On November 4, 1964, at the non-jury trial of this cause, we held that plaintiff’s federally created
It is generally recognized that in a federal court action to enforce a federally created right or liability either at law or where the jurisdiction of law and equity is concurrent, the time limitation prescribed by the statute of the forum state is applicable if no limitation period is fixed by federal law and Congress has manifested no contrary intent. See, generally: 2 Moore, Federal Practice, ¶ 3.07; Annotation,
Plaintiff’s evidence reveals that he was “laid off” from his job by the defendant Company on January 8,1954, purportedly in violation of his seniority rights under the governing collective bargaining agreement. Thereafter, he made extensive efforts through grievance representatives of the defendant Union to procure reinstatement to his job, but these efforts, for whatever reason, met with total frustration. Eventually, on August 6, 1956, he instituted an action in the Pennsylvania state courts against the defendant Company and various officers of the defendant Union. One month later his Union membership was involuntarily
In our opinion, the Pennsylvania statute of limitations was not tolled by the pendency of the prior state court litigation, Di Sabatino v. Mertz,
Plaintiff’s cause of action for alleged violation of his seniority rights under the collective bargaining agreement clearly accrued on January 8, 1954, when he was “laid off” from his employment. While the evidence is such that it is more difficult to pinpoint the date that his cause of action for the Union’s alleged breach of its duty of fair representation accrued, this had to be by August 6, 1956, when he commenced the state court action and asserted such a breach in his complaint filed therein.
An appropriate order will be entered denying plaintiff’s motion for a new trial.
Notes
. For our opinion holding that the court had jurisdiction over the subject matter in light of Humphrey v. Moore,
. Said statute (with exceptions not here relevant) applies generally to all actions based upon breach of contract and torts not resulting in personal injury.
. Also of interest are Kosty v. Lewis,
. Falsetti v. Local Union No. 2026, United Mine Wkrs.,
. There is a statute which recognizes the statute of limitations problem here involved and permits new actions by plaintiffs for a period of one year after the reversal of judgments theretofore given in their favor. 12 Purdon’s Pa.Stat.Ann. § 33. In addition to the reason otherwise readily apparent, this statute does not apply to plaintiff’s benefit since judgment was rendered against him in the Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s order dismissing his amended complaint.
. Plaintiff testified in this action that he was aware at the time he commenced the state court litigation that the defendants were not going to process his grievance (T., pp. 168-169). His complaint and amended complaint filed in the state court action were replete with accusations that certain Union officers had refused to process his grievance, and indeed, paragraph 17 of the original complaint and paragraph 18 of the amended complaint (at No. 1180 Oct. Term, 1956, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County), filecl August 6, 1956 and April 5, 1957, specifically charge certain Union representatives with breach of their fiduciary duty.
