violation without
    the court holding a separate hearing on the issue of damages. Id. at 1. Tri-
    State Garden argues the court “erred in simply accepting the damages in the
    aggregate, and in the specifics presented by [Tinsman]’s Counsel without
    requiring [Tinsman] to prove said damages” at a hearing. Id. at 7. Tri-State
    Garden alleges:
    The Petition to Open Default Judgment sets forth the
    averments in Paragraphs 19 and 20 that Counsel for the Appellee
    effected a fraud upon the Petitioner as a party and a fraud upon
    the [trial court] by counsel’s actions on August 2, 2017 in
    representing to the [c]ourt that the [c]ourt should award damages
    to [Tinsman] in a sum calculated by [Tinsman] to be $73,837.34
    ____________________________________________
    10   The court also denied Tinsman’s request for attorney’s fees.
    11  On July 3, 2018, the trial court ordered Tri-State Garden to file a concise
    statement of errors complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).
    Tri-State Garden filed a concise statement on July 13, 2018. The trial court
    issued an opinion pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) on August 14, 2018.
    - 10 -
    J-A06013-19
    and doubled as allegedly authorized by the Pennsylvania Sales
    Representative Act.
    Id. at 11 (reproduced record citations omitted).12 Moreover, Tri-State Garden
    claims Pennsylvania Rule of Professional Conduct 3.3 (candor toward the
    tribunal) was violated when Tinsman’s counsel: (1) “failed to inform [the trial
    court] that her client’s Amended Complaint had failed to aver damages in a
    ‘sum certain’ and/or that the proposed Order could seek damages in a ‘sum
    certain;’”13 and (2) “refused to call to the [trial court’s] attention on August 2,
    2017 the content of the letter she had received on July 26, 2017” from Tri-
    State Garden’s counsel regarding its motion for a continuance.14
    Before we may dispose of the substantive merits of Tri-State Garden’s
    appeal, we must address the procedural posture of this case. As noted above,
    Tri-State previously filed an untimely appeal from the September 29, 2017,
    order, denying its motion for reconsideration/vacation with respect to the
    August 3, 2017, order and default judgment. That appeal was subsequently
    quashed. Tri-State Garden is now appealing from the June 6, 2018, order
    denying its petition to open the same default judgment.           The underlying
    judgment, entered on August 3, 2017, granted Tinsman’s motion for
    ____________________________________________
    12 Tri-State Garden states it was not provided a copy of the proposed order,
    requested by the court for Tinsman’s counsel to draft, prior to the court signing
    the document. See Tri-State Garden’s Brief at 11.
    13   Id. at 14.
    14   Id.
    - 11 -
    J-A06013-19
    sanctions, which was filed because Tri-State Garden failed to comply with the
    court’s April 19, 2017, order compelling discovery responses on Tri-State
    Garden’s part.   Accordingly, this was a judgment entered as a discovery
    sanction.
    Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 4019 governs sanctions and
    provides, in relevant part:
    (a) (1) The court may, on motion, make an appropriate order if
    (i) a party fails to serve answers, sufficient answers
    or objections to written interrogatories under Rule
    4005;
    …
    (vii) a party, in response to a request for production
    or inspection made under Rule 4009, fails to respond
    that inspection will be permitted as requested or fails
    to permit inspection as requested;
    (viii) a party or person otherwise fails to make
    discovery or to obey an order of court respecting
    discovery.
    …
    (c) The court, when acting under subdivision (a) of this rule, may
    make
    …
    (2) an order refusing to allow the disobedient party to
    support or oppose designated claims or defenses, or
    prohibiting such party from introducing in evidence
    designated documents, things or testimony, or from
    introducing evidence of physical or mental condition;
    (3) an order striking out pleadings or parts thereof, or
    staying further proceedings until the order is obeyed, or
    - 12 -
    J-A06013-19
    entering a judgment of non pros or by default against the
    disobedient party or party advising the disobedience;
    …
    (g)
    (1) Except as otherwise provided in these rules, if following
    the refusal, objection or failure of a party or person to
    comply with any provision of this chapter, the court, after
    opportunity for hearing, enters an order compelling
    compliance and the order is not obeyed, the court on a
    subsequent motion for sanctions may, if the motion is
    granted, require the party or deponent whose conduct
    necessitated the motions or the party or attorney advising
    such conduct or both of them to pay to the moving party
    the reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred
    in obtaining the order of compliance and the order for
    sanctions, unless the court finds that the opposition to the
    motion was substantially justified or that other
    circumstances make an award of expenses unjust.
    Pa. R.C.P. 4019.
    With respect to default judgments entered on the basis of discovery
    sanctions, the trial court properly noted, “it is well settled that a petition to
    open judgment is not a permissible vehicle to challenge an appealable
    monetary judgment entered as a discovery sanction.” Trial Court Opinion,
    8/14/2018, at 8, citing Livolsi v. Crosby, 
    495 A.2d 1384
     (Pa. Super. 1985).
    In Livolsi, which is similar to the present matter, the plaintiffs filed a
    writ of summons in trespass and assumpsit against the defendant.
    Subsequently, they filed a motion to produce documents on the defendant,
    which she failed to comply with and did not object to the motion. The plaintiffs
    then filed a motion for sanctions, to which, once again, the defendant did not
    - 13 -
    J-A06013-19
    respond. The trial court entered an order pursuant to Rule 4019(c), directing
    the defendant to produce documents. The defendant again did not comply.
    The court then conducted a hearing on the motion, to which the defendant did
    not appear for the proceeding. The court entered a final judgment against the
    defendant. The defendant did not file a direct appeal but did file a petition to
    open and/or strike the judgment. The court denied the petition to open and/or
    strike the judgment. On appeal, a panel of this Court quashed the matter,
    concluding:
    This Court has recently ruled that a judgment which is
    entered by the trial court pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 4019(c)(3) as a
    sanction is not properly challenged by means of a petition to open.
    Miller Oral Surgery, Inc. v. Donald D. Dinello, D.M.D., 
    342 Pa.Super. 577
    , 581, 
    493 A.2d 741
    , 743 (1985). There, the
    Superior Court found that:
    “a sanction order entering judgment pursuant to Pa.R.C.P.
    4019(c)(3) is not subject to a petition to open. There is no
    authority in the rules for such a petition, and orderly practice
    suggests that there should be none.”
    In that case, the appeal was found to be interlocutory since the
    judgment entered was for liability, damages to be determined at
    a later date.
    In the instant case, the trial court entered judgment in a dollar
    amount so that the judgment was final. Consequently, the appeal
    time began to run from the date of the entry of the judgment and,
    since no appeal was taken within 30 days from that date, the
    instant appeal is not properly before us.
    As was said in Miller Oral Surgery, Inc.
    “a sanction order entering judgment pursuant to Pa.R.C.P.
    4019(c)(3) is not subject to a petition to open. There is no
    authority in the rules for such a petition, and orderly practice
    suggests that there should be none.” In this respect, default
    - 14 -
    J-A06013-19
    judgment entered pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 4019(c)(3) is
    comparable to a judgment entered after hearing. A party
    may request the court to reconsider a sanction order
    entering a judgment, of course, but neither reconsideration
    nor refusal to reconsider will transform an interlocutory
    order into one that is final and appealable.”
    Here, the order entered was not interlocutory since it
    encompasses both liability and damages. However, the reasoning
    remains the same, where, as here, the action was taken pursuant
    to Pa.R.C.P. 4019(c) the order is not subject to attack by a petition
    to open and/or strike a judgment.
    Where, as here, a trial court has entered a sanction order for both
    liability and damages, the judgment then being final, the
    appropriate method for review would be an appeal within the time
    prescribed by Pa.R.App.P. 903.          The attempt to raise an
    appealable issue by filing a petition to open the judgment will not
    be allowed.
    Livolsi, 495 A.2d at 1385.15
    Turning to the present matter, in accordance with Livolsi, Tri-State
    Garden previously complied with precedence by filing an appeal; however,
    that appeal was deemed untimely by this Court and was quashed. Tri-State
    Garden now attempts to circumvent that decision by filing a petition to open
    the judgment.      Such an attempt, to raise an appealable issue by filing a
    ____________________________________________
    15 See also Simpson v. Allstate Ins. Co., 
    504 A.2d 335
     (Pa. Super. 1986)
    (en banc); Edney v. Se. Pa. Transp. Auth., 
    514 A.2d 194
     (Pa. Super. 1986).
    - 15 -
    J-A06013-19
    petition to open judgment based on discovery sanctions, is prohibited.16 See
    
    id.
     Accordingly, we are compelled to quash this appeal.17
    In a related matter, in its appellee’s brief, Tinsman requested that this
    Court award it reasonable costs, attorney’s fees, and delay damages pursuant
    to Pa.R.A.P. 2744.18      See Tinsman’s Brief at 12-14. Based on the unique
    ____________________________________________
    16  See Trial Court Opinion, 8/14/2018, at 9-10 (“In the present case, upon
    consideration of the history recited above and the evidence and argument
    presented at the hearing on June 5, 2018, the court was not persuaded that
    the advocacy of [Tinsman’s] counsel on behalf of her client in any way
    constituted a fraud upon either [the trial court] or [Tri-State Garden]. The
    court was, on the contrary, constrained to conclude, as contended by
    [Tinsman], that [Tri-State Garden]’s petition to open represented an
    impermissible ‘attempt to circumvent the appellate court’s decision to quash
    [Tri-State Garden]’s untimely appeal.’ In this context, [Tri-State Garden]’s
    petition was incompatible with the proscription against utilizing a petition to
    open to challenge an appealable monetary judgment entered as a discovery
    sanction, the doctrine of res judicata, and the doctrine of the law of the
    case.”).
    17 Based on our disposition, we need not address the merits of Tri-State
    Garden’s argument further.
    18   Rule 2744 states:
    In addition to other costs allowable by general rule or Act of
    Assembly, an appellate court may award as further costs damages
    as may be just, including
    (1) a reasonable counsel fee and
    (2) damages for delay at the rate of 6% per annum in addition
    to legal interest,
    if it determines that an appeal is frivolous or taken solely for delay
    or that the conduct of the participant against whom costs are to
    be imposed is dilatory, obdurate or vexatious. The appellate court
    - 16 -
    J-A06013-19
    procedural nuance of this appeal, it is not apparent to us that Tri-State
    Garden’s “appeal is frivolous or taken solely for delay” or that its conduct is
    “dilatory, obdurate or vexatious.”         Pa.R.A.P. 2744.   Accordingly, we deny
    Tinsman’s request for reasonable costs, attorney’s fees, and delay damages.
    Appeal quashed.       Tinsman’s request for reasonable costs, attorney’s
    fees, and delay damages denied.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 09/24/2019
    ____________________________________________
    may remand the case to the trial court to determine the amount
    of damages authorized by this rule.
    Pa.R.A.P. 2744.
    - 17 -