Citation Numbers: 919 A.2d 252
Judges: Elliott, Files, Kelly, McCaffery
Filed Date: 2/28/2007
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 1/12/2023
OPINION BY
¶ 1 Appellant, Harold R. Karschner, appeals from the decree entered in the Court of Common Pleas of Potter County denying his petition to review the final accounting of the estate of Patricia L. Karschner. In addressing his claims, we examine, inter alia, whether a notice of appeal may be properly filed via facsimile transmission, and despite finding that it may not, we affirm.
¶ 2 On June 3, 1998, Appellee, Gerald R. Karschner, acting as executor of the will of the parties’ mother, Patricia L. Karschner, filed a First and Final Account of the administration of her estate, and Appellant, one of Appellee’s four brothers, filed objections. The orphans’ court appointed an auditor, who submitted a final report
¶ 3 Preliminarily, we must determine whether Appellant’s facsimile transmission constituted a timely notice of appeal.
¶ 4 Whether a notice of appeal filed by fax satisfies the Rule 903 requirement for a timely appeal
¶ 5 This Court has, in at least one instance, deferred to the trial court in accepting such a transmission: in Commonwealth v. Felmlee, 828 A.2d 1105 (Pa.Super.2003), after noting that the Rule of Criminal Procedure 576 which governs filings “neither authorizes nor prohibits filings by facsimile,” id. at 1107 n. 2, we reported without further comment that a faxed post-sentence motion was received and accepted on the last permitted filing day for such documents. Our lack of analysis seems to indicate that the critical fac
¶ 6 However, in this instance, the invalidity of the filing method does not affect our ability to review the appeal. Appellant followed his faxed notice with one sent through the mail. Although it arrived on November 3rd, more than thirty days after the entry of the trial court’s decree, at that point the clock on Appellant’s time for review had not begun ticking. Pa.R.C.P. 236(b) requires that “[t]he prothonotary shall note in the docket the giving of the notice.” Pa.R.C.P. 236(b). Failing this, “an order is not appealable until it is entered on the docket with the required notation that appropriate notice has been given.” Frazier v. City of Philadelphia, 557 Pa. 618, 735 A.2d 113, 115 (1999).
¶ 7 Here the Potter County prothonota-ry noted on the docket that the final decree was filed on September 30th, but did not indicate that the parties had been given notice of the decree. See Pa.R.C.P. 236(b). In the absence of the required notice, the thirty-day period for filing an appeal never began, and the timeliness of this appeal is therefore not at issue.
¶ 8 Appellant presents the following issue:
WHETHER THE COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN THE COURT FAILED TO HEAR THE TESTIMONY TO BE PRESENTED FOR THE PETITION TO REVIEW THE AUDITOR’S REPORT AND/OR FINAL ACCOUNTING AFTER HOLDING ORAL ARGUMENT ON [APPELLEES’] OBJECTIONS TO THE PETITION?
(Appellant’s Brief at 6).
¶ 9 Appellant argues that the trial court abused its discretion by dismissing his petition after oral argument. He contends that the court had jurisdiction under 20 Pa.C.S.A. § 3521 to hear testimony regarding the petition, and that failing to do so was an error of law. We disagree.
In reviewing an order from the [orphans’ [c]ourt, our standard is narrow: we will not reverse unless there is a clear error of law or an abuse of discre*256 tion. Our scope of review is also limited: we determine only whether the court’s findings are based on competent and credible evidence of record.
In re Estate of Westin, 874 A.2d 139, 142 (Pa.Super.2005) (citations omitted). A review of final accounting is not a matter of right, but rather lies within the sound discretion of the Orphans’ Court and should be exercised “cautiously and sparingly and only under circumstances which demonstrate it to be indispensable to the merits and justice of the cause.” In re Estate of Roart, 390 Pa.Super. 38, 568 A.2d 182, 187-88 (1989), (quoting Bailey’s Estate, 291 Pa. 421, 140 A. 145, 146-47 (1927)), appeal denied, 588 A.2d 510 (1990).
¶ 10 As already noted, a final decree confirming the auditor’s First and Final Account was entered on March 28, 2002, and no appeal was filed. “[A]n order confirming an account and ordering distribution of an estate becomes final when no appeal is timely filed therefrom. The failure to appeal from a final order renders the doctrine of res judicata applicable.” In re Estate of Braun, 437 Pa.Super. 372, 650 A.2d 73, 76 (1994) (citation omitted). However, Section 3521 of the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code provides an exception allowing a later review by the Orphans’ Court of a final accounting. Id. The statute provides, in relevant part:
If any party in interest shall, within five years after the final confirmation of any account of a personal representative, file a petition to review any part of the account or of an auditor’s report ... setting forth specifically alleged errors therein, the court shall give such relief as equity and justice shall require.
20 Pa.C.S.A. § 3521. “[A] petition to review [under this statute] will be granted only (1) where there are errors of law appearing on the face of the record; (2) [when] new matters have arisen since the confirmation of the account; or (3) where justice and equity require a review and no person will suffer thereby.” In re Estate of Litostansky, 499 Pa. 321, 453 A.2d 329, 330 (1982). To justify opening an adjudication by the Orphans’ Court based on newly discovered evidence, the evidence must have been discovered since the original adjudication, must be such that it was not previously obtainable by reasonable diligence, and must be likely to have compelled a different result. Roart, supra at 187. Evidentiary hearings have been compelled, for example, in cases where breach of fiduciary duty or fraud have been alleged. See Westin, supra (alleging breach of fiduciary duty); In re Estate of Marushak, 488 Pa. 607, 413 A.2d 649, 650 (1980) (alleging fraud). Allegations must be specific in order to compel the court to conduct a hearing. Estate of Gallagher, 485 Pa. 62, 400 A.2d 1312, 1314 (1979) (finding allegation of fraud specific and thus warranting hearing).
¶ 11 Instantly, Appellant claims only that the final accounting contained “material and substantial errors.” (Appellant’s Brief at 12). However, the Orphans’ Court found the allegations “vague” because they lacked any explanation of what the new evidence is or what errors it shows. (Trial Court Statement, 12/9/05, at 2). Therefore, Appellant fails to demonstrate how the court abused its discretion in reaching the conclusion that Appellant did not meet his Section 3521 burden without holding an evidentiary hearing. See Westin, supra. He points to no competent and credible evidence in the record that contradicts the court’s findings. See id. He also fails to establish that the errors he claims to have discovered would have produced a different result. See Roart, supra. Additionally, because Appellant has alleged mere errors, not fraud or breach of fiduciary duty, we are not persuaded. See
¶ 12 Order affirmed.
. We note that because timeliness is a jurisdictional issue, we may address it sua sponte. See In re Adoption of W.R., 823 A.2d 1013, 1015 (Pa.Super.2003).
. The thirtieth day after September 30th fell on a Sunday, so an appeal would be properly filed on Monday, October 31st. See 1 Pa. C.S.A. § 1908 (“Whenever the last day of any such period shall fall on Saturday or Sunday ... such day shall be omitted from the computation.”).
. As with issues of timeliness, issues of appealability are jurisdictional in nature and may be raised sua sponte. See Capuano v. Capuano, 823 A.2d 995, 998 (Pa.Super.2003).
. Normally, if a party appeals before the pro-thonotaiy has made a corrective entry on the docket sheet, the case must be remanded to allow perfection of the appeal. See In re Green, 572 Pa. 408, 816 A.2d 224, 224-25 (2003); Schiller v. Royal Maccabees Life Ins. Co., 561 Pa. 148, 748 A.2d 1234 (2000).