Title 42, JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE

(a) General rule.--Except as provided otherwise in this section, no person who, without compensation and as a volunteer, renders services as a manager, coach, instructor, umpire or referee or who, without compensation and as a volunteer, assists a manager, coach, instructor, umpi…

(a) General rule.--Except as provided otherwise in this section, no person who serves without compensation, other than reimbursement for actual expenses, as an officer, director or trustee of any nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 …

Volunteer firefighters shall be treated as public employees as defined in section 8501 (relating to definitions). This section shall not be construed to reduce or eliminate any other immunity provided to volunteer firefighters by law. (Dec. 15, 1986, P.L.1598, No.177, eff. 60 day…

(a) Services covered.-- (1) Except as provided otherwise in this section, no person who, without compensation and as a volunteer, renders public services for a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3), (4) or (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (68A Stat. 3, 26 U.S.C. …

(a) General rule.--The liability of an individual shall be limited to the extent expressly provided by or pursuant to Title 15 (relating to corporations and unincorporated associations). See 15 Pa.C.S. Ch. 5 Subch. B (relating to fiduciary duty and indemnification), Ch. 17 Subch.…

(a) General rule.--An antidrug or town-watch volunteer who acts in good faith and within the scope of the volunteer's role with an antidrug or crime prevention volunteer organization or government agency shall be immune from civil liability for damage caused by acts or omissions …

(a) Assistance of law enforcement personnel.--In addition to the provisions of 61 Pa.C.S. § 6181 (relating to status as peace officers) or any other law, any parole officer appointed by the Department of Corrections who, after obtaining permission in advance from a person authori…

(a) Assistance of law enforcement personnel.--In addition to the provisions of section 1 of the act of August 6, 1963 (P.L.521, No.277), entitled "An act providing that probation officers shall have the power of peace officers in the performance of their duties," or any other law…

(a) General rule.--No person shall be held liable for death, disease or injury resulting from the lawful transfusion of blood, blood components or plasma derivatives, or from the lawful transplantation or insertion of tissue, bone or organs, except upon a showing of negligence on…

(a) General rule.--Any physician who does not receive remuneration for his services in a mass immunization project approved in writing by the Department of Health or its designee under the provisions of the act of September 19, 1974 (P.L.644, No.210), and any registered nurse, or…

Damages for the conversion of stocks, bonds, or other like property of fluctuating value shall be limited to the difference between the proceeds of the conversion, or that portion thereof duly paid or credited to the owner, and such higher value as the property may have reached w…

(a) General rule.--During the course of transportation, including the loading and unloading thereof, of hazardous substances, no person shall be liable in civil damages when his conduct consists solely of action or inaction taken or omitted in the course of rendering care, assist…

(a) General rule.--Any officer or employee of a school who, in the scope of official duty, reports drug or alcohol abuse involving a student to another officer or employee of the school, to a parent, legal guardian or spouse of the student or who refers a student for treatment or…

(a) General rule.--An officer or employee of a school who in good faith believes that a student needs emergency care, first aid or rescue and who provides such emergency care, first aid or rescue to the student or who removes the student receiving such emergency care, first aid o…

(a) General rule.--A person is not subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging or condition of apparently wholesome food or of grocery products apparently fit for household consumption or use that the person donated in good faith to a nonprofit …

(a) General rule.--A person is not subject to civil liability arising from the nature or condition of vehicles or equipment which were reasonably believed to be in good condition, donated in good faith to a volunteer fire company and for which all known defects were disclosed by …

(a) General rule.--No cause of action shall arise against the owner, tenant or lessee of land or premises for injuries to any person, other than an employee or contractor of the owner, tenant or lessee, who is on the land or premises for the purpose of picking and purchasing agri…

(a) General rule.--A railroad carrier owes no duty of care to keep its railroad property safe for entry or use by any trespasser who enters upon any railroad property or railroad right-of-way or to give any warning to such trespasser entering or going on that railroad property of…

Any probation officer or agent of the Department of Corrections and any public service or charitable agency or organization or political subdivision, or any official or employee thereof, supervising or administering any restitution or community service program approved by the cou…

(a) General rule.--An employer who discloses information about a current or former employee's job performance to a prospective employer of the current or former employee, upon request of the prospective employer or the current or former employee, is presumed to be acting in good …

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act.

The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) There has been a disturbing increase in lawsuits brought primarily to chill the valid exercise of protected public expression. (2) It is in the public interest to encourage continued participation in matters of public signif…

The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Cause of action based on protected public expression." A cause of action under section 8340.14 (relating to scope of…

(a) Coverage.--Except as provided in subsection (b), this subchapter applies to a cause of action based on protected public expression. (b) Exclusions.--This subchapter does not apply to any of the following claims asserted in a civil action: (1) Against a government unit or an e…

A person is immune from civil liability for a cause of action based on protected public expression if any of the following paragraphs apply: (1) The party asserting the cause of action based on protected public expression fails to: (i) establish a prima facie case as to each esse…

(a) Authorization.--A party may file a special motion for dismissal of or judgment on a cause of action, or part of a cause of action, based on a party's protected public expression immunity. (b) Time.--A motion under subsection (a) must be made as follows: (1) Except as provided…

An order granting, denying or otherwise determining immunity under this subchapter is immediately appealable under section 702 (relating to interlocutory orders).

(a) Party asserting immunity.--If a cause of action based on protected public expression is commenced against a party, all of the following apply: (1) If the party is immune under section 8340.15 (relating to grant of immunity), the court shall award the party attorney fees, cour…

(a) General rule.--An actor who uses force: (1) in self-protection as provided in 18 Pa.C.S. § 505 (relating to use of force in self-protection); (2) in the protection of other persons as provided in 18 Pa.C.S. § 506 (relating to use of force for the protection of other persons);…

(a) Rescue of individual.--No person shall be liable for damage to a motor vehicle or the contents thereof caused by entry into the motor vehicle for the purpose of removing an individual from the motor vehicle, if the person: (1) Has a good faith, reasonable belief that the indi…

(a) Short title of section.--This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Uniform Single Publication Act." (b) General rule.--No person shall have more than one cause of action for damages for libel or slander, or invasion of privacy, or any other tort founded upon any si…

In all civil actions for libel, the plea of justification shall be accepted as an adequate and complete defense, when it is pleaded, and proved to the satisfaction of the jury, under the direction of the court as in other cases, that the publication is substantially true and is p…

(a) Burden of plaintiff.--In an action for defamation, the plaintiff has the burden of proving, when the issue is properly raised: (1) The defamatory character of the communication. (2) Its publication by the defendant. (3) Its application to the plaintiff. (4) The understanding …

In all civil actions for libel, no damages shall be recovered unless it is established to the satisfaction of the jury, under the direction of the court as in other cases, that the publication has been maliciously or negligently made, but where malice or negligence appears such d…

Liability shall be denied and no recovery shall be allowed against the owners, licensees and operators of any visual or sound radio and television station or network of stations or against the agents, servants or employees of such owner, licensee or operator, for the publication,…

(a) Elements of action.--A person who takes part in the procurement, initiation or continuation of civil proceedings against another is subject to liability to the other for wrongful use of civil proceedings: (1) he acts in a grossly negligent manner or without probable cause and…

A person who takes part in the procurement, initiation or continuation of civil proceedings against another has probable cause for doing so if he reasonably believes in the existence of the facts upon which the claim is based, and either: (1) reasonably believes that under those …

When the essential elements of an action brought pursuant to this subchapter have been established as provided in section 8351 (relating to wrongful use of civil proceedings), the plaintiff is entitled to recover for the following: (1) The harm normally resulting from any arrest …

In an action brought pursuant to this subchapter the plaintiff has the burden of proving, when the issue is properly raised, that: (1) The defendant has procured, initiated or continued the civil proceedings against him. (2) The proceedings were terminated in his favor. (3) The d…

Every pleading, motion and other paper of a party represented by an attorney shall be signed by at least one attorney of record in his individual name and his address shall be stated. A party who is not represented by an attorney shall sign his pleading, motion or other paper and…

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds that: (1) Asbestos-related claims threaten the continued viability of successor business entities which are formed or organized under the laws of this Commonwealth or another jurisdiction that have never manufactured, sold or distributed …

The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Asbestos claim." A claim, wherever or whenever made, for damages, losses, indemnification, contribution or other rel…

(a) Limitation.--Except as provided under subsection (c), the cumulative successor asbestos-related liability of a successor business entity shall be limited to the fair market value of the total gross assets of the transferor as of the time of the merger or consolidation with th…

(a) Establishment.--A successor business entity may establish the fair market value of total gross assets of the transferor as of the time of the merger or consolidation by any reasonable method under the circumstances, including the following: (1) By reference to the going-conce…

(a) Annual increase.--Except as provided under subsection (c), the fair market value of total gross assets of a transferor as determined under section 8368.4 (relating to fair market value) shall increase annually until the earlier of: (1) The date of the settlement, judgment or …

(a) Applicability.--This subchapter shall not apply to any of the following: (1) An asbestos claim for which the applicable period of limitation commenced on or before the effective date of this section. (2) Workers' compensation benefits paid to an employee under the act of June…